2018 CSAT, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2018 · CSAT

Question 41: Basic Numeracy

A student has to get 40% marks to pass in an examination. Suppose he gets 30 marks and fails by 30 marks, then what are the maximum marks in the examination?

a100
b120
c150
d300

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).

He scores 30 and fails by 30 marks, so the pass mark is 30 + 30 = 60. That is 40% of the maximum, so maximum marks = 60 ÷ 0.4 = 150. Check: 40% of 150 is 60, and 60 - 30 = 30, the shortfall. In pass-mark questions, find the pass mark first.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) 40% of 100 is 40, not the 60 needed.
  • (b) 40% of 120 is 48, not the 60 needed.
  • (c) Correct: 40% of 150 = 60, the pass mark.
  • (d) 40% of 300 is 120, not the 60 needed.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2018, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.