UPSC Prelims 2014 CSAT Paper II · Q48 of 65 Basic Numeracy easy

A and B decide to travel from place X to place Y by bus. A has ₹ 10 with him and he finds that it is 80% of the bus fare for two persons. B finds that he has ₹ 3 with him and hands it over to A. In this context, which one of the following statements is correct ?

  1. (a) Now the money A has is just enough to buy two tickets.
  2. (b) A still needs ₹ 2 for buying the tickets.
  3. (c) After buying the two tickets A will be left with 50 paise. ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) The money A now has is still not sufficient to buy two tickets.

Why the answer is (c)

• A has ₹10, which is 80% of the bus fare for two persons.

• Therefore, the fare for two persons is ₹10 ÷ 0.80 = ₹12.50.

• B gives ₹3 to A, so A now has ₹10 + ₹3 = ₹13.

• After buying two tickets for ₹12.50, A is left with ₹13 - ₹12.50 = ₹0.50, i.e., 50 paise.

• Hence option (c) is correct.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Now the money A has is just enough to buy two tickets.
A now has ₹13, which is more than the ₹12.50 needed for two tickets, so it is not just enough.
(b) A still needs ₹ 2 for buying the tickets.
A does not need ₹2 because ₹13 is already sufficient for the ₹12.50 ticket cost.
(d) The money A now has is still not sufficient to buy two tickets.
The money A now has is sufficient because ₹13 is greater than ₹12.50.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2014, held on 24 August 2014. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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