It costs ₹ 1 to photocopy a sheet of paper. However, 2% discount is allowed on all photocopies done after first 1000 sheets. How much will it cost to copy 5000 sheets of paper?
Aptitude
Percentage
Difficulty: Medium
Choose an option
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A₹ 3920
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B₹ 3980
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C₹ 4900
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D₹ 4920
Answer
Correct Answer: ₹ 4920
Explanation
### Concept & Logic
This is a tiered pricing problem. The total cost is split into two distinct segments: a fixed cost for the initial threshold and a discounted cost for the remainder.
$$ \text{Total Cost} = (\text{Initial Sheets} \times \text{Base Price}) + (\text{Remaining Sheets} \times \text{Discounted Price}) $$
### Step-by-Step Solution
* **Given**:
* Total sheets to copy = 5000
* Cost per sheet for first 1000 sheets = ₹ 1
* Discount on sheets after 1000 = $2\%$
* **Deduction**:
* Discounted price per sheet = $1 - (2\% \text{ of } 1) = 1 - 0.02 = \text{₹ } 0.98$
* Number of sheets at discounted price = $5000 - 1000 = 4000$ sheets
* **Calculation**:
* Cost of first 1000 sheets = $1000 \times 1 = \text{₹ } 1000$
* Cost of remaining 4000 sheets = $4000 \times 0.98$
* $4000 \times 0.98 = 40 \times 98 = 3920$
* Total Cost = $1000 + 3920 = \text{₹ } 4920$
### Exam Strategy & Shortcut
Instead of calculating the discounted unit price ($0.98$), calculate the total cost *without* any discount first, then simply subtract the total discount value.
Total cost without discount = $5000 \times 1 = 5000$.
The discount is $2\%$ strictly on the extra 4000 sheets.
Total discount amount = $2\%$ of $4000 = 80$.
Final Cost = $5000 - 80 = 4920$. This method completely bypasses decimal multiplication.
### Common Pitfall
A very frequent error is applying the $2\%$ discount to the entire bulk order of 5000 sheets. This leads to calculating $5000 \times 0.98 = 4900$, which is placed as a trap option (option c). Always respect the "after first 1000" condition.
### Final Answer
**Therefore, the correct answer is ₹ 4920.**