Directions: Study the table carefully and answer the given questions. Total exports of six countries over five years (in ₹ crore) | Years $\rightarrow$
Country $\downarrow$ | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | P | 20 | 40 | 60 | 45 | 90 | | Q | 30 | 25 | 15 | 50 | 100 | | R | 50 | 55 | 70 | 90 | 65 | | S | 45 | 60 | 20 | 15 | 25 | | T | 60 | 50 | 55 | 100 | 110 | | U | 24 | 40 | 60 | 75 | 120 | Note: Profit = Exports – Imports What is the percentage increase in the export of all the countries together during the year 1999 to 2001? (rounded off to two digits after decimal)

### Concept & Percentage Increase The percentage increase formula compares the growth in value to the initial (base) year value. $$ \text{Percentage Increase} = \frac{\text{New Value} - \text{Old Value}}{\text{Old Value}} \times 100 $$ ### Step-by-Step Solution 1. **Calculate total exports in 1999:** - Total = $40 + 25 + 55 + 60 + 50 + 40 = 270$ crore. 2. **Calculate total exports in 2001:** - Total = $45 + 50 + 90 + 15 + 100 + 75 = 375$ crore. 3. **Calculate the increase:** - Increase = $375 - 270 = 105$ crore. 4. **Calculate percentage increase:** - $\% \text{ Increase} = \left(\frac{105}{270}\right) \times 100 = \left(\frac{1050}{27}\right)\% \approx 38.888...\%$ 5. **Round off:** Rounding to two digits gives $38.89\%$. ### Exam Strategy & Shortcut Simplify the fraction before dividing: $\frac{105}{270} = \frac{105 \div 15}{270 \div 15} = \frac{7}{18}$. The fraction $\frac{1}{18} \approx 5.55\%$, so $7 \times 5.55\% \approx 38.89\%$. ### Common Pitfall Including wrong columns (e.g., using 2000 data instead of 2001 data) or performing a simple difference without dividing by the base year value. ### Final Answer Therefore, the correct answer is **38.89%**.