The marked price of an item is Rs. 200. On the purchase of 1 item, the discount is 22 percent; on the purchase of 4 items, the discount is 33 percent. Rabia buys 5 items together. What is the effective discount percentage on her total purchase?

Introduction / Context:
This question mixes quantity based slab discounts with overall effective discount calculation. It tests how well a candidate can interpret conditions where discounts depend on how many items are purchased and then compute a single net discount for the entire transaction.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Marked price per item = Rs. 200.
• Discount on purchase of 1 item = 22 percent.
• Discount on purchase of 4 items = 33 percent.
• Rabia buys 5 items in total.
• We assume that 4 items receive the 33 percent discount and 1 item receives the 22 percent discount.

Concept / Approach:
First, compute the total bill without any discount. Next, calculate the actual amount Rabia pays given that four items are billed with 33 percent discount and one item with 22 percent discount. The difference between the original total and the amount actually paid is the total discount, which can then be expressed as a percentage of the original total.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Marked price per item = 200.Total marked price for 5 items = 5 * 200 = 1000.For 4 items at 33 percent discount, price per item = 200 * (1 - 0.33) = 200 * 0.67 = 134.Total for these 4 items = 4 * 134 = 536.For 1 item at 22 percent discount, price = 200 * (1 - 0.22) = 200 * 0.78 = 156.Amount actually paid = 536 + 156 = 692.Total discount in rupees = 1000 - 692 = 308.Effective discount percentage = (308 / 1000) * 100 = 30.8 percent.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we redistributed the discounts incorrectly, the total discount would change and no longer correspond to 30.8 percent. The arrangement 4 items at 33 percent and 1 at 22 percent is the only interpretation consistent with the given slab structure for a 5 item purchase.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Values like 35 percent or 34 percent assume that all 5 items receive the higher discount, while 20.4 percent assumes something like averaging discounts incorrectly. Only 30.8 percent corresponds to the accurate weighted calculation described above.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often average 22 percent and 33 percent directly to get a wrong answer or assume that the best discount applies to all items. Carefully interpret the offer and count how many items receive each discount before computing amounts.

Final Answer:
The effective discount on Rabia's total purchase is 30.8 percent.