UPSC Prelims 2021 CSAT Paper II · Q68 of 79 Basic Numeracy easy

A cubical vessel of side 1 m is filled completely with water. How many millilitres of water is contained in it (neglect thickness of the vessel) ?

  1. (a) 1000
  2. (b) 10000
  3. (c) 100000
  4. (d) 1000000 ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The vessel is a cube with side 1 m, so its volume is 1 m × 1 m × 1 m = 1 m³.

• 1 m = 100 cm, therefore 1 m³ = 100 cm × 100 cm × 100 cm = 1,000,000 cm³.

• 1 cm³ of water equals 1 millilitre.

• Hence the water contained is 1,000,000 millilitres, which is option (d).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1000
Option (a) gives 1000 millilitres, which equals 1 litre or 0.001 m³, not 1 m³.
(b) 10000
Option (b) gives 10000 millilitres, which equals 10 litres or 0.01 m³, not 1 m³.
(c) 100000
Option (c) gives 100000 millilitres, which equals 100 litres or 0.1 m³, not 1 m³.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2021, held on 10 October 2021. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

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