FREE IBPS Arithmetic Word Problems Questions and Answers

Question 1

A shopkeeper marks an article 50% above its cost price and then sells it after offering a discount of 20% on the marked price. What is his actual profit percentage?

Accepted Answer

20%

Answer

Let the Cost Price (CP) be ₹100. The Marked Price (MP) is 50% above CP, so MP = 100 + (50/100)*100 = ₹150. A discount of 20% is given on the MP. Discount = (20/100)*150 = ₹30. The Selling Price (SP) = MP - Discount = 150 - 30 = ₹120. The profit is SP - CP = 120 - 100 = ₹20. The profit percentage is (Profit/CP) * 100 = (20/100) * 100 = 20%.

Question 2

Pipe A can fill a cistern in 12 hours and Pipe B can fill it in 15 hours. Both pipes are opened together, but after 3 hours, Pipe A is turned off. How much more time will Pipe B alone take to fill the remaining part of the cistern?

Accepted Answer

8 hours 15 minutes

Answer

Let the total capacity of the cistern be the LCM of 12 and 15, which is 60 units. Pipe A's rate = 60/12 = 5 units/hour. Pipe B's rate = 60/15 = 4 units/hour. When both are open, their combined rate is 5 + 4 = 9 units/hour. In 3 hours, they fill 9 * 3 = 27 units. The remaining part is 60 - 27 = 33 units. Time taken by Pipe B alone to fill the remaining part = Remaining units / Pipe B's rate = 33 / 4 = 8.25 hours. 0.25 hours is equal to 0.25 * 60 = 15 minutes. So, the time required is 8 hours and 15 minutes.

Question 3

A 40-litre mixture of milk and water contains 10% water. How many litres of water must be added to the mixture to make the water content 20% in the new mixture?

Accepted Answer

5 litres

Answer

Initially, the mixture is 40 litres. Water = 10% of 40 = 4 litres. Milk = 90% of 40 = 36 litres. Let 'x' litres of water be added. The new quantity of water is (4 + x) litres, and the total mixture becomes (40 + x) litres. The quantity of milk remains constant at 36 litres. In the new mixture, water is 20%, which means milk is 80%. So, 80% of (40 + x) = 36. (4/5) * (40 + x) = 36. This gives 40 + x = 45. Therefore, x = 5 litres.

Question 4

The speed of a boat in still water is 15 km/hr, and the speed of the current is 3 km/hr. The boat travels to a destination and returns to the starting point. What is the average speed for the total journey?

Accepted Answer

14.4 km/hr

Answer

Speed of the boat downstream (with the current) = 15 + 3 = 18 km/hr. Speed of the boat upstream (against the current) = 15 - 3 = 12 km/hr. Since the distance to the destination and back is the same, the average speed can be calculated using the formula 2xy / (x+y), where x and y are the two speeds. Average Speed = (2 * 18 * 12) / (18 + 12) = 432 / 30 = 14.4 km/hr.

Question 5

The difference between the compound interest and simple interest on a certain sum of money for 2 years at an annual interest rate of 8% is ₹64. Which of the following is the principal sum?

Accepted Answer

₹10,000

Answer

The formula for the difference between compound interest (CI) and simple interest (SI) for 2 years is: Difference = P * (R/100)², where P is the principal and R is the rate of interest. Given, Difference = ₹64 and R = 8%. So, 64 = P * (8/100)². This simplifies to 64 = P * (2/25)², which is 64 = P * (4/625). Solving for P, we get P = (64 * 625) / 4 = 16 * 625 = ₹10,000.

IBPS - Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Practice Test

IBPS - Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Practice Test

FREE IBPS Arithmetic Word Problems Questions and Answers