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

Anshika bought two hens for Rs 2600. She sold one at a loss of 5% and the other at a gain of 8%. What will be the cost price of each hen respectively if she faced neither loss nor gain in this transaction?

  1. 1600, 1000

  2. 1360, 840

  3. 1240, 9600

  4. 1080, 1520
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Total CP = Rs 2600. Let CPs be x and y, x+y=2600. Loss 5% on x means SP = 0.95x. Gain 8% on y means SP = 1.08y. No net profit/loss means 0.95x + 1.08y = 2600. Substituting y = 2600-x: 0.95x + 1.08(2600-x) = 2600. 0.95x + 2808 - 1.08x = 2600. -0.13x = -208. x = 1600. y = 1000. Option A correct.

Multiple choice

If by selling 40 chocolates Aman incurs a loss equal to the selling price of 4 chocolates, find the loss percentage.

  1. 10%

  2. 11%

  3. 12%
  4. $\frac{100}{11}\%$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Let SP be selling price per chocolate. Total SP = 40×SP. Loss = 4×SP. Loss percentage = (Loss/CP)×100. Since CP = SP + Loss = 40×SP + 4×SP = 44×SP, Loss% = (4×SP/44×SP)×100 = (4/44)×100 = (1/11)×100. However, if loss equals selling price of 4 chocolates out of 40, then loss on each chocolate is 4/40 = 1/10 = 10% of SP, which matches the calculation pattern in such problems.

Multiple choice

Vyom purchased 30 dozen pens at the rate Rs. 48 per dozen. He sold 10 dozen at 20% profit and the remaining 20 dozen at 10% profit. What is his profit percentage?

  1. 13.33

  2. 15.17

  3. 25

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

Total cost = 30 dozen × Rs. 48/dozen = Rs. 1440. 10 dozen at 20% profit: SP = 10×48×1.2 = Rs. 576. 20 dozen at 10% profit: SP = 20×48×1.1 = Rs. 1056. Total SP = 576+1056 = Rs. 1632. Profit = 1632-1440 = Rs. 192. Profit% = (192/1440)×100 = 13.33%. Option A is correct.

Multiple choice

A dishonest shopkeeper, at the time of selling and purchasing, weighs 20% less and 24% more per kg respectively. Find the percentage profit earned by treachery. (Assuming he sells at cost price)?
  1. $42%$
  2. $40%$
  3. $55%$
  4. $33.3%$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

While purchasing, he gets 20% less: receives 0.8 units but pays for 1. Effective purchase price = 1/0.8 = 1.25 per unit. While selling, he gives 24% more: gives 1.24 units but charges for 1. Effective selling price = 1/1.24 per unit. But he sells at cost price, so CP = SP. Profit = (1.25 - 1/1.24) / (1/1.24) = 1.25 × 1.24 - 1 = 0.55 = 55%.

Multiple choice

A person bought two tables for Rs 2200. He sells one at 5% loss and the other at 6% profit and thus on the whole he neither gains nor loses. Find the cost price of each table.

  1. 1300, 900

  2. 1220, 980

  3. 1200, 1000

  4. 1400, 800

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

Let cost prices be x and y, with x+y=2200. Selling at 5% loss gives 0.95x, and 6% profit gives 1.06y. For no gain/loss: 0.95x+1.06y=x+y, so -0.05x+0.06y=0, meaning 0.06y=0.05x, or x/y=6/5. With x+y=2200, x=(6/11)×2200=1200, y=(5/11)×2200=1000. Verification: 0.95×1200+1.06×1000=1140+1060=2200. ✓

Multiple choice

How many percent above should a shopkeeper mark the price of his goods than the purchase price so that he can earn 10% profit by giving 20% discount?
  1. $137.5$
  2. $148.5$
  3. $135$
  4. $110$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Let the cost price be Rs. 100. To earn 10% profit, the selling price must be Rs. 110 (after discount). Since a 20% discount is given, the marked price MP satisfies: 0.8 × MP = 110, so MP = 110/0.8 = 137.5. The markup over cost price is 137.5 - 100 = 37.5%. Option A (137.5%) represents 37.5% above cost, not 137.5% above cost as the wording suggests.

Multiple choice

A shopkeeper sold an article at a profit of 30%. If both the cost price and selling price are lowered by Rs. 100, then the profit would be 4% more than before. Then find the cost price of the article?

  1. Rs.780

  2. Rs. 820.20

  3. Rs. 780.60

  4. Rs. 850

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

Let CP = x. Original SP = 1.3x. New CP = x-100, new SP = 1.3x-100. New profit = (1.3x-100) - (x-100) = 0.3x, which is 4% more than 30% of original CP. This means 0.3x = 0.34x, which is contradictory. Actually, new profit % = 34%, so (0.3x)/(x-100) = 0.34. This gives 0.3x = 0.34x - 34, so 0.04x = 34, x = 850. Wait: 34% is 4% more than 30%, not of CP.

Multiple choice

Cost price of two laptops is same. One is sold at a profit of 15% and the other for Rs. 5200 more than the first. If the net profit is 20% then find the cost price of each laptop?

  1. Rs. 52000

  2. Rs. 54000

  3. Rs. 36000

  4. Rs. 42500

  5. Can’t be determined
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Let CP = x for each. First SP = 1.15x. Second SP = 1.15x + 5200. Total CP = 2x, total SP = 2.3x + 5200. Net profit = 20%, so 2.3x + 5200 = 1.2(2x) = 2.4x. This gives 5200 = 0.1x, x = 52000. Check: profit on first = 7800, profit on second = 13000, total = 20800 which is 20% of 104000.

Multiple choice

A person purchases two varieties of wheat – one costing Rs. 11.50 per kg and the other costing Rs. 14.25 per kg, in the ratio 1: 2. He sells the mixed variety at Rs. 18 per kg. What is his profit percentage?

  1. 35

  2. 40

  3. 30

  4. 45

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

Wheat mixed in ratio 1:2 means for every 3 kg, 1 kg costs Rs. 11.50 and 2 kg cost Rs. 14.25 each. CP of 3 kg = 11.50 + 2(14.25) = 11.50 + 28.50 = Rs. 40. SP of 3 kg = 3 × 18 = Rs. 54. Profit = 54 - 40 = Rs. 14. Profit % = 14/40 × 100 = 35%. This is a standard mixture and alligation problem.

Multiple choice

A shop keeper provides 20% discount on marked price, if he increases the discount to 25% the selling price reduces by Rs. 18. Find the cost price of the article.

  1. Rs. 360

  2. Rs. 300

  3. Rs. 320

  4. Rs. 400

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

Let marked price = M. At 20% discount, SP = 0.8M. At 25% discount, SP = 0.75M. Difference: 0.8M - 0.75M = 0.05M = Rs. 18, so M = Rs. 360. However, the question asks for cost price, and we have no information about the relationship between selling price and cost price (profit/loss margin). Without this, CP cannot be determined from the given data.

Multiple choice

A shopkeeper gives 3 articles free on purchase of 5 articles. He also allows a discount of 20% and still earns 25% profit. Find the ratio of cost price and mark price

  1. 5 : 2

  2. 2 : 3

  3. 3 : 2

  4. 1 : 2

  5. 2 : 5
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Customer pays for 5 articles and gets 3 free, so receives 8 articles total. With 20% discount and 25% profit: Let CP per article = 1, MP per article = m. Total CP for 8 articles = 8. Customer pays for 5 at 80% of MP (after discount): 5 × 0.8m = 4m. This equals selling price with 25% profit: 8 × 1.25 = 10. Therefore 4m = 10, m = 2.5. So CP:MP = 1:2.5 = 2:5, which is option E.

Multiple choice

A seller bought 100 chairs at the rate of 250 each. He spends 2000 rupees on transportation. He marked the price of each chair at 500 rupees. On the marked price he gives 10% discount. Find the profit % incurred by the seller.

  1. 66.67

  2. 41.15

  3. 52.25

  4. 60
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Total cost = 100 × 250 + 2000 = Rs. 27,000. Marked price = Rs. 500 per chair. After 10% discount, SP = 500 × 0.9 = Rs. 450 per chair. Total revenue = 100 × 450 = Rs. 45,000. Profit = 45000 - 27000 = Rs. 18,000. Profit % = (18000/27000) × 100 = 66.67%. The key is including all costs (purchase + transport) in the cost calculation.

Multiple choice

A merchant fixes the selling price of an article Rs. 1260 after adding 20% profit on the cost price. As sales were very low at this price, he decided to issue a gift card free of cost to every customer which will give 10% cashback of total shopping amount. If the cost of each card was Rs. 10 then how much profit the merchant made on each article after giving 10% cashback and adding the cost of gift card on that cashback?

  1. Rs. 74

  2. Rs. 84

  3. Rs. 94

  4. Rs. 104

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

Selling price after 20% profit = Rs. 1260. So cost price = 1260/1.2 = Rs. 1050. 10% cashback on Rs. 1260 = Rs. 126. Gift card cost = Rs. 10. Total reduction = Rs. 126 + Rs. 10 = Rs. 136. Net amount received = Rs. 1260 - Rs. 136 = Rs. 1124. Profit = Rs. 1124 - Rs. 1050 = Rs. 74.