Q43
ArithmeticPercentage, Profit & Loss
If Punam, while selling two goats at the same price, makes a profit of 10% on one goat and suffers a loss of 10% on the other—
- a.She makes no profit and no loss
- b.She makes a profit of 1%
- c.She suffers a loss of 1%
- d.She suffers a loss of 2%
Answer: (C) She suffers a loss of 1%
When two articles are sold at the same selling price, one at a gain of $x\%$ and the other at a loss of $x\%$, there is always an overall loss of $\frac{x^2}{100}\%$. Here $\frac{10^2}{100} = 1\%$ loss. Check with numbers: if each goat sells for Rs 99, the cost prices are $\frac{99}{1.1} = 90$ and $\frac{99}{0.9} = 110$, total cost 200 against total sale 198, a loss of 2 on 200, i.e. $1\%$. The trap is option A: 'no profit, no loss' is true only when the two cost prices (not the selling prices) are equal.