Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Rs. 200
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This is a straightforward question on calculating a simple percentage of a given amount. Such problems appear frequently as warm up questions in competitive exams, bank tests, and school level mathematics. Even though the arithmetic is simple, practising these helps improve speed and accuracy that is needed for more complex percentage problems.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The concept is that X% of a number N can be written as (X / 100) * N. Therefore, 5% of 4000 is equal to (5 / 100) times 4000. Another quick mental method is to first find 1% of the number and then multiply by 5. Both methods lead to the same result. Understanding this basic idea is a stepping stone for handling compound percentages and successive increase or decrease problems.
Step-by-Step Solution:
We need to compute 5% of 4000.Write 5% as a fraction: 5% = 5 / 100.Now calculate (5 / 100) * 4000.Simplify: 5 / 100 = 0.05, so 0.05 * 4000.Compute 0.05 * 4000 = 200.Therefore 5% of 4000 rupees is Rs. 200.
Verification / Alternative check:
Alternative quick method: find 1% of 4000 first. Since 1% of 4000 is 4000 / 100 = 40, then 5% is five times 1%, which is 5 * 40 = 200. This matches the earlier detailed calculation, confirming that the correct value is Rs. 200. This approach is often faster in timed tests and helps avoid mistakes with decimal multiplication.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Rs. 180 is 4.5% of 4000, not 5%.
Rs. 220 is 5.5% of 4000, which is larger than 5% and thus not correct.
Rs. 240 is 6% of 4000, again not matching the required 5% of the amount.
Common Pitfalls:
A frequent error is to misplace the decimal when multiplying by the percentage in decimal form, such as computing 4000 * 0.5 instead of 0.05. Another pitfall is to divide by 5 instead of by 20, confusing 5% with one fifth. Remember that 10% of a number is one tenth of it, and 5% is half of that. Building such mental benchmarks makes percentage calculations much faster and more reliable in all types of exams.
Final Answer:
5% of 4000 rupees is Rs. 200.
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