Arithmetic

Advanced Level Practice Set

Percentages • Profit & Loss • Ratio & Variation • Averages & Mixtures
Time & Work • Simple & Compound Interest • Time, Speed & Distance • Races & Circular Motion

49 Questions | 7 Topic Sections | Answer Key Included

Percentage, Profit, Loss & Discount

Q1. A truck traveling at 70 km/hr uses 30% more diesel to travel a certain distance than it does when it
travels at a speed of 50 km/hr. If the truck can travel 19.5 km/L of diesel at 50 km/hr, how far can the truck
travel on 10 L of diesel at a speed of 70 km/hr?
(A) 130 km
(B) 140 km
(C) 150 km
(D) 160 km
(E) 175 km

Q2. A man buys some toffees at 4 for Rs. 1 and same number at 6 for Rs. 1. He sells all the toffees at 5 for
Rs. 1. Find his net percentage profit or loss.
(A) No profit no loss
(B) 1% loss
(C) 1% profit
(D) 4% loss
(E) 4% profit

Q3. A trader offers a discount of 15% on the marked price and still makes a profit of 36%. By how much %
above the cost price should he mark his goods?
(A) 36%
(B) 40%
(C) 50%
(D) 60%
(E) 65%

Q4. Due to increasing cost, an intelligent manager of a soft drink company reduced their price per bottle
from Rs. 15 by giving a discount of 4%. But at the same time, he reduced the 500 ml bottle to 400 ml. Find
the percentage increase in revenue earned now per 100 ml of cold drink sold.
(A) 20%
(B) 25%
(C) 15%
(D) 10%
(E) None of these

Q5. Due to a recession in the cloth industry, a cloth dealer is selling cloth at a loss of 8%; but by using a
false metric scale he manages to keep a profit of 15%. Govt. inspectors have raided his shop — help them
find the length of the scale used by the trader in place of a 1-metre scale.
(A) 0.9 m
(B) 0.8 m
(C) 10/11 m
(D) 9/11 m
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(E) 0.69 m

Q6. By using a false scale a trader is able to deceive in both procurement and disposal. He uses a false
1.25 m scale for procuring and a 0.80 m scale for disposal. Find his gain %.
(A) 45%
(B) 50%
(C) 56.25%
(D) 60%
(E) 62.5%

Ratio, Proportion, Partnership & Variation

Q7. Amar, Akbar and Antony were in a cold country. They wanted to make a bonfire. Amar contributed 5
wood logs, Akbar contributed 4 wood logs. Antony had no wood logs, so he contributed Rs. 9 to Amar and
Akbar. What money should Amar get?
(A) Rs. 5
(B) Rs. 4
(C) Rs. 6
(D) Rs. 7
(E) Rs. 4.50

Q8. I have one-rupee coins, fifty-paise coins and twenty-five-paise coins. The number of coins are in the
ratio 2.5 : 3 : 4. If the total amount with me is Rs. 210, find the number of one-rupee coins.
(A) 90
(B) 85
(C) 100
(D) 105
(E) None of these

Q9. Ramu's old 'Khatara' gave him a mileage of 16 km/L and his new 'Accent' gives him a mileage of 10
km/L. The fuel-tank capacities in both cases are 30 L and 45 L respectively. If Ramu travels 7,200 km in a
year, how many more times does he have to visit the filling station in a year compared with when he used
the 'Khatara'?
(A) 1 time
(B) 2 times
(C) 16 times
(D) 15 times
(E) 3 times

Q10. A pumpkin is cut into two pieces whose ratio is 2 : 3; the bigger of the two is cut again in the ratio 3 : 4.
Find the ratio of each of the three pieces to the entire pumpkin.
(A) 2 : 9 : 12
(B) 6 : 8 : 21
(C) 14 : 9 : 12
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(D) 2 : 3 : 4
(E) None of these

Q11. Divide Rs. 5,130 among P, Q, R and S such that 3 times P's share = 4 times Q's share = 5 times R's
share = 6 times S's share. What is the share of Q (in Rs. )?
(A) 1,250
(B) 1,350
(C) 1,450
(D) 1,380
(E) 1,480

Q12. The incomes of A and B are in the ratio 4 : 7 and their spending are in the ratio 6 : 11. If A saves 1/3rd
of her income, the savings of A and B are in the ratio of
(A) 11/19
(B) 12/17
(C) 11/18
(D) 5/8
(E) None of these

Q13. The cost of a diamond varies as the square of its weight. A diamond weighing 10 decigrams costs Rs.
1,600. The diamond broke into two pieces weighing 7 and 3 decigrams. What is the loss owing to the
breakage?
(A) Rs. 672
(B) Rs. 923
(C) Rs. 600
(D) Rs. 1,000
(E) Rs. 540

Q14. An engine without compartments can move at a speed of 60 kmph. Reduction in the engine's speed
varies as the square root of the number of compartments attached. With 4 compartments the engine can
move at 40 kmph. Find the minimum number of compartments that must be attached so that the engine fails
to move.
(A) 100
(B) 99
(C) 49
(D) 50
(E) 36

Averages, Mixtures & Alligation

Q15. In the land of the Heavyweights, the average weight of 3 men A, B, C is 84 kg. Another heavyweight D
joins the group and the average becomes 80 kg. If another man E, whose weight is 3 kg more than that of D,
replaces A, the average weight of B, C, D, E becomes 79 kg. Find the weight of A.
(A) 68 kg
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(B) 71 kg
(C) 75 kg
(D) 80 kg
(E) 72 kg

Q16. The average age of a class of 40 boys is 16.95 years, but with the admission of a new boy the
average age rises to 17 years. Find the age of the new boy.
(A) 18 years
(B) 16.95 years
(C) 19.0 years
(D) 41 years
(E) 19.5 years

Q17. A wine merchant purchases 54 litres of whisky at Rs. 2.20 per litre. How many litres of water must he
add so as to retail it at Rs. 2.25 a litre and obtain a profit of 25% on his outlay?
(A) 18 litres
(B) 12 litres
(C) 22 litres
(D) 24 litres
(E) 14 litres

Q18. 8 litres of milk are drawn from a cask containing 80 litres of milk and replaced with water. The process
is repeated 2 more times. What quantity of milk is left in the cask?
(A) 60.96 litres
(B) 56 litres
(C) 58.32 litres
(D) 62.48 litres
(E) 56.32 litres

Q19. From a cask of wine containing 64 litres, 8 litres are drawn out and the cask is filled up with water. The
same process is repeated a second and then a third time. What will be the resulting ratio of wine to water in
the mixture?
(A) 343 : 169
(B) 343 : 512
(C) 169 : 512
(D) 343 : 269
(E) None of these

Q20. From a huge cask containing pure milk, 9 litres is drawn out and an equal quantity of water is put into
it. This process is repeated once again. The ratio of milk to water after the second operation is found to be
16 : 9. How much milk was there in the cask to begin with?
(A) 64 litres
(B) 40 litres
(C) 54 litres
(D) 45 litres
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(E) 50 litres

Q21. Rs. 6 lakh is invested in two parts — one part at 10% and the other at 20% simple interest per annum.
At the end of 2 years, the total interest received is Rs. 2 lakh. How much is invested at 20% p.a.?
(A) Rs. 1 lakh
(B) Rs. 2 lakh
(C) Rs. 3 lakh
(D) Rs. 4 lakh
(E) Rs. 2.5 lakh

Time & Work, Pipes & Cisterns

Q22. A completes a piece of work in 24 days, B in 40 days and C in 60 days. All three begin together but A
alone continues the work till the end, while B leaves 2 days and C leaves 7 days before completion. In what
time is the work finished?
(A) 12 days
(B) 16 days
(C) 14 days
(D) 18 days
(E) None of these

Q23. X, Y and Z can do a job in 24, 30 and 40 days respectively. X works alone for the first day, then Y
works alone for the next 2 days, then Z works alone for 3 days. Again X works for 4 days, and so on. On
which day will the job finish?
(A) 20th
(B) 30th
(C) 32nd
(D) 40th
(E) None of these

Q24. A cistern can be filled by two pipes in 20 minutes and 30 minutes respectively, and can be emptied by
a third pipe. All three are turned on at once, and after 8 minutes the cistern is half full. What time does the
third pipe take to empty the full cistern?
(A) 60 mins
(B) 48 mins
(C) 56 mins
(D) 60 mins
(E) 72 mins

Q25. Two pipes can fill a tank in 14 and 16 hours respectively. The pipes are opened simultaneously, but a
child mistakenly opens the outlet pipe at the bottom of the tank, so it takes 32 extra minutes to fill the tank.
Given the tank is now full, what time will the outlet pipe take to completely empty it?
(A) 112 hours
(B) 100 hours
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(C) 108 hours

Q26. 3 men and 2 boys can do a piece of work in 7 days. 4 men and 5 boys can do the same work in 4
days. If a man gets Rs. 84, how much should each boy get?
(A) Rs. 80
(B) Rs. 60
(C) Rs. 70
(D) Rs. 72
(E) Rs. 75

Simple Interest & Compound Interest

Q27. A sum of Rs. 44,000 is divided into three parts such that the interest earned after 2 years, 3 years and
6 years respectively will be equal. If the rates of simple interest are 6%, 8% and 6% per annum respectively,
what is the third part lent?
(A) Rs. 8,000
(B) Rs. 12,000
(C) Rs. 20,000
(D) Rs. 24,000
Note: Correct option not clearly marked in the source document.

Q28. Lily and Milli borrowed Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 50,000 respectively for a period of 3 years. Lily paid simple
interest at 10% p.a., while Milli paid compound interest at 10% p.a. compounded annually. Who paid more
interest, and by how much?
(A) Lily, Rs. 1,000
(B) Milli, Rs. 1,000
(C) Lily, Rs. 1,450
(D) Milli, Rs. 1,450
Note: Correct option not clearly marked in the source document.

Q29. Mr. Mehta had Rs. 5,700. He invested a part of it in a bank at 10% p.a. simple interest and the
remainder in the Post Office at 8%. Had he invested the total sum in the bank, he would have received Rs.
50 more as interest at the end of the year. Find the sum invested in the bank.
(A) Rs. 2,000
(B) Rs. 2,500
(C) Rs. 3,200
(D) Rs. 2,400
Note: Correct option not clearly marked in the source document. (Note: this question is repeated twice in the original document.)

Time, Speed & Distance

Q30. A man travels 720 km in 8 hours, partly by air and partly by train. Had he travelled the whole way by
air, he would have saved a certain fraction of the time he spent on the train and arrived 4 hours early. Find
the distance travelled by him by air and by train.
(A) 500 km, 220 km
(B) 600 km, 120 km
(C) 480 km, 240 km
(D) 540 km, 180 km
(E) 420 km, 300 km
Note: The original question includes a fraction shown as an embedded image, which could not be extracted as text.

Q31. A car, after travelling 20 km, develops engine trouble and then proceeds at a reduced fraction of its
former rate, arriving at its destination 1 hr 20 min late. Had the trouble arisen 30 km further on, it would have
been only 50 min late. Find the original speed of the car and the distance travelled.
(A) 20 kmph, 80 km
(B) 25 kmph, 100 km
(C) 20 kmph, 100 km
(D) 25 kmph, 80 km
(E) 30 kmph, 120 km
Note: The original question includes a fraction shown as an embedded image, which could not be extracted as text.

Q32. The route from A to B is 30 km long: 8 km uphill, 10 km level and 12 km downhill. Find the difference
between the time taken to walk from A to B and the time taken to return, given speeds of 4 kmph uphill, 6
kmph downhill and 5 kmph on the level.
(A) 20 mins
(B) 30 mins
(C) 35 mins
(D) 40 mins
(E) 15 mins

Q33. Walking at 10 km/hr, a boy reaches his school 15 minutes late. The next time he increases his speed
by 5 km/hr and reaches 10 minutes early. Find the distance of his school from his house.
(A) 7.5 km
(B) 10 km
(C) 12.5 km
(D) 15 km
(E) 8 km

Q34. Without stoppages, a train travels a certain distance with an average speed of 80 kmph, and with
stoppages it covers the same distance with an average speed of 60 kmph. What is the time, in minutes per
hour, that the train stops?
(A) 25 min/hr
(B) 20 mins/hr
(C) 15 mins/hr
(D) 10 mins/hr
(E) 12 km/hr
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Q35. A train leaves station P at 6 a.m. and reaches station Q at 10 a.m. Another train leaves Q at 8 a.m.
and reaches P at 11:30 a.m. At what time do the two trains meet? (Assume uniform speeds.)
(A) 8:50 a.m.
(B) 8:54 a.m.
(C) 8:52 a.m.
(D) 8:56 a.m.
(E) 8:48 a.m.

Q36. A man starts from P to Q; another man starts from Q to P at the same time. After passing each other,
they complete their journeys in 4 and 9 hours respectively. Find the speed of the second man if the speed of
the first man is 12 kmph.
(A) 8 km/hr
(B) 9 km/hr
(C) 10 km/hr
(D) 12 km/hr
(E) 7.5 kmph

Races & Circular Motion

Directions for questions 1–2: Two engines A and B start running at speeds of 30 kmph and 20 kmph respectively
towards each other on the same track. A fly sitting on engine A leaves and moves towards engine B, touches it and
returns towards A, touches A and returns towards B — this repeats till the two engines collide. Speed of the fly is 50
kmph. Initial distance between the engines is 560 km.

Q37. Find the total distance travelled by the fly when it starts at the same time as the engines.
(A) Can't be determined
(B) 600 km
(C) 550 km
(D) 590 km
(E) 560 km

Q38. Find the total distance travelled by the fly if it starts 2 hours after the engines start.
(A) Can't be determined
(B) 480 km
(C) 460 km
(D) 520 km
(E) 320 km

Races & Circular Motion (contd.)

Directions for questions 3–4: Abhi and Ajay start from the same point and travel round an island 30 km in
circumference, in the same direction, at 5 kmph and 15 kmph respectively.

Q39. After what time would Ajay meet Abhi for the first time?
(A) 2 hrs
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(B) 4 hrs
(C) 6 hrs
(D) 5 hrs
(E) 3 hrs

Q40. After what time would they meet at the starting point?
(A) 2 hr
(B) 3 hr
(C) 6 hr
(D) 5 hr
(E) 4 hr

Races & Circular Motion (contd.)

Q41. In a race of 100 metres, A beats B by 4 metres and A beats C by 2 metres. By how many metres
would C beat B in a 100-metre race?
(A) 2 metres
(B) 2.04 metres
(C) (value shown as an embedded image in the source)
(D) 4 metres
Note: Option (c) in the original is an embedded image/formula that could not be extracted as text.

Q42. A man was running at 8 kmph to catch a bus x km ahead of him. After he had run for 7.5 minutes, the
bus travelled at a uniform speed of 3 kmph for the next 6 minutes due to a traffic jam, after which it
increased its speed to 40 kmph. The shortest distance between the bus and the man was only 0.5 km. Find
x.
(A) 1.5 km
(B) 1.75 km
(C) 2.25 km
(D) 2.00 km

Q43. The distance travelled by a motorbike on one litre of petrol varies directly as the square of the speed
at which it is driven. At a speed of 30 kmph, 25 km is travelled on one litre of petrol. At what speed should it
be driven so that 36 km can be travelled on one litre of petrol?
(A) 25 km/hr
(B) 35 km/hr
(C) 16 km/hr
(D) 36 km/hr

Races & Circular Motion (contd.)

Directions for questions 4–6: A, B and C are three towns located in that order along a highway. Sonu starts from B
to reach C, but by mistake travels towards A at 60 kmph. At the same time, Monu starts from C to reach B at 90
kmph. After 1 hour, Sonu realises his mistake, reverses direction and increases his speed to 90 kmph. Monu, after
Arithmetic – Advanced Level Practice Set Page 11

reaching B, reverses and proceeds back towards C at a reduced speed of 60 kmph. After reaching C, Sonu starts
back towards B with no change in speed.

Q44. At what distance from B do Sonu and Monu meet for the first time?
(A) 96 km
(B) 72 km
(C) 84 km
(D) Never meet each other

Q45. At what distance from C do Monu and Sonu meet for the second time?
(A) 9.6 km
(B) 2.4 km
(C) 4.8 km
(D) Never meet each other

Q46. What is the difference between the total time taken by Sonu to reach B after reaching C, and the time
taken by Monu to reach C after reaching B?
(A) 1 hr 4 min
(B) 2 hr 4 min
(C) 8 hr
(D) None of these

Races & Circular Motion (contd.)

Q47. Ram and Shyam walk around 2 circular paths of 800 m and 1,200 m at speeds of 10 m/min and 8
m/min respectively, starting from points A and B respectively. After how long will they simultaneously reach
their respective starting points for the first time?
(A) 8 hr
(B) 20 hr
(C) 12 hr
(D) 16 hrs

Q48. How many more rounds will Ram have covered than Shyam when they simultaneously reach their
respective starting points for the first time?
(A) 5
(B) 6
(C) 7
(D) None of these

Q49. Rani and Vani start from P and Q towards Q and P simultaneously. After reaching their destinations,
they return to their starting points, then start out again, and continue this process indefinitely. Every time
they meet, both decrease their speed by 25%. The first time they meet is 8 km from Q, and the second time
is 4 km from P. If the speed of the faster of the two is less than twice the speed of the slower, where will they
meet for the third time?
Arithmetic – Advanced Level Practice Set Page 12

(A) 20 km from P
(B) 20 km from Q
(C) 12 km from P
(D) 12 km from Q
Arithmetic – Advanced Level Practice Set Page 13

Answer Key

Q# Answer Q# Answer

1 C 26 C

2 D 27 —

3 D 28 —

4 A 29 —

5 B 30 D

6 C 31 C

7 C 32 A

8 D 33 C

9 A 34 C

10 B 35 D

11 B 36 A

12 E 37 E

13 A 38 C

14 E 39 E

15 C 40 C

16 C 41 C

17 B 42 D

18 C 43 D

19 A 44 C

20 D 45 C

21 D 46 A

22 C 47 B

23 B 48 C

24 B 49 A

25 A

A dash (—) indicates the correct option was not clearly marked in the original source document.