A shopkeeper offers a cash discount of 2.5% on the marked price of a cycle. If the marked price of the cycle is Rs. 3,600, what cash amount does Rohit have to pay to buy the cycle?

Introduction / Context:
This is a straightforward discount calculation problem. The shopkeeper offers a small discount on the marked price of a cycle for cash payment. The question asks for the actual amount that Rohit must pay after the discount is applied. Such questions are basic but important building blocks in understanding percentage-based price reductions in commerce and daily life.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Marked price (MP) of the cycle = Rs. 3,600.
• Cash discount offered = 2.5% of the marked price.
• Rohit pays the discounted price in cash.
• We need to find the final amount paid by Rohit.

Concept / Approach:
We use the basic discount formula: Discount amount = (discount percentage / 100) * marked price. Then, selling price or cash price = marked price − discount amount. Since the percentage is small (2.5%), the arithmetic is simple. We must take care to compute 2.5% accurately and subtract it from the marked price.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Marked price MP = Rs. 3,600. Discount rate = 2.5%. Discount amount = (2.5 / 100) * 3,600. 2.5 / 100 = 0.025. Discount amount = 0.025 * 3,600. 0.025 * 3,600 = 90. So, discount amount = Rs. 90. Cash price Rohit has to pay = MP − discount amount. Cash price = 3,600 − 90 = Rs. 3,510.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative view is to directly find 97.5% of the marked price, because giving a 2.5% discount means Rohit pays 100% − 2.5% = 97.5% of the price. Then cash price = 0.975 * 3,600. Calculating: 0.975 * 3,600 = 3,510. This matches the result obtained by computing the discount separately, confirming that Rs. 3,510 is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
3,490 and 3,500: These correspond to slightly larger discounts than 2.5% (around 3% or more), not the exact rate given.
3,520: This amount is too high and corresponds to a discount of only Rs. 80, which is less than 2.5%.
3,450: This would require a larger discount of Rs. 150, which is more than 4%.

Common Pitfalls:
Sometimes students misread 2.5% as 25% and compute a much larger discount. Others forget to divide by 100 when converting a percentage to a decimal. It is also easy to make arithmetic mistakes when multiplying 0.025 by 3,600, so doing the calculation stepwise, for example 1% of 3,600 is 36, so 2.5% is 2.5 * 36 = 90, helps avoid errors.

Final Answer:
Rohit has to pay a cash amount of Rs. 3,510 for the cycle.