UPSC Prelims 2018 CSAT Paper II · Q42 of 58 Basic Numeracy easy

19 boys turn out for playing hockey. Of these, 11 are wearing hockey shirts and 14 are wearing hockey pants. There are no boys without shirts and/or pants. What is the number of boys wearing full uniform?

  1. (a) 3
  2. (b) 5
  3. (c) 6 ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) 8

Why the answer is (c)

• Total number of boys is 19.

• Number of boys wearing hockey shirts is 11.

• Number of boys wearing hockey pants is 14.

• Using the principle of inclusion-exclusion, the number of boys wearing both shirts and pants (full uniform) is calculated as: (Shirts + Pants) - Total Boys.

• Calculation: 11 + 14 - 19 = 25 - 19 = 6.

• Therefore, 6 boys are wearing the full uniform.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 3
Option 3 is incorrect because the sum of shirts and pants (25) exceeds the total boys (19) by 6, not 3.
(b) 5
Option 5 is incorrect because the arithmetic calculation 11 + 14 - 19 yields 6, not 5.
(d) 8
Option 8 is incorrect because the arithmetic calculation 11 + 14 - 19 yields 6, not 8.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2018, held on 3 June 2018. 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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