A pair of articles was bought for ₹ 37.40 at a discount of 15%. What must be the marked price of each of the articles?

### Concept & Per-Unit Pricing After Discount First, find the total marked price of the entire purchase by reversing the percentage discount. Then, divide that total by the number of units to find the marked price per unit. $$ \text{Total Marked Price} = \frac{\text{Total Paid Price}}{1 - \text{Discount Rate}} $$ ### Step-by-Step Solution * Let the total marked price of the "pair" (2 articles) be $M$. * A discount of $15\%$ was applied to the total marked price. * Therefore, the purchase price is $100\% - 15\% = 85\%$ of $M$. * Given that the pair was bought for ₹ 37.40. * $0.85 \times M = 37.40$. * $M = \frac{37.40}{0.85} = \frac{3740}{85}$. * $M = 44$. * So, the total marked price for the pair (both articles together) is ₹ 44. * The question asks for the marked price of *each* article. Since it's a pair, there are 2 articles. * Marked price of each article = $\frac{44}{2} = 22$. ### Exam Strategy & Shortcut Recognize that $85\%$ is equivalent to $\frac{17}{20}$. So, $\frac{17}{20} \times M = 37.4$. $M = \frac{37.4 \times 20}{17} = \frac{748}{17} = 44$. The crucial final step is spotting the word "each" and dividing 44 by 2 to get 22. ### Common Pitfall The most common mistake is stopping at the first calculation. Students find the total marked price (₹ 44) and immediately select option (d) without reading that the question specifically asks for the price of "each" article. ### Final Answer Therefore, the correct answer is **₹ 22**.