Quantitative Aptitude

Profit, Loss and Discount

2,604 Questions
All Basic CP/SP Percentage Relationship 874 Marked Price, Markup, and Discount 786 Partial Sales and Multiple Transactions 338 Successive Discounts 218 Cost Price of X = Selling Price of Y 180 Faulty Weight or Measure 126 Equal Profit and Loss Rates 57 Free-item Offers 23 Price and Consumption Variation 1

Profit, Loss and Discount Questions

Multiple choice

On selling a product after allowing 10% discount, the profit is Rs. 70. What was the cost price?

  1. Rs. 700

  2. Rs. 350

  3. Rs. 200

  4. Rs. 400

  5. Cannot be determined
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

We know profit after 10% discount is Rs. 70, but we have no information about the marked price or selling price. Without knowing either the marked price or the selling price, we cannot determine the cost price. Multiple cost prices could satisfy this condition.

Multiple choice

At what price should a shopkeeper mark an article whose cost is Rs. 1500 in order that he may offer a discount of 25% and still make a profit of 15%?
  1. $Rs. 2400$
  2. $Rs. 4200$
  3. $Rs. 2500$
  4. $Rs. 2739$

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Cost = Rs. 1500. Desired profit = 15%, so selling price = 1500 × 1.15 = Rs. 1725. This SP is after 25% discount on marked price. So MP × 0.75 = 1725, meaning MP = 1725/0.75 = Rs. 2300. None of the options (2400, 4200, 2500, 2739) match Rs. 2300.

Multiple choice

A man sells a book at a profit of 20 %. If he had bought it at 20 % less and sold it for Rs. 18 less, he would have gained 25 %. Find the cost price of the book?

  1. Rs 80

  2. Rs 90

  3. Rs 67

  4. Rs 28
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Let CP = x. Original SP = 1.2x (20% profit). New CP = 0.8x (20% less), new SP = 1.2x - 18 (Rs. 18 less). New profit = 25%, so new SP = 1.25 × 0.8x = x. Therefore: x = 1.2x - 18, giving 0.2x = 18, so x = 90. The cost price is Rs. 90. Verification: Original SP = 1.2 × 90 = Rs. 108, profit = Rs. 18 (20% of 90). New CP = Rs. 72, new SP = Rs. 90, profit = Rs. 18 (25% of 72 ✓).

Multiple choice

In what ratio must water be added to milk to gain 25% by selling it at a cost price?

  1. 3 : 2

  2. 2 : 3

  3. 4 : 1

  4. 1 : 4

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Let 1 liter milk cost Rs 1. To gain 25%, selling price = Rs 1.25. If x liters water added to 1 liter milk, total quantity = (1+x) liters sold for Rs 1.25. Cost = Rs 1, profit = Rs 0.25 = 25% of cost. So we must sell (1+x) at Rs 1.25, meaning price per unit = 1.25/(1+x) = 1. Therefore x = 0.25. Ratio water:milk = 0.25:1 = 1:4.

Multiple choice

The marked price of a table is Rs. 14600. If it is sold for Rs. 12410 after allowing a certain discount, then the rate of discount is -

  1. 5%

  2. 10%

  3. 15%

  4. 20%
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Discount amount = Marked Price - Selling Price = 14600 - 12410 = Rs. 2190. Discount rate = (2190/14600) × 100 = 15%. Option C is correct. Option A (5%) would give only Rs. 730 discount, Option B (10%) would give Rs. 1460 discount, and Option D (20%) would give Rs. 2920 discount.

Multiple choice

The marked price of a radio set is Rs. 560. The shopkeeper allows a discount of 10% and gain 5%. If no discount is allowed, his gain percent would be-

  1. 9%

  2. 13.5%

  3. 12%

  4. 16.67%
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

With 10% discount, SP = 560 × 0.9 = Rs. 504. Since gain is 5%, CP = 504/1.05 = Rs. 480. Without discount, SP = Rs. 560, so gain = 560 - 480 = Rs. 80. Gain percent = (80/480) × 100 = 16.67%. Option D is correct. Option A (9%) would require CP around Rs. 514, and Option B (13.5%) is too low.

Multiple choice

On selling 21 balls at Rs. 986, there is a loss equal to the cost price of 4 balls. The cost price of a ball is-

  1. Rs. 56

  2. Rs. 58

  3. Rs. 63

  4. Rs. 67
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Let cost price of each ball = x. Selling price of 21 balls = Rs. 986, so SP per ball = 986/21 = Rs. 47 (approximately). Loss = cost price of 4 balls = 4x. Total loss = 21x - 986 = 4x, so 17x = 986, thus x = 986/17 = Rs. 58. The cost price of one ball is Rs. 58. (Note: 986/21 = 46.95, which rounds to 47, and 58 × 17 = 986 exactly).

Multiple choice

A merchant bought two transistors, which together cost him Rs. 480. He sold one of them at a loss of 15% and other at a gain of 19%. If the selling price of both the transistors are equal, find the cost of the lower priced transistor?

  1. Rs. 280

  2. Rs. 240

  3. Rs. 260

  4. Rs. 200

  5. Cannot be determine
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Let the cost prices be x and y with x + y = 480. Since selling prices are equal: 0.85x = 1.19y, giving x = 1.4y. Substituting: 2.4y = 480, so y = 200 and x = 280. The lower priced transistor costs Rs. 200.

Multiple choice

A person purchased a cupboard and a cot for Rs. 18,000. He sold the cupboard at a profit of 20% and the cot at a profit of 30%. If his total profit was 25%. Find the cost price of the cupboard.

  1. Rs. 6700

  2. Rs. 7000

  3. Rs. 7100

  4. Rs. 7300

  5. Rs. 9000
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Let cupboard price = C, cot price = T. C + T = 18000. Profit = 0.20C + 0.30T = 0.25×18000 = 4500. So 0.20C + 0.30(18000-C) = 4500, which simplifies to 0.20C + 5400 - 0.30C = 4500. This gives -0.10C = -900, so C = 9000. Answer is E.

Multiple choice

Two dealers X and Y selling the same model of refrigerator mark them under the same selling prices. X gives successive discounts of 25% and 5% and Y gives successive discounts of 16% and 12%. From whom is it more profitable to purchase the refrigerator?

  1. From X

  2. From Y

  3. Indifferent between the two

  4. Cannot be determine

  5. Both X and Y
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

X: Final price = P × 0.75 × 0.95 = 0.7125P (effective discount 28.75%). Y: Final price = P × 0.84 × 0.88 = 0.7392P (effective discount 26.08%). Lower final price from X means more profitable.

Multiple choice

A shopkeeper sold an item for Rs 600 after giving 20% discount on the labelled price and made 24% profit on the cost price. What would have been the percentage profit if he had not given the discount?

  1. 42%

  2. 47%

  3. 53%

  4. 55%

  5. 57%
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Let CP = x. SP after discount = 600. This is 80% of MP, so MP = 600/0.8 = 750. Profit is 24%, so 1.24x = 600, giving x = 600/1.24 = 483.87. Without discount, SP = 750. Profit = 750 - 483.87 = 266.13. Profit % = 266.13/483.87 × 100 = 55%. The calculation confirms 55% profit.

Multiple choice

The ratio of cost price and marked price is 2:3 while the ratio of marked price and the selling price is 4:5. Find the percentage profit.
  1. $37.5%$
  2. $24%$
  3. $36%$
  4. $50%$
  5. $87.5%$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Let CP = 2x, MP = 3x (given 2:3). Also MP:SP = 4:5 so 3x:SP = 4:5, meaning SP = 15x/4 = 3.75x. Profit = SP - CP = 3.75x - 2x = 1.75x. Profit% = (Profit/CP) × 100 = (1.75x/2x) × 100 = 87.5%. The key is finding the common value for MP to link both ratios.

Multiple choice

A man sold each of two articles at the same price. At first article he gains 20% and on other he gains 25%. If cost price of first article is Rs. 10000 then what is the cost price of second article?

  1. Rs. 8660

  2. Rs. 8600

  3. Rs. 9460

  4. Rs. 9500

  5. Rs. 9600
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

First article: CP = Rs. 10000, 20% gain, so SP = Rs. 12000. Both articles sold at same SP. Second article has 25% gain, so CP × 1.25 = 12000, giving CP = Rs. 9600. Option E matches.