ACS IBA QUANTITATIVE

Table of Contents

Odd & Even ...................................................................................................................................... 1

Truth Condition (Can be/Must be) ............................................................................................ 10
Sequence ......................................................................................................................................... 18
Arithmetic Series ......................................................................................................................... 18
Geometric Series ......................................................................................................................... 19
Prime Numbers .............................................................................................................................. 24
Consecutive Numbers .................................................................................................................. 28
Value Identification ...................................................................................................................... 36
Reciprocal and Number line ....................................................................................................... 41
Reciprocals ................................................................................................................................... 41
Number Line ............................................................................................................................... 44
HCF LCM ........................................................................................................................................ 47
Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) ............................................................................................ 47
Highest Common Factor (HCF)................................................................................................ 48
Properties of HCF and LCM: .................................................................................................... 50
Divisibility...................................................................................................................................... 55
Some Divisibility Criteria .......................................................................................................... 55
Last Digit Problems ...................................................................................................................... 63
Digits 0, 1, 5 & 6 .......................................................................................................................... 63
Digits 4 & 9 .................................................................................................................................. 63
Digits 2, 3, 7 & 8 .......................................................................................................................... 64
Exponents & roots ......................................................................................................................... 69
Exponents.................................................................................................................................... 69
General Form of Exponents ...................................................................................................... 69
Rules of Exponents ..................................................................................................................... 70
Roots ............................................................................................................................................. 73
Properties of Square root ........................................................................................................... 73

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Odd & Even

Even-Odd: Any number divisible by 2 is called an even number, and any number not
divisible by 2 is called an odd number.

All even numbers end with the digits 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8, while odd numbers end with the
digits 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9.

For example, the numbers 432, 10, 16, 500, 34, and 58 are all even numbers. The numbers
87, 539, 555, 73, and 51 are odd numbers.

All even numbers, no matter how many digits the number has, when divided by 2, will give a
remainder of 0. This means, all even numbers will be divisible by 2 and there will be no
remainder (ভাগশেষ).

A simple hack is to just check whether the last number is divisible by 2 or not. For example,
whether 5247418 is even or not, you can just test it by dividing 8 by 2 and testing whether
the remainder is 0 or not. We can see, the digit “8” is divisible by 2. So, the whole number is
divisible by 2 and it is an Even number.
Similarly, all odd numbers, no matter how many digits, when divided by 2, will not give a
remainder of 0, i.e., an even number will not be evenly divisible by 2. The remainder will be
anything but a 0, there will always remain some remainders.
It is important to remember the following hacks:

Even + Even = Even 2+2=4

Odd + Odd = Even 3+3=6

Even + Odd = Odd 2+3=5

Odd + Even = Odd 3+2=5

Similarly,

Even x Even = Even 2x2=4

Odd x Odd = Odd 3x3=9

Even x Odd = Even 2x3=6

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Odd x Even = Even 3x2=6

You don’t need to memorize these. Just take two small numbers (2 as even and 3 as odd),
and determine what the answer is.

One property of numbers is their behaviour under exponentiation.

EvenEven = Even 22 = 4

OddOdd = Odd 33 = 27

EvenOdd = Even 23 = 8

OddEven = Odd 32 = 9

If you raise any odd number to any power/exponent (সূচক/ঘাত), the result will always be an
odd number. Example:

● 32 = 9 (odd)
● 33 = 27 (odd)
● 34 = 81 (odd)

No matter the exponent, the outcome remains odd.

Similarly, if you raise any even number to any power, the result will always be an even
number. Example:

● 42 = 16 (even)
● 43 = 64 (even)
● 44 = 256 (even)

No matter the exponent, the outcome remains even.

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Past Paper Questions

1. If m is an integer, and y=(m-1) (m+2)-(m-1) (m-2), then which of the following must be
true? [IBA BBA 10-11]
A. y is odd only when m is odd B. y is odd only when m is even
C. y is even only when m is even D. y is even only when m is odd
E. None of these
2. If x is an odd integer, for which of the following equations must y be an even integer?
[IBA BBA 03-04]
A. xy=15 B. x+2y= 15 C. 2x+y=15 D. 3x+y= 15 E. None of these
3. If X is a positive integer and y = (x-1) (x-2)-(x-3) (x-4), which of the following must be
true? [IBA MBA 18-19]
A. y is either odd or even B. y is even, only when x is odd
C. y is even only when x is even D. y is even E. none
4. If x is a positive even integer and y is a positive odd integer, which of the following will
be even? [IBA BBA 14-15]
A. x3 +y3 B. 3x +y + y2
C. (x - y)(x + y) D. xy + y2 E. none of these
5. a, b, c, d, and e are five consecutive integers in increasing order of value. Which one
of the following expressions must not be odd? [IBA MBA 18-19]
A. a+b+c B. ab + c C. ab + d D. ac + e E. None of these
6. If p and q are positive integers and p(p + q) is even, which of the following must be
true? [IBA MBA 15-16]
A. if p is odd, then q is odd B. if p is odd, then q is even
C. if p is even, then q is even D. if p is even, then q is odd E. None of these
7. If a, b and c are odd integers, which of the following expressions must be an even
integer? [IBA MBA 13-14]
A. ab + bc +ca B. a(b + c -1) C. a2 - b2 + c2 D. 3(ac-bc) E. none of these
8. If x is an even integer and y and z are odd integers, which of the following CANNOT be
an integer? [IBA MBA 16-17]
𝑥2 𝑦 𝑧 𝑥𝑧
A. B. C. 𝑦 D. E. None of these
𝑦 𝑧 𝑦

9. If x is an even integer and x/12 is an odd integer, which of the following is NOT an even
integer? [IBA MBA 15-16]

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𝑥2 𝑥2 𝑥2 𝑥2
A. B. . 12 C. 24 D. 36 E. None of these
9

10. If x, y and z are integers and x = 2y-7+ 3z, which of the following must be odd?
[IBA MBA 12-13]
A. y B. z C. xy-1 D. xz-1 E. none of these
11. The positive difference between the squares of any two consecutive integers is
always— [BUP 19-20]
A. an even integer B. an odd number
C. a prime number D. the square of an integer
E. None of these

Answers of past paper questions

1.E 2.D 3.D 4.B 5.D 6.A 7.D 8.E 9.E 10.E 11.B

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Solution to Past Paper Questions

1. If m is an integer, it can be either odd or even

Let,
m is odd
(m -1) (m+2) – (m - 1) (m - 2)
= (odd - 1) (odd + 2) - (odd - 1) (odd-2)
= (even x odd) - (even x odd) = even - even
= even
Again, let
m is even
(m-1) (m+2) - (m-1) (m-2)
= (even-1) (even + 2) - (even-1) (even -2)
= (odd x even) - (odd x even) = even - even
= even
So, option (E) is the correct answer.
2. Given, x = odd
15 𝑜𝑑𝑑
(A) xy = 15 or, y = = 𝑜𝑑𝑑= odd
𝑥
𝑥
(B) x+2y= 15 or, 2y = 15-x or, y = 15 - 2
𝑜𝑑𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛
odd - = = even or odd
2 2
8 10
[example 4=4= even; =5= odd]
2

(C) 2x+y=15 or, y = 15-2x = odd -2x odd = odd-even = odd

(D) 3x+y= 15 or, y = 15-3x= odd - odd x odd = odd - odd = even.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.
3. If x is an even number, x-1= odd, x-2= even, x-3= odd, x-4= even
∴ y= (x-1) (x-2) -(x-3) (x-4)
= (odd x even) - (odd x even)
= even-even
= even
Again, if x is odd x-1= even, x-2= odd, x-3= even, x-4 = odd
∴y= (x-1) (x-2) -(x-3) (x-4)
= (even x odd) - (even x odd)
= even-even
= even
That means, y is even in every case.
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So, option (D) is the correct answer.

4. (B) Given,
x = positive even , y= positive odd
let, x=2 and y=3
x3+y2=23+32=17 (odd)
3x+y2+y =3(2) +3+32 = 18 (even)
(x-y) (x+y) =x2-y2=22-32=-5 (Odd)
xy+y2=32+32= 15 (Odd)

5. Assume the values of a, b, c, d, e to be

Case 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or
Case2: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Check for all the options.
A. a+b+c => taking case1, 1 + 2 + 3 = 6; which is not an odd. But if we take the values in
case 2, a + b + c = 2 + 3 + 4 = 9, which is an even. The answer must not be odd. So, this
option A is not an answer.
Similarly, we check the rest of the options
B. ab + c => taking case 1, 1 x 2 + 3 = 5; which is an odd. So, this, too is not an answer
C. ab + d => taking case 1, 1 x 2 + 4 = 6; which is not odd. Taking case 2, 2 x 3 + 5 = 11,
which is odd. So, C is not an option
D. ac + e => taking option 1, 1 x 3 + 5 = 8, which is not odd. Taking case 2, 2 x 4 + 6 = 14;
which also is not odd.
Only ac + e is always even
So, option (D) is the correct answer.
6. Given,
p (p + q) = even
If the value of p is even, then this multiplication will also be even, in that case, we cannot
come to any conclusive decision.
But, if p is odd, then q must be odd, otherwise this multiplication will not be even. For example,
If P = 3 and q = 4, then,
3 (3 + 4) = 3 x 7 = 21 ≠ even

again,
If P = 3 and q = 5,
3 (3+5) = 3x8=24 = even

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So, option (A) is the correct answer.

7. a, b, c are odd integers.

So, ‘ac' will be odd and 'bc' too will be odd. But their subtraction will be (ac-bc) = even.
So, 3(ac-bc) must be even, because odd x even= even.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.
𝑥 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛
8. (E) 𝑦= = can be an integer
𝑜𝑑𝑑
𝑦 𝑧 𝑜𝑑𝑑
or 𝑦 = 𝑜𝑑𝑑= can be an integer
𝑧
𝑥𝑧 (𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛×𝑜𝑑𝑑) 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛
= = = can be an integer
𝑦 𝑜𝑑𝑑 𝑜𝑑𝑑

So, all of the above can be integers.

9. To determine which expression is not an even integer, we need to examine each option and
see if it can be expressed as a product of an even integer and another integer.
𝑥2
Option A: Since x is even, x² is also even. Dividing an even number by 9 does not change
9
𝑥2
its evenness. So, is even.
9
𝑥2
Option B: 12 Since x is even, x² is also even. Dividing an even number by 12 does not change
𝑥2
its evenness. So, 12 is even.
𝑥2
Option C: 24 Since x is even, x² is also even. Dividing an even number by 24 does not change
𝑥2
its evenness. So, 24 is even.
𝑥2
Option D: 36 Since x is even, x² is also even. Dividing an even number by 36 does not change
𝑥2
its evenness. So, 36 is even.
Therefore, the answer is (E). None of these.

10. x=2y−7+3z

Option A: y could be either odd or even depending on x and z.

Option B: z could be either odd or even.
Option C: xy−1

If x is odd and y is odd, xy is odd, so xy−1 is even.

If x is even and y is odd, xy is even, so xy−1 is odd.

Option D: xz−1

if x is odd and z is odd, xz is odd, so xz−1 is even.

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If x is even and z is odd, xz is even, so xz−1 is odd.

Not enough information to conclude which is odd

So, option (E) is the correct answer.

11. (x+1)2 - x2
=x2+2x+1-x2
= 2x+1
2x is an even number. So, (2x+1) must be an odd number.
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

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Practice Problems
1. If n is an odd integer, which of the following must also be odd?
I. n + n
II. n + n + n
III. n x n x n
A. I only B. II only C. III only D. II and III only E. I, II and III
2. Which of the following must be odd?
I. Even × Even x Odd
II. Odd × Odd x Odd
III. Even + Odd +Even
A. None B. I only C. II and III only D. I and III only E. I, II and III

3. If x is a positive integer, what is the units digit of (249)4x+3 x (525)3x x (423)3?

A. 2 B. 5 C. 4 D. 0 E. None of these
4. If n is an even integer, which of the following must be an odd integer?
16𝑛−24 6𝑛−12
A. 7n-2 B. 5(n-2) C. D. E. none of these
8 3
𝒙
5. If x is an even integer and is an odd integer, which of the following is NOT an even
𝟏𝟐
integer?
𝑥2 𝑥2 𝑥2 𝑥2
A. B. 12 C. 24 D. E. None of these
9 3

Answers of Practice Problems

1.D 2.C 3.B 4.C 5.E

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Solution to Practice Problems

1. Let, n= 3,
I. n + n = 6 (even)
I. n + n + n = 9(odd)
I. n x n x n = 27 (odd)
So, option (d) is the correct answer.
2. I. Even x Even x Odd = Even x Odd = Even
II. Odd x Odd x Odd = Odd x Odd = Odd
III. Even + Odd + Even = Even + Odd = Odd
So, option (c) is the correct answer.
3. 4x+3 will always be odd, regardless of the value of x.
So, the units digit of (249)4x+3 = 9 (Last digit when 9odd)
Again, units digit of (525)3x = 5 (Last digit of 5n will always be 5)
And, units digit of 4233 = 7 (From the power cycle of 3)
So, the required units digit = unit digit of (9 x 5 x 7), which is 5
So, option (b) is the correct answer.

4. A. 7n even; even – even= even

B. n-2 is even; odd x even= even
16𝑛−24
C. = 2n-3, 2n is even, even - odd is odd.
8
6𝑛−12
D. = 2n-4, even - even = even
3
So, option (C) is the correct answer.

5. X = even
Again,
𝑥
= odd integer
12

⇒x=12x odd integer

So values of x could be:

12 x 1 = 12;
12 × 3 = 36;
12 x 5=60 etc.....
Putting the values of x in the answer options, you’ll see that all of the options are integers
So, option (E) is the correct answer.

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Truth Condition (Can be/Must be)

You have come across some of the questions in the previous type asked which option “must
be true”?

"Must be true" questions are made out of scenarios where the equation will act or result in
the same manner in every possible condition. Basically, the required answer has to be
applicable to all possible scenarios.

For example, If given, x3 = 27 and x is a positive integer; it must be true that x = 3. No other
integer fulfills the conditions. Again, say x + 3y = 10, and if the value of y is 2, then the value
of x must be 4.

"Can be true" questions are made from scenarios where the equation might get the
accurate result under only one or more conditions, but not all. So, the equation should fulfil
at least one condition.

For example, when only x2 = 36 is stated, x = 6 can be true. It can also be true that x = – 6.
In both cases, the value of the x can satisfy the condition.

Another example,
If x and y are integers, and 3x + 2y = 13, which of the following could be the value of
y?

a)0 b)1 c)2 d)3 e)-1

13
Back calculations here will be the easiest. Using 0 we get 3x = 13; x = which is not a whole
3
number (integer). This is how we are going to check all the options.
9
The right answer is 2, since 3x + 2(2) = 13; 3x = 13 - 4 = 9; x = = 3.
3

In some questions you will be asked “all the following must be true except?”. Then, you
have to find out which of the following options must be false. Same logic goes for “all of the
following could be true except?”.

For example,
A jar contains 12 pencils. Some sharpened and some unsharpened. Each of the
following could be the ratio of sharpened to unsharpened pencils except.
a) 2:1 b) 3:1 c) 4:1 d) 5:1 e) 1:1

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Option (a) implies 2 + 1 = 3, which is a factor of 12. So, it cannot be the answer.
Option (b) implies 3 + 1 = 4, which is a factor of 12. So, it cannot be the answer.
Option (c) implies 4 + 1 = 5, which is not a factor of 12. So, it can be the answer.
Option (d) implies 5 + 1 = 6, which is a factor of 12. So, it cannot be the answer.
Option (e) implies 1 + 1 = 2, which is a factor of 12. So, it cannot be the answer.
So, option (c) is the correct answer.

Past Paper Questions

1. If n is an even integer, which of the following must be an odd integer?
[IBA BBA 01-02]
(16𝑛−24) 6𝑛−12
A. 7n – 2 B. 5(n - 2) C. D. E. none of these
8 3

2. If xy>0 and y<0, which of the following must be positive?

[IBA BBA 01-02]
𝑥+10 𝑦−2
A. x-y B. x+y C. D. E. none of these
𝑦 𝑥

3. If t < 12, then it must be true that

A. t + 2 < 10 B. t - 2 < 11 C. -t + 2 < -10 D. -t - 2 < 14 E. -t < -12

4. If p < q < r < s, then which of the following must be true?

[IBA MBA 12-13]
A. rs > pq B. ps> qr C. (q-p)<(s-r) D. (q-p)>(s-r) E. none of these
5. If the product of 6 integers is negative, at most how many of the integers can be
negative? [IBA BBA 11-12]
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5 E. None of these
6. If x is an even integer and y and z are odd integers, which of the following CANNOT
be an integer? [IBA MBA 16-17]
𝑥 𝑦 𝑧 𝑥𝑧
A.𝑦 B. C.𝑦 D. E. None of these
𝑧 𝑦

7. If (x+8) (y+5)= 0, which of the following must be true?

[IBA BBA 18-19]
A. x<0 B. y<0 C. xy<0 D. xy = -40 E. none
8. If n is an integer greater than 4, which of the following must be divisible by 3?
[IBA MBA 14-15]
A. n(n + 1) (n-2) B. n(n²+4) C. 4n(n-1) D. n(n²-1) E. none of these

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9. If n ≠ 0, which of the following must be greater than n?

[BUP 12-13]
I. 2n
II. n2
III. 2 - n
A. I only B. II only C. I and II only D. II and III only E. None

Answers of Past Paper Questions

1.C 2.D 3.B 4.E 5.D 6.E 7.E 8.D 9.E

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Solutions to Past Paper Questions

1. Given, n= even
A. 7n even (because odd x even=even). Now, 7n-2, which means =even – even= even
B. n-2 is even, odd x even= even
16𝑛−24 16𝑛 24
C. =( )-( 8 )= 2n-3. Now, 2n is even. Therefore, even - odd= odd.
8 8
6𝑛−12
D. = 2n-4, even - even = even
3

So, option (c) is the correct answer.

2. Given, xy>0 (This means x and y have the same sign, they both are positive or both are
negative), and y<0 (This means y is negative)
Since y is negative and xy>0, x must also be negative. This is because the product of two
numbers is positive if both numbers have the same sign. Let us now consider two cases
Case 1: x = -5, y = -4
Case 2: x = -2, y = -3

Option A: x - y. Taking case 1 (-5 - 4), the answer is negative. Taking case 2 (-2 - 3), the
answer is also negative. So option B is not an answer

Option B: x + y. Taking case 1 (-5 + 4), the answer is negative. Taking case 2 (-2 + 3),
the answer is positive. So option A is not an answer
𝑥+10 (−5+10) (−2+10)
Option C: . Taking case 1( ),the answer is negative. Taking case 2 ( ) the
𝑦 −4 3
answer is also negative. So, option C is not an answer
𝑦−2 −4−2 −3−2
Option D: . Taking case 1( ), the answer is positive. Taking case 2( ), the
𝑥 −5 −2
answer is also positive.

So, option (D) is the correct answer.

3. A. t + 2 < 10 --> t<8. Not true, consider t=10.

B. t - 2 < 11 --> t<13. Since it is given that t<12, then t is for sure less than 13. Thus this
statement must be true.
C. -t + 2 < -10 --> t>12. Not true.
D. -t - 2 < 14 --> t>-16. Not true, consider t=-20.
E. -t < -12 --> t>12. Not true.
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

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4. Given that, p<q<r<s.

Let's analyze each option:
Option A: rs>pq
Since p<q and r<s, it might seem that rs could be greater than pq. However, without
specific values, this is not necessarily true for all possible cases. For example, if p and q
are very close to each other and r and s are far apart, rs might indeed be larger than pq.
But the opposite can also happen. Thus, this is not necessarily true.
Option B: ps>qr
Again, p<r and q<s, but the same reasoning applies as in Option A. The inequality ps>qr
might hold in some cases but not in others. It's not always true.
Option C: (q−p)<(s−r)
This suggests that the difference between q and p is less than the difference between s
and r. However, without specific values, this cannot be guaranteed. p, q, r, and s could be
such that (q−p) is greater or less than (s−r). So, this option is not necessarily true either.
Option D: (q−p)>(s−r)
This suggests that the difference between q and p is greater than the difference between
s and r. However, as with Option C, this is not guaranteed without specific values. Thus,
this is not necessarily true.
Option E: None of these
Since none of the above options must be true in all cases, this is the correct answer.

So, option (E) is the correct answer.

5. Maximum 5 numbers can be negative, for the product of the numbers to be negative.
Meaning, two negatives cancel each other out and become positive. So, among the six
numbers (let the numbers are a, b, c, d, e, f) if we take the value of a and b negative, these
two cancel each other out and make a positive number.
Similarly, we take two more negative numbers c and d, these two also cancel each other
out. Now, as we want our result to be a negative number, we should take one of the
numbers negative, and the last one positive. Hence, taking 5 negative numbers and 1
positive number, we can get a negative number. So, we can take a maximum of 5 negative
numbers.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

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𝑥 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛
6. A. = = can be an integer
𝑦 𝑜𝑑𝑑
𝑦 𝑧 𝑜𝑑𝑑
B and C. or 𝑦 = 𝑜𝑑𝑑 = can be an integer
𝑧
𝑥𝑧 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛×𝑜𝑑𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛
D. = = = can be an integer
𝑦 𝑜𝑑𝑑 𝑜𝑑𝑑

So all of the above can be integers.

So, option (E) is the correct answer.

7. When (x+8) (y+5)=0,Either (x+8)=0, or (y+5)= 0, or both (x+8) and (y+5) equals to zero.

If (x+8)= 0, the value of (y+5) can be positive or negative.

If (y+5)= 0, the value of (x+8) can be positive or negative.
So, the value of x and y can be positive or negative, and so does the value of xy.
So, option (E) is the correct answer.

8. n is an integer greater than 4

Now let’s test for different values of
In Option A, if n = 7, n (n + 1 ) ( n − 2 ) = 7 x 8 x 5; which is not divisible by 3

In Option B, if n = 7, n(n² + 4) = 7 × (72 + 4) = 7 x 53; which is not divisible by 3

In Option C, if n = 5, 4n ( n - 1 ) = 4 × 5 x 4; which is not divisible by 3
But option D will always be divisible by 3
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

9. Remember that n could be positive, negative or a fraction. Try out a few cases:
In case I,
if n is -1, then 2n= -2, which is less than n.
In case II,
1
if n is a fraction such as 2 then n2 =¼, less than n.

In case III,
if n is 2, then 2-n = 0, which is less than n.
Therefore, (E) none of the choices must be greater than n

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Practice Problems

1. If (2 + √x) > 2√x, which of the following must be true?

A. x < 1 B. x < 2 C. x < 3 D. x < 4 E. none of these

2. if ab < 0, then all the following must be true EXCEPT,
𝑎
A. 𝑏 < 0 B. a² + b² > 0
𝑏
C. a3 + b3 < 0 D. 𝑎 < 0 E. None of these

3. A jar contains 12 pencils. Some sharpened and some unsharpened. Each of the
following could be the ratio of sharpened to unsharpened pencils except.
A. 2:1 B. 3:1 C. 4:1 D. 5:1 E. 1:1
4. If x and y are positive integers and x - y = 7, which of the following can be the value of
x+y?
A. 15 B. 36 C. 42 D. 64 E. none of these
5. If 5 and 11 are the lengths of two sides of a triangular region, which of the following
can be the length of the third side?
I. 6
II. 11
III. 16
A. ΙI only B. ΙII only C. I and ΙI only D. II and ΙII only E. I, ΙΙ, and ΙΙI

Answers of Practice Problems

1.D 2.C 3.C 4.A 5.A

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Solution to Practice Problems

1. We solve the equation:
2 + √x > 2√x

=> 2 > 2√x - √x

=> 2 > √x

=> 4 > x; or, x < 4

So, option (D) is the correct answer.

2. a and b both have different signs (positive and negative). So a, b, d - each must be true, but
the value of a3 + b3 can be either greater than 0, or less than 0.
So, option C is not true, thus the correct answer is C
So, option (C) is the correct answer.

3. The total number of pencils (12) must be divisible by the sum of the parts in the ratio. This is
to make sure we don't end up with fractions of pencils.
Option (a)
implies 2 + 1 = 3, which is a factor of 12. So, it cannot be the answer.
Option (b)
implies 3 + 1 = 4, which is a factor of 12. So, it cannot be the answer.
Option (c)
implies 4 + 1 = 5, which is not a factor of 12. So, it can be the answer.
Option (d)
implies 5 + 1 = 6, which is a factor of 12. So, it cannot be the answer.
Option (e)
implies 1 + 1 = 2, which is a factor of 12. So, it cannot be the answer.
So, option (C) is the correct answer.

4. (A) if x-y = 7, a combination of values can be 11-4 = 7. In this case, x+y = 15, which is in
option A
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

5. The only possibility for the third side of the triangle is 11

Because, we know one property of the triangle- the sum of any 2 sides must be larger than
the third side. (a+b>c)
So, option (A) is the correct answer.
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Sequence
A sequence is an arrangement of any objects or a set of numbers in a particular order followed
by some rule. If 𝑎1 , a ², a ³, a ⁴ ……… etc. denote the terms of a sequence, then 1,2,3,
4…...denotes the position of the term. There can be two types of series:
1. Arithmetic series
2. Geometric series
For our discussion, arithmetic series is relatively a bit more important than geometric series.

Arithmetic Series

A sequence in which every term is created by adding or subtracting a definite number to

the preceding number is an arithmetic sequence. The most important characteristic of this
type of series is that the difference between two consecutive numbers is always the same,
it’s constant. For example, the sequence 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 is an arithmetic progression If the
first term in an arithmetic progression is 'a' and the common difference between all the
numbers in the sequence ‘d’. The general form of that Arithmetic Progression (AP) is a, a +
d, a + 2d, a + 3d and so on.

Here, the 2nd term is (a+d)

The 3rd term is (a +2d)

The 4th term is (a +3d)

Thus, nth term of an AP series is Tn = {a + (n - 1) d}

𝒏
Sum of first n terms of an AP, S = (𝟐) x {2a + (n - 1) d}

For example,

1. What is the sum of the first 50 odd numbers?

Answer:
We know,
𝒏
Sum of first n terms of an AP, S = (𝟐) 𝑥 {2𝑎 + (𝑛 − 1) 𝑑}
Here, n = 50
a=1
d = 3-1 = 5=3 = 2

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50 50
So, summation = ( ) 𝑥 {(2 𝑥 1) + (50 − 1) 𝑥 2} = {2 + (49 × 2)} =2500
2 2

2. If 4,7,10,13,16,19,22……is a sequence, Find:

a. Common difference
b.21st term

Answer:
a. The common difference = 7 – 4 = 3
b. 21st term as: T21 = 4 + (21-1) x 3 = 4+60 = 64.

Some additional formulas:

(𝒂𝟏 +𝒂𝒏 )
a. Average of first n terms = ; where an is the nth term
𝟐
(𝒂𝒏 −𝒂𝟏 )
b. Number of terms up to nth term = + 𝟏; where
𝑫

- an is the highest number between a and b that is divisible by D

- a1 is the lowest number between a and b that is divisible by D
𝒏(𝒏+𝟏) 2 𝒏(𝒏+𝟏)(𝟐𝒏+𝟏)
c. Addition of the first n natural numbers = 1 +22+32+42+..... =
𝟐 𝟐
[𝒏(𝒏+𝟏)]
d. 13+23+33+43+..... = 𝟐

Geometric Series

A sequence in which every term is obtained by multiplying or dividing a definite number with
the preceding number is known as a geometric sequence. In this type of series, there exists
a certain ratio between any two consecutive terms this ratio is termed as common ratio, or r.
4
For example, a series can be 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64,.... Here, the common ratio in this series is
2
8 32
= = = 2. Another example can be 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, 0.0625,..... Here, the common ratio is
4 16
.25 125
=. = .5.
.5 .25

For any geometric series, if

a = first term
r = common ratio
n = number of terms
Then, nth term = arn-1
𝒂𝒓𝒏−𝟏
Sum up to n terms, Sn = (𝟏−𝒓)

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Past Paper Question

1. In an arithmetic series, the 2nd term is 27 and 5th term is 84. What is the First term?
[IBA MBA 19-20]
A. 7 B. 8 C. 9 D. 10 E. none
2. If the 1st number in a series of consecutive odd numbers is 8 less than the last number
in the series, how many numbers are there in the series?
[IBA BBA 04-05]
A. 4 B. 5 C. 7 D. 8 E. none of these

3. Find the odd one out of the series: 4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 18, 25, 32.
[JU IBA 14-15]
A. 10 B. 25 C. 4 D. 32 E. 18
4. Find the missing number in the series 3, 6, 18, 72, 360, ___
[JU IBA 19-20]
A. 720 B. 2160 C. 1440 D. 2340 E. None of these

Answers of Past Paper Questions

1.A 2.B 3.E 4.B

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Solutions to Past Paper Questions

1. The nth term of an arithmetic progression is given by:
nth term a +(n-1)d
Where, a first term,
d = common difference
According to the question, 27=a+(2-1)d
or, 27=a+d-------------------(1)
and, 84=a+(5-1)d
Or, 84=a+4d--------------------(2)
Now, on subtracting equation (1) from (2), we get:
84-27=(a+4d)-(a+d)
57=3d
∴d=19

Now, on replacing the value of d in equation (1), we get:

27=a+(19)
a=27-19
∴a=8

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

2. Let us assume that the series is 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15......

There is a difference of 8 between the numbers 1 and 9. Hence, there are 5 numbers in the
series.
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

3. 2nd = (1st + 1) : 3rd = (2nd + 2); 4th = (3rd + 3); 5th = (4th +4).
But 18 = 6th term not equal ≠ 5th + 5 = 14 + 5 = 19.

So, option (E) is the correct answer.

4. 3 x 2 = 6
6 x 3 = 18
18 x 4 = 72
72 x 5 = 360
360 x 6 = 2160
So, option (B) is the correct answer.
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Practice Problems

1. The sum of 3rd and 15th elements of a series in arithmetic progression is equal to the
sum of 6th, 11th and 13th elements of the same progression. Then which element of
the series should necessarily be equal to zero?
A. 1st B. 9th C.12th D. 15th E. None of These
2. (51+ 52 + 53 + ......... + 100) is equal to:
A. 2525 B. 2975 C. 3225 D. 3775 E. None of these
3. Find the odd number out of the following number series -
2, 4, 8, 11.5, 18.25, 28.375
A. 4 B. 28.375 C. 8 D. 11.5 E. None of these
4. What is the next number in the following number series
3, 5, 8, 15, 28, 51, ?
A. 98 B. 102 C. 87 D. 75 E. Cannot be determined

Answers of Practice Problems

1.C 2.D 3.C 4.A

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Solution to Practice Problems

1. Let's consider the third term to be ‘x' and the common difference of the given arithmetic
progression to be 'd'
The 15th term will be (x + 12d)
6th term will be (x + 3d)
11th term will be (x + 8d)
and 13th term will be (x + 10d)
Thus, as per the given condition, 2x + 12d = 3x + 21d.
Or x + 9d = 0 ; x + 9d will be the 12th term.
So, option (C) is the correct answer.
𝑛
2. We know, Sum of first n terms of an AP: S =( 2)x[2a + (n – 1)d]
Here, n = number of terms = 50
a = first term of the series = 51
d = Common difference = 1
50
So, S = ( 2 ) x [(51 X 2) + (50 – 1) X 1]
Or, S = 25 X (102 + 49)
So, S = 3775
So, option (D) is the correct answer.
3. Given Number series follows a pattern that, 2
2 x 1.5 + 1 = 4
4 x 1.5 + 1 = 7 (not equal to 8)
7 x 1.5 + 1 = 11.5
11.5 x 1.5 + 1 = 18.25
18.25 x 1.5 + 1 = 28.375
So, option (C) is the correct answer.
4. The given number series is = 3, 5, 8, 15, 28, 51,?Here is the pattern it follows is 3
3 + 2 = 5 (add prime number less than 3 i.e, 2)
5 + 3 = 8 (3 is a prime number less than 5)
8 + 7 = 15 (7 is a prime number less than 8)
15 + 13 = 28 (13 is a prime number less than 15)
28 + 23 = 51 (23 is a prime number less than 28)
51 + 47 = 98 (47 is a prime number less than 51)
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

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Prime Numbers
A prime number is a positive integer, divisible by only 1 and itself. There is no number other
than 1 and itself that divides a prime number. So a prime number has exactly 2 different
positive divisors, not more, not less.
Take 23 for example, 23 can only be divided by 1 and 23 itself hence, 23 is a prime number.

25 on the other hand, is not a prime number because 25 can be divided by 1, 5, and 25, i.e.
3 numbers. Some important properties to keep in mind while dealing with prime numbers are:

● Prime numbers are positive numbers greater than 1.

● For a number to be a prime number, it must be a non-zero whole number.
● 1 is not a prime number because it has only one positive divisor
● 0 is not a prime number because it has no divisor
● 2 is the only even prime number out there, all the other prime numbers are odd

There are a total of 25 prime numbers between 1 and 100. These are the only numbers you
need to know.

These are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83,
89, 97.

All these numbers are divisible by only 1 and the number itself. A table on how many prime
numbers are there between each 10 numbers is presented in the next page. There is an
amazing sequence that you should memorize to know how many prime numbers are there
between any two numbers.

This sequence is 4422322321 -

That means there are 4 prime numbers between 1 and 10, 4 between 11 and 20. Similarly,
there is just 1 prime number between 91 and 100, and it is 97. Now, if you were asked to find
out how many prime numbers are there between 47 and 81, you can easily figure it out by
adding 2, 2, and 3 together to find out there are 7 prime numbers - 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, and
79.
Take a look at the table to correlate yourself with the sequence and what’s happening.

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Prime Numbers between 1 and 100

Prime numbers between 1 and 10 2, 3, 5, 7

Prime numbers between 10 and 20 11, 13, 17, 19

Prime numbers between 20 and 30 23, 29

Prime numbers between 30 and 40 31, 37

Prime numbers between 40 and 50 41, 43, 47

Prime numbers between 50 and 60 53,59

Prime numbers between 60 and 70 61, 67

Prime numbers between 70 and 80 71, 73, 79

Prime numbers between 80 and 90 83,89

Prime numbers between 90 and 100 97

To determine whether a number is prime or not, follow these steps:

● Determine the rough approx. square root of that number.
● Divide the number by all the primes less than the approx. square root.
● If the number is not divisible by any of the primes, it is a prime.

Let’s take 181 for example. The closest square numbers to 181 are 169 (13 2) and 196 (142).
So let’s take 14 for example. All the prime numbers less than 14 are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13. If we
divide 181 by all of these, we see that 181 is not evenly divisible by any of these. So, 181 is
a prime number. Had we taken 187 for example, we would have seen that it was evenly
divisible by 11, so it cannot be a prime number.

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Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. What is the least integer that is a sum of three different primes, each greater than 20?
[BUP 19-20]
A. 69 B. 73 C. 75 D. 83 E. 85
2. Fermat primes are prime numbers that can be written in the form 𝟐𝒌+𝟏 , where k is an
integer and a power of 2. Which of the following is NOT a Fermat prime?
A. 3 B. 5 C. 17 D. 31 E. 257
3. How many prime numbers are between 1 and 45?
A. 11 B. 12 C. 13 D. 14 E. None of These
4. What is the closest prime number to 35?
A. 31 B. 33 C. 37 D. 39 E. 41
5. If f and g are distinct prime numbers less than 10. Which of the following cannot be
the product of f and g? [JU IBA 12-13]
A. 6 B. 9 C. 10 D. 14 E. None of these

Answers of Practice and past paper Questions

1.D 2.D 3.D 4.D 5.B

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Solutions to Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. A Prime number is a positive integer with exactly two distinct natural number divisors: 1 and
itself.
Primes greater than 20 are 23, 29, 31, 37, ...
The least integer that is a sum of three different primes each greater than 20 is thus 23 + 29
+ 31 = 83
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

2. Consider whether each answer choice can be

written in the form 2x + 1.
A 3 = 21+1; where k=1 = 20
B 5 = 22+1; where k=2=21
C 17 = 24+1; where k=4 = 22
D 31 = 30+1; 30 CANNOT be expressed as an integer power of 2
E 257=28+1 where k=8=23
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

3. There are 14 prime numbers from 1 to 45:

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43
We can use the 4422322321 rule as well.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

4. 37 is the closest.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

5. Prime numbers between 1 and 10 are 2, 3, 5, 7. Check for all the possible multiplications. 9
is the multiple of 3 and 3, but the question asked for distinct numbers, so the answer is 9
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

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Consecutive Numbers

Consecutive numbers are numbers that follow each other in order. They have a difference of
1 between every two numbers.
In a set of consecutive numbers, the mean, and the median are equal. If n is a number, then
n, n+1, and n+2 would be consecutive numbers Examples. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, etc.
However, keep in mind that consecutive even or consecutive odd numbers have a common
difference of 2. For example, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 etc. In these cases, if the first
number is n, then the second number is n+2, then n+4, then n+6 and so on.

Some additional things to keep in mind while dealing with consecutive numbers are:
● The formula to get a consecutive integer is n + 1,
● For odd consecutive integers, the general form of a consecutive odd integer is 2n+1,
● For even consecutive integers, the general form of a consecutive even integer is 2n.

Past Paper Questions

1. If x is a product of 4 consecutive integers, and x is divisible by 11, which of the
following is not necessarily a divisor of x? [IBA MBA 17-18]
A. 12 B. 22 C. 24 D. 33 E. None of these
2. If x, y and z are consecutive positive integers and if x < y <z, which of the following
must be a positive even integer? [IBA MBA 16-17]
A. x+y-z B. x-y+z C. yz-x D. (x-z)y E. none of these
3. The average (arithmetic mean) of 8 consecutive odd integers is 400. Which is the least
of these integers? [IBA MBA 12-13]
A. 389 B. 391 C. 393 D. 395 E. none of these
4. X, Y and Z are three consecutive odd integers. If X+Y = Z+9, what is the value of Z?
[IBA MBA 18-19]
A. 13 B. 15 C. 17 D. 19 E. none
5. The average of four consecutive positive even integers is always
[IBA BBA 98-99]
A. An odd number B. Divisible by 4
C. an even number D. Both (b) & (c) E. Either (b) & (c)
6. The sum of six consecutive odd numbers exceeds twice the largest by 38. Find the
sum of the six numbers. [IBA BBA 00-01]

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A. 43 B. 50 C. 64 D. 72 E. None
7. If a,b and c are 3 consecutive integers and a>b>c, which of the following has the
maximum value? [JU IBA 21]
𝑏 𝑐
A. 𝑎 + 𝑐 B. 𝑏 + 𝑎
𝑏 𝑎 𝑐
C. 𝑐 − 𝑎 D. 𝑐 + 𝑏 E. 𝑎 − 𝑏

8. Two sets of 4 consecutive positive integers have exactly one integer in common. The
sum of the integers in the set with greater numbers is how much greater than the sum
of the integers in the other set? [BUP 12-13]
A. 4 B. 7 C. 8 D. 12 E. Cannot be determined
9. Of 10 consecutive numbers, the Sum of the first five is 560. What will be the sum of the
last 5 numbers? [BUP 12-13]
A. 585 B. 570 C. 575 D. 565 E. none of these
10. If the sum of five consecutive positive integers is A, then the sum of the next five
consecutive integers in terms of A is: [BUP 19-20]
A. A+1 B. A+5 C. A+25 D. 2A E. A/2

Answers of Past Paper Questions

1.E 2.E 3.C 4.B 5.A 6.D 7.A 8.D 9.A 10.C

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Solutions to Past Paper Questions

1. The cases here can be
Case 1: 8 x 9 x 10 x 11
Case 2: 9 x 10 x 11 x 12
Case 3: 10 x 11 x 12 x 13
Case 4: 11 x 12 x 13 x 13
Here, we can see that in each of the 4 cases, the numbers are divided by the options. That
means all of the options (12, 22, 24, 33) can divide any of the cases 1, 2, 3, or 4.
So, none of them are necessarily a divisor of x
So, option (E) is the correct answer.

2. x, y, z consecutive positive integer

∴ x < y <z

Let, x=1, y = 2, z=3

Again, let , x = 2, y = 3, z=4
Testing all these values in the options, we can see that in not a single case we get any positive
even integer।
So, option (E) is the correct answer.

3. Average of 8 consecutive odd integers is = 400

That means the average of 4th and 5th number = 400
Or, 4th integer = 399 and 5th is 401
The least or the 1st integer is 393 (as 4th one is 399)
So, option (C) is the correct answer.

4. X, Y, Z are consecutive odd integers.so, Y=X+2 & Z=X+4

Now,
X+Y=Z +9
=> X+X+2 = X+4+9
=> 2X-X= 9+4-2
=> X=11
=> Z=11+4=15
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

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5. Let's take the consecutive integers as x, x+2, x+4, x+6. They all are even integers.
[𝑥+ (𝑥+2)+ (𝑥+4)+ (𝑥+6)]
Their average= = x+3
4
As x is even, so x+3 will always be odd.
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

6. (E) Let, the largest number = x

So, according to question,
Sum of these 6 integers,
sum = 2x + 38
Or, 2x = sum - 38
𝑠𝑢𝑚 − 38
Or, x = 2

The sum is to be an odd number.

So if you back calculate from the answer choice, you’ll see that none of the numbers are odd
43 − 38
Option A: 43. = 4.5; which is not odd
2
50 − 38
Option B: 50. = 6; which is not odd
2
64 − 38
Option C: 64. = ; which is not odd
2
43 − 38
Option D: 72. = 13; which is odd
2

So, option (D) is the correct answer.

Alternative way
Let, the numbers are: x, x + 2, x + 4, x + 6, x + 8, x + 10. Their sum: (x + x + 2 + x + 4 + x +
6 + x + 8 + x + 10) = 6x + 30
According to question,
6x + 30 = 2(x + 10) + 38
Or, 6x + 30 = 2x + 20 + 38
Or, 4x = 28
Or, x = 7
So, sum of the 6 numbers = 6 x 7 + 30 = 72
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

7. To get the maximum value from a fraction, we would need the numerator to be as high as
possible and the denominator to be as low as possible.
As option A has c as the denominator, which is the lowest integer.
So, option (A) is the correct answer.
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8. Let two sets of 4 consecutive positive integers with one number in common be:
n + (n + 1) + (n + 2) + (n + 3 ) and
(n + 3) + (n + 4) + (n + 5) + (n + 6)
Note that each term in the second set is 3 more than the equivalent term in the first set.
Difference Set 1 -Set 2= 3+3+3+3=12 (D)
Since there are four terms the total of the differences will be 4 x 3 = 12
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

9. Let the numbers be n-2,n-1,n,n+1,n+2,…,n+7

Given , sum of first 5 integers 560.
So we have
Sum of n-2,n-1,n,n+1,n+2 as 560
i.e. 5n = 560
n=112
Sum of last 5 integers will be 5n +3+4+5+6+7
ie 5x112 + 25
= 585
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

10. Let 1st number =n

The 2nd. 3rd, 4th and 5th numbers must correspondingly be::
n+1, n+2, n+3 & n+4
Thus, the sum of the five (5) consecutive numbers (A) = n+(n+1)+(n+2)+(n+3)+(n+4)
Or, A = 5n + 10 ……….(1)
From equation (1)
𝐴 − 10
n= ……(2)
5

Let the next five (5) consecutive numbers 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th be as follows;
n+5, n+6, n+7, n+8 & n+9
Let the sum of theses 5 consecutive numbers be B
Thus, B = 5n + 35 ..,,…(3)
𝐴−10
Substitute from (2) for n in (3)
5
𝐴−10
Hence,B = 5( ) +35 …….(4)
5

Hence:
B = A + 25
So, option (C) is the correct answer.
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Practice Problems

1. In a series of 7 consecutive even numbers, the average of the first three is 10. What is
the average of the last five numbers in the series?
A. 12 B. 22 C. 24 D. 16 E. None of these
2. The average of 7 consecutive numbers is 33. The largest of these numbers is:
A. 36 B. 33 C. 30 D. 28 E. None of these
3. The numbers of products a store sold on 4 consecutive days were x, x + 5, x + 3 and x
+ 12. If the daily average of the products sold was 13, the highest number of products
sold in a day is?
A. 16 B. 17 C. 19 D. 20 E. None of these
4. On a road, three consecutive traffic lights change after 40, 48 and 56 seconds
respectively. If the lights are first switched on at 10:00 AM sharp, at what time will they
change simultaneously?
A. 10:35 a.m. B. 10:28 a.m. C. 10:40 a.m. D. 10:43 a.m. E. None of these
5. If 14 is the average of 6 consecutive odd numbers, what is the smallest number?
A. 9 B. 11 C. 1 D. 13 E. 17
6. From the consecutive integers -10 to 10 inclusive, 20 integers are randomly chosen
with repetitions allowed. What is the least possible value of the product of the 20
integers?
A. (-10)20 B. (-10)10 C. 0 D. –(10)19 E. –(10)20

Answers of Practice Problems

1.D 2.A 3.D 4.B 5.A 6.E

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Solutions to Practice Problems

1. The average of three consecutive even numbers is 10.

So, the first three numbers in the series are 8,10 and 12
So, the series is; 8,10,12,14,16,18, 20.
So, the average of the last 5 numbers will be 16.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

2. Let the seven numbers be n1, n2, n3…, n7

Let, n1=x
Therefore, n2=x+1, n3=x+2, and so on up to n7,
n7= n1+6
So, the series would be
x, x+1, x+2, x+3, x+4, x+5, x+6
Now,
[(𝑥)+(𝑥+1)+(𝑥+2)+(𝑥+3)+(𝑥+4)+(𝑥+5)+(𝑥+6)]
= 33
7
[ 7𝑥 + 21 ]
= 33
7
Therefore, x= 30
Now, the largest number would be n7
And we know that n7= n1 + 6 = 30+6 = 36
So, option (A) is the correct answer.
3. Here,
𝑥 + 𝑥 + 5 + 𝑥 + 3 + 𝑥 + 12
= 13
4

Or, 4x + 20 = 52
So, x = 8
So, the highest items sold in a day = (8 + 12) = 20
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

4. For the lights to change simultaneously again, the time elapsed must be a common multiple
of all three intervals. Specifically, it must be the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of the
intervals. The LCM is the smallest number that each interval divides evenly into.
LCM of 40, 48, 56 = 1680 sec
1680 𝑠𝑒𝑐
Hence, the lights will change simultaneously after= = 28 minutes.
60

So, option (B) is the correct answer.

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5. Given,
14 is the average of 6 consecutive odd numbers.
So, 14 is the middle number which also happens to be even, and there are 3 numbers to its
right and 3 numbers to its left. As these numbers are odd, they are -
9,11,13,15,17,19.
So, the smallest number is 9
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

6. If any of the 20 integers chosen is 0, the product of all integers will be 0. Since 0 is

included in the range from −10 to 10, it is possible to choose 0 at least once.

Therefore, one choice is to include 0 in our selections. In this case, the product is=0
Select 10 odd numbers of times, and -10 the remaining number of times, this will ensure that
the product will be negative. For example, select 10 once and -10 nineteen times, then the
product will be 101×(−10)19=−1020.

So, option (E) is the correct answer.

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Value Identification

The problems in this type require the use of basic understanding of numbers which have
been discussed in the previous sections. All you need to do is develop equations using which
you can determine the value of the unknown variables.

Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. If x and k are integers and (12x)(42x+1)=(2k)(32), what is the value of k?

A. 5 B. 7 C. 10 D. 12 E. 14
𝒙
2. When a positive integer x is divided by a positive integer y the remainder is 9. If =
𝒚

96.12, then what is the value of y? [BUP 19]

A. 96 B. 25 C. none D. 75 E. 69
3. The integers x and y are greater than 1. If (4x) (7y)=756, what is the value of x+y?
[IBA MBA 21-22]
A. 3 B. 9 C. 12 D. 28 E. None

4. If x and y are both positive integers and 10<x<20 and 7y-2x= 0, what is the value of x-
y? [IBA MBA 16-17]
A. 7 B. 8 C. 9 D. 10 E. none of these
5. If CAC multiplied by DD equals to DDDD and D=7, then what is the value of A?
[IBA MBA 21-22]
A. 7 B. 6 C. 0 D. none of these E. Cannot be determined

6. If x+y+z=9 and both y and z are positive integers greater than zero, then the maximum
value x can take is
A. 3 B. 7 C. 8 D. Data insufficient E. 9.

7. What is the sum of the squares of the digits from 1 to 9?

A. 105 B. 260 C. 285 D. 285 E. 445

Answers of Practice & Past Paper Questions

1.E 2.D 3.B 4.D 5.C 6.B 7.D

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Solutions to Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. (12x)(42x+1) = (2k) (32); write the between lines

Now let’s solve this equation
Or, (2 x 2 x 3)x x (2 x 2)2x+1 = (2k) (32)
Or, (22 x 3)x x (22)2x+1 = (2k) (32)
Or, 22x x 3x x 24x+2 = (2k) (32)
Or, 22x + 4x + 2 x 3x = (2k) (32)
Or, 26x + 2 x 3x = (2k) (32)
Now, we can say from the above equation that,
26x + 2 = 2k …………i and
3x = 32 ………….ii
Now,
Solving ii,
X=2
Putting x = 2 in equation 1
26 x 2 + 2 = 2k
Or, 12 + 2 = k
Or, k = 14
So, option (E) is the correct answer.
2. When positive integer x is divided by positive integer y, the remainder is 9
--> x=qy+9;
𝑥
Given, 𝑦=96.12

--> x=96.12y
--> x=96y+0.12y (so q above equals to 96);
So, 0.12y=9
--> y=75
So, option (D) is the correct answer.
756
3. given, (4x)(7y) 756⟶28 xy = 756⟶ xy = 28 = 27
Since x and y are positive integers, there are only four possible solutions:
Case 1: x=1& y=27, or
Case 2: x=3&y=9, or
Case 3: x=9&y=3,or
Case 4: x = 27 & y=1
Since x and y are greater than 1, only cases 2 and 3 are possible.
In both cases, x+y=12
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

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4. Given, x & y are both positive integer

10 < x <20
and 7y-2x=0
∴ 7y = 2x
2𝑥
y= 7
𝑥
That means, for the value of y to be an integer, will have to be an integer, i.e., x will have
7

to be a multiple of 7
Such a number between 10 and 20 is 14
2×14
∴ if x =14 then y = =4
7

∴x-y = 14-4 =10

So, option (D) is the correct answer.

5. Given, D= 7
CAC x DD = DDDD
CAC x 77 = 7777
Therefore, CAC=101
A=0
So, option (C) is the correct answer.

6. We take least value of y and z that is 1. So x=7.

7. We know that:
12 + 22 + 32 +. . . . +𝑛2 = 1/6𝑛 (𝑛 + 1)
∴ (1^2 + 2^2+. . . . . +9^2) = (1/6 × 9 × 10 × 19) = 285

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Reciprocal & Number Line

Reciprocals: Any number multiplied by its reciprocal is 1.
2 3 1
For example, the reciprocal of is 2. Similarly, the reciprocal of 5 is 5. We can also write the
3
12 10 5
reciprocal of 1.2 or as or 6.
10 12

Practice & Past Paper Questions

𝟗
1. The difference between a proper fraction and its reciprocal is 𝟐𝟎. Find the sum of the

fraction and its reciprocal.

41 17 11 9
A. 20 B. 20 C. 20 D. 20 E. None of these

2. The sum of the two numbers is 12 and their product is 35. What is the sum of the
reciprocals of these numbers?
12 13 3 7
A. 35 B. C. 58 D. 32 E. None of these
5

3. If x>0, what is the least possible value for x+(1/x)?

[ JU IBA 14]
A. 0.5 B. 1 C. 1.5 D. 2 E. None of these
4. If the sum of the reciprocals of two consecutive odd integers is 12/35 then the greater
of the two integers is,
A. 3 B. 5 C. 7 D. 9 E. 11
5. If S is the sum of the reciprocals of the 10 consecutive integers from 21 to 30, then S
is between which of the following two fractions?
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
A. 3 and 2 B. 4 and 3 C. 5 and 4 D. 6 and 5 E. 7 and 6
6. Find a positive number which when increased by 17 is equal to 60 times the reciprocal of the
number.

A. 3 B. 10 C. 17 D. 20 E. 25

Answers of Practice & Past Paper Questions

1.A 2.A 3.D 4.C 5.A 6.A

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Solution to Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. Let, the required proper fraction = x

1
So, the reciprocal 𝑥
1
Since x is a proper fraction, 𝑥 > x.
1 9
Now, (𝑥) – x = 20
1−𝑥 2 9
Or, = 20
𝑥

Or, 20- 20 𝑥 2 =9x

Or, 20 𝑥 2 + 9x - 20= 0
Or, 20 𝑥 2 + 25x - 16x - 20 = 0
Or, 5(4x+5) - 4(4x+5) =0
Or, (4x+5) (5x-4) =0
5 4
So, x= –4 or, 5
But x is a proper fraction
4
So , x=
5
1 5
=4
𝑥
1 4 5 16+25 41
Sum of the fraction and its reciprocal, x + (𝑥) = 5 + 4 = = 20
20

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

2. Let the numbers are a and b
Sum of the numbers, a + b = 12
Product of the numbers, ab = 35
1 1 𝑎+𝑏 12
Sum of the reciprocals of the numbers ( ) + ( ) = =
𝑎 𝑏 𝑎𝑏 35

[putting the values of a + b and ab]

So, option (A) is the correct answer.
1
3. 𝑥 + 𝑥
1 1
x is reciprocal of 𝑥 & vice versa. To have x+𝑥 the lowest, we require to find the number whose
reciprocal is the same as that of it
1
x=𝑥
x2=1
x=1
1 is the only number whose reciprocal = 1
Least addition = 1 + 1 = 2
So, option (D) is the correct answer.
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4. We can let the first odd integer = x and the next odd integer = x + 2; thus, the reciprocals are
1 1
and 𝑥+2. Thus,
𝑥
1 1 12
+ 𝑥+2 = 35
𝑥

Multiplying by 35x(x+2), we have:

35(x + 2) + 35x = 12x(x + 2)
35x + 70 + 35x = 12𝑥 2 + 24x
12𝑥 2 - 46x - 70 = 0
6𝑥 2 - 23x - 35 = 0
(6x + 7)(x - 5) = 0
7
Thus, x = − 6 or x = 5.

Since x is an integer, x must be 5 and the greater integer is x + 2 = 7.

Alternate solution:
We are given that the sum of the reciprocals of two consecutive odd integers is 12/35. We
see that the denominator is 35. It’s not difficult to conjecture that the integers have to be 5
1 1 12
and 7 since 5 x 7 = 35. Finally, we can check the sum of and to see if they sum to :
5 7 35
1 1 7 5 12
+ = + =
5 7 35 35 35
12
Since they do add up to , the larger integer is 7.
35

So, option (C) is the correct answer.

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
5. S=21 + 22 + 23 + 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30.
1 1
Notice that 21 is the largest term and 30 is the smallest term.
1 1 1
If all 10 terms were equal to 30, then the sum would be 10× 30 = 3, but since the actual sum
1
is more than that, then we have that S > 3.
1 1 10
If all 10 terms were equal to 21, then the sum would be 10× 21 = 21, but since the actual sum
10
is less than that, then we have that S < 21.

Therefore,
𝟏 𝟏𝟎 10 1 1 10 1
< 𝑺 < 𝟐𝟏 (notice that 21 < 2 , so 3 < S < < 2).
𝟑 21

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

6. Solution
Let the number be x Then, x+17=60x
⇒x2+17x−60=0
⇒(x+20)(x−3)=0
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⇒x=3
Option A

Number Line
Number lines are the horizontal straight lines in which the integers are placed in equal
intervals. All the numbers in a sequence can be represented in a number line. This line
extends indefinitely at both ends.

-12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A number line is a picture of numbers that are lined up in a straight line. It is a list of numbers
that can be used to compare and sort them. This number can stand for any real number,
such as a natural number or a whole number. To review, a whole number is a collection of
all the counting numbers (1, 2, 3,4,5,6...) and zero (0). A natural number, on the other hand,
is a collection of all the counting numbers, such as 1, 2, 3,4,5,6...

Putting numbers on a number line helps you see how they relate. We can see that the
numbers on the left are less than the numbers on the right in the picture above. As an
example, 0 is less than 1, -1 is less than 0, -2 is less than -1, and so on.

A number line is a better way to show how to do math with numbers.

First, you need to know how to find numbers on a number line. One hundred is in the middle
of a number line. When you look at the number line, all positive numbers are to the right of
zero, and all negative numbers are to the left of zero. The value of a number goes down as
we move to the left. Let's say that 1 is greater than -2. On a number line, it's also easy to
show whole numbers, parts, and decimals.

The absolute value or modulus of a number is the numerical value of the number, without
regard to its sign. So, for example, the absolute value of 10 is 10, and the absolute value of
-10 is also 10.

The absolute value of a number may be thought of as its distance from zero. Since distance
can never be negative, absolute value can never be negative.

Absolute value of 15 = |15| = 15 (in the number line, the distance from 0 to +15 is 15)

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Absolute value of -15 = |-15| = 15 (in the number line, the distance of 0 to -15 is 15)

Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. On a real number line, x1 = –5 and x2= 17. What is the distance between these two
points?
A. 4 B. -22 C. 22 D. 10 E. None of these
2. What is the absolute value of twice the difference of the roots of the equation 5y2 - 20y
+ 15=0? [ BUP 13 ]
A. 0 B. 1 C. 2 D. 3 E. 4
3. If x is a number such that -2≤ x ≤2, which of the following has the largest possible

absolute value?

[IBA MBA 07-08

A. 3x-1 B. x²+1 C. 3-x D. x-3 E. x²-x

Answers of Practice & Past Paper Questions

1.C 2.E 3.A

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Solution to Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. The distance between two points is always positive. We calculate lx2 – x1l, which will give
us the distance between the points.
|17 – (–5)| = |17 + 5| = |22| = 22
So, option (C) is the correct answer.

2. In this equation, after doing the middle term, we can simplify it as 5 (y-1) (y-3) = 0; i.e. the
roots of the equation are 1 and 3. So, the difference between the roots are (3-1) = 2. So, twice
of the difference is 2 x 2 = 4; whose absolute value is also 4.

So, option (E) is the correct answer.

3. Pot the range of the condition, i.e. -2 and 2 in the options

3x – 1 : At ends, value is 5 and -7
2x + 1 : At ends, value is 5 and global min value is at x=0, where it is 1
3 – x : At ends, value is 1, 5
x – 3 : At ends, value is -5,-1
2x– x : At ends, value is 2,6. Global min value is at x=0.5, where it is -0.25
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

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HCF LCM
Factors of any number are numbers that we can multiply with an integer to get that initial
number. Again, multiple of a number is what we get after multiplying that number by an
integer (not a fraction),

Let, 'x' and 'y' are 2 integers and x = 10y

So, 'y' is a factor of 'x'

Again,'x' is a multiple of 'y'

Any number itself is its largest factor and smallest multiple.

Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)

The least or smallest common multiple of any two or more given natural numbers are
termed as LCM. For example,
Take three numbers 5, 15, and 25
The multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, ....., 70, 75, 80, .....
The multiples of 15 are 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, .....
The multiples of 25 are 25, 50, 75, 100, ….
The least of these common multiples is 75
Therefore, the LCM of 5, 15, and 25 is 75.
LCM can be determined by two ways:
1. Prime factorization method

To calculate the LCM of two numbers 60 and 45. Out of other ways, one way to find the LCM
of given numbers is as below:List the prime factors of each number first.
60 = 2 × 2 x 3 × 3 × 5
45 = 3 × 3 × 5
Then multiply each factor the most number of times it occurs in any number.If the same
multiple occurs more than once in both the given numbers, then multiply the factor by the
most number of times it occurs.
The occurrence of Numbers in the above example:
2: two times
3: two times
5: one time
LCM = 2 × 2 x 3 × 3 × 5 = 180

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2. LCM by division method

Let us see with the same example, which we used to find the LCM using prime factorization.

Solve LCM of (60,45) by division method

Therefore, LCM of 60 and 45 = 2 × 2 x 3 × 3 × 5 = 180

2 60, 45
2 < , 45
30
3 15, 45
3 5, 15
5 5, 5
1, 1,
Highest Common Factor (HCF)

The largest or greatest factor common to any two or more given natural numbers is termed
as HCF of given numbers. For example,

4, 8, 12, 16

The factors of 4 are 1, 2, and 4

The factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8

The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12

The factors of 16 are 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16

Here, the highest of these common factors is 4. So, HCF of 4, 8, 12, and 16 is 4

The important thing to keep in mind is that, if you cannot find a single common factor amongst
the numbers, then the HCF of that series of numbers is 1. For example, take the number
series 4, 8, 12, 16, 15. Here, the highest of their common factors is 1 only. So the HCF of this
series is 1.

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HCF can be determined by two ways

1. Prime factorization method

Take an example of finding the highest common factor of 144, 104 and 160.
Now let us write the prime factors of 144, 104 and 160.
144 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3
104 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 13
160 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 5
The common factors of 144, 104 and 160 are 2 × 2 × 2 = 8
Therefore, HCF (144, 104, 160) = 8

2. HCF by division method

Steps to find the HCF of any given numbers;

1. Larger number/ Smaller Number

2. The divisor of the above step / Remainder
3. The divisor of step 2 / remainder. Keep doing this step till R = 0(Zero).
4. The last step’s divisor will be HCF.

The above steps can also be used to find the HCF of more than 3 numbers.

Example: Find the HCF of 144 and 160 by division method. Since 160>144, so the dividend
will be 160 and the divisor will be 144.
By using the division method, we get:
Hence, we can see here that 16 is the highest number which divides 160 and 144.
Therefore, HCF (144, 160) = 16

144) 160 (1

144

16) 144 (9

XXX

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Properties of HCF and LCM:

The product of LCM and HCF of any two given natural numbers is equivalent to the product
of the given numbers.
○ LCM of two numbers x HCF of the two numbers = Product of the two
numbers.
○ Suppose A and B are two numbers, then,
■ LCM (A & B) x HCF (A & B) = A x B
H.C.F. and L.C.M. of Fractions
𝑳𝑪𝑴 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔
○ LCM of fractions =
𝑯𝑪𝑭 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔
𝑯𝑪𝑭 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔
○ HCF of fractions =
𝑳𝑪𝑴 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔

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Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. A certain number is divided by 16, 18, 24 and 36, and we get 3 as remainder, every
time. What is the number?
A. 75 B. 69 C. 147 D. 141 E. 96
2. If a certain number of apples are distributed among 18, 24 and 36 children then 15, 21
and 33 apples remain respectively, what is the smallest possible number of apples?
A. 69 B. 75 C. 144 D. 147 E. 147
3. What is the minimum number of chocolates that can be distributed among 8, 9, 12, and
16 people so that 3 chocolates remain every time?
A. 75 B. 147 C. 141 D. 69 E. None of these
4. Bell A rings after every 12 minutes, bell B rings after every 15 minutes and bell C rings
after every 20 minutes. The bells rang together at 10:00 . When will they ring together
again?
A. 10:30 B. 10:40 C. 11:30 D. 11:00 E. None of these
5. What is the sum of all integers from 1 to 1000 that are divisible by both 3 and 5?
A. 33165 B. 33333 C. 33466 D. 33500 E. 33766
6. Bouquets are to be made using white tulips and red tulips, and the ratio of the number
of white tulips to the number of red tulips is to be the same in each bouquet. If there
are 15 white tulips and 85 red tulips available for the bouquets, what is the greatest
number of bouquets that can be made using all the tulips available?
A. 3 B. 5 C. 8 D. 10 E. 13
7. When x is divided by 13, the answer is y with a remainder of 3. When x is divided by 7,
the answer is z with a remainder of 3. If x, y, and z are all possible integers, what is the
𝐲𝐳
remainder of 𝟏𝟑? [IBA BBA 15-16]

A. 0 B. 3 C. 4 D. 7 E. none of these

8. Mr. Saif has n luxury apartments, where n is an integer such that 20 <n <50. If he divides
the apartments equally among his 5 children, he will have 2 apartments remaining. If
he divides the apartments among 6 children, he will have 1 apartment remaining. How
many apartments will remain if he divides the apartments among 7 children?

A. 3 B. 2 C. 4 D. 1 E. none of these
9. A person has to completely put each of three liquids: 403 litres of petrol, 465 litres of diesel
and 496 litres of Mobil Oil in bottles of equal size without mixing any of the above three types
of liquids such that each bottle is completely filled. What is the least possible number of
bottles required ?
A. 34 B. 44 C. 46 D. 38 E. none of thess
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10. A person has to completely put each of three liquids: 403 litres of petrol, 465 litres of diesel
and 496 litres of Mobil Oil in bottles of equal size without mixing any of the above three types
of liquids such that each bottle is completely filled. What is the least possible number of
bottles required ?
A. 34 B. 44 C. 46 D. 38 E. none of these
11. A heap of pebbles when made up into group of 32, 40, 72, leaves the remainder 10, 18 and 50
respectively. Find least number of pebbles in the heaps.
A. 1440 B. 1420 C. 1418 D. 38 E.1433
12. What is the least number of soldiers that can be drawn up in troops of 12, 15, 18 and
20 soldiers and also in form of a solid square?
A. 900 B. 400 C. 1600 D. 2500 E.3000
13. The HCF of two numbers, each having three digits, is 17 and their LCM is 714. The sum of
the numbers will be:

A. 289 B. 391 C. 221 D. 731 E.881

Answers of Practice & Past Paper Questions

1.C 2.A 3.B 4.D 5.A 6.B 7.A 8.B 9.B

10.B 11.C 12.A 13.C

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Solutions to Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. To find the number,first you need to find the least common multiple (LCM) of the divisors
16, 18, 24, and 36. The LCM is the smallest number that all these numbers divide into
without leaving a remainder.
If we get 3 as remainder for each case, that means the number is 3 more than the LCM of
16, 18, 24 and 36.
The LCM of 16, 18, 24 and 36 is 144.
Therefore, the number is 144 + 3 = 147
So, option (C) is the correct answer.

2. We need to find the smallest possible number of apples. The number must be divisible by 18,
24 and 36, meaning that the number is a common multiple of 18, 24 and 36. To find the
smallest number, we need to determine the LCM.
The LCM of 18, 24 and 36 is 72
18 - 3 = 15
24 - 3 = 21
36 - 3 = 33
Subtracting 3 from each number corresponds to the scenario where distributing the apples
leaves the specified remainders. The smallest possible number is determined by subtracting
3 from the smallest multiple of the LCM, which is 72, resulting in N=69.
Therefore, the number is 72 - 3 = 69

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

3. To find the number,first you need to find the least common multiple (LCM) of the divisors 8,
9, 12 and 16. The LCM is the smallest number that all these numbers divide into without
leaving a remainder.
If we get 3 as remainder for each case, that means the number is 3 more than the LCM.

The LCM of 8,9,12,16 is 144

So, the minimum number of chocolates = 147

So, option (B) is the correct answer.

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4. To determine when the bells will ring together again, we need to find the least common
multiple (LCM) of the intervals at which the bells ring.
The LCM of 12, 15 and 20 = 60
Since the LCM of the intervals is 60 minutes, the bells will all ring together again 60 minutes
after 10:00.
So they will ring in unison again after 1 hour, which means at 11.00
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

5. A number that is divisible by both 3 and 5 will must be divisible by their LCM 15.
First, we determine how many integers are there between 0 and 1000 that are divisible by 15
and then find the summation of those numbers
Step 1:
The formula to determine how many numbers between a and b that are divisible by m are
Number of integers,
n=
𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒎 − 𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒎
{ }+1
𝒎

So, in this case,

highest number between 0 and 1000 that is divisible by 15 = 990 (you can determine this with
a little bit of mental gymnastics yourself)
lowest number between 0 and 1000 that is divisible by 15 = 15
So, applying the formula
990 − 15
n={ }+1
15

Or, n = 66
So, there are total 66 numbers between 0 and 1000 that are divisible by 15
Step 2:
We know,
𝒏
Summation of arithmetic sequence, S = (𝟐) x {2a + (n - 1) d}
Here,
n = 66
a = 15
d = 15
66
Or, S = ( 2 ) x {2 x 15 + (66 - 1) x 15}
Or, S = 33 x (30 + 65 x 15)
Or, S = 33 x 1005
Or, S = 33165
So, the sum of all integers from 1 to 1000 that are divisible by both 3 and 5 is 33165
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

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6. Since we should use all the tulips available, then the number of bouquets must be a factor of
both 15 and 85. For example, we cannot have 2 bouquets since we cannot divide 15 white
tulips into 2 bouquets without one tulip left over.
The greatest common factor of 15 and 85 is 5.
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

7. We can form those equations from the information given in the question:
13y +3 =x ……(i)
7z+3=x …….. (ii)
As the right-hand sides of two equations are equal, the left-hand sides will also be equal.
So, 13y + 3 = 7z +3
13y= 7z
As 13 and 7 are both prime numbers, y will be 7 and z will be 13
𝑦𝑧 13
= 7x 13=7
13

Here we can see, the quotient is 7 and there is no remainder. That means, remainder is 0.
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

8. The number of apartments of Mr. Saif is 20 < n < 50. So, when he divides the apartments
among 5 of his children, 2 apartments always remain left. So, the number can be any of 22,
27, 32, 37, 42, and 47.
Similarly, when he divides the apartments among 6 children, 1 apartment is remaining. So,
the number can be any of 25, 31, 37. Here, 37 is common in both situations.
So, the number of apartments of Mr. Saif is 37. Now, if 27 apartments are divided among 7
of his children, then 2 apartments are left remaining.
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

9. Solution:
For the least number of bottles, the capacity of each bottle must be maximum.
Capacity of each bottle = HCF of 403 litres, 465 litres and 496 litres = 31 litres.
Hence,
required number of bottles
= ( 403 + 465 + 496 )31
= 136431
= 44
So, Option B is the correct answer.
10. - Petrol = 403 litres
- Diesel = 465 litres
- Mobil Oil = 496 litres

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We want to pour them into bottles of equal maximum possible size (so the bottle size =
HCF of the three numbers).

First, find HCF(403, 465, 496).

For 403 and 465:

465 - 403 = 62
Now HCF(403, 62):
403 ÷ 62 = 6 remainder 31
62 ÷ 31 = 2 remainder 0
So HCF(403, 465) = 31.

Now check with 496:

496 ÷ 31 = 16 exactly (since 31 × 16 = 496).
Therefore, HCF = 31 litres.

Number of bottles:
- Petrol: 403 ÷ 31 = 13 bottles
- Diesel: 465 ÷ 31 = 15 bottles
- Mobil Oil: 496 ÷ 31 = 16 bottles

Total bottles = 13 + 15 + 16 = 44.

So, Option B is the correct answer.

11. Solution:

In this type of problem we find the difference of divisors and their remainder.
Here difference,
32 - 10 = 22
40 - 18 = 22
72 - 50 = 22
Here, in each case difference is same i.e. 22
Then required number of pebbles is given by
[(LCM of 32, 40, 72) -22]

32 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2
40 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 5
72 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3
Hence,
LCM = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 5 = 1440
Thus,
Required number of pebbles,
= 1440 - 22
= 1418
So, Option C is the correct answer

12. Solution

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In this type of question, We need to find out the LCM of the given numbers.
LCM of 12, 15, 18 and 20;
12=2×2×3;15=3×5;18=2×3×3;20=2×2×5;

Hence, LCM = 2×2×3×5×3

Since, the soldiers are in the form of a solid square.

Hence, LCM must be a perfect square. To make the LCM a perfect square, We have to
multiply it by 5,
hence,
The required number of soldiers
= 2×2×3×3×5×5

= 900

So, Option A is the correct answer.

13. Solution:
Let the numbers be 17x and 17y where x and y are co-prime.
LCM = 17xy
Now, 17xy = 714
Or, xy = 42 = 6 × 7
→x = 6 and y = 7
Or, x = 7 and y = 6
1st number = 17 × 6 = 102
2nd number = 17 × 7 = 119
Sum = 102 + 119 = 221
So, Option C is the correct answer.

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Divisibility
Divisibility is the property of an integer number to be divided by another, resulting in
an integer number.

Some Divisibility Criteria

● A number is divisible by 2 when it is even or ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8. In other words, all even

numbers are divisible by 2

● A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of its digits is a multiple of 3. For example, 579. The
sum of the digits is 5 + 7 + 9 = 21, which is divisible by 3. So 579 is also divisible by 3

● A number is divisible by 4 when their last two digits are zeroes or they are a multiple of 4.
Take for example 1980. The number formed by the last two digits, i.e., 80 is divisible by 4, so
1980 is also divisible by 4. Another example can be 2100. The last two digits are zeros, so
2100 is divisible by 4 as well.

● A number is divisible by 5 if its last digit is either 0 or 5. For example, 25, 80, 1200,
120034890, etc.

● A number is divisible by 6 when it is divisible by 2 and by 3 simultaneously. For example, take

3 numbers 9, 14, and 18. 9 is divisible by 3 but not 2, so it's not divisible by 6. Similarly 14 is
divisible by 2 but not 3, so it also is not divisible by 6. 18 on the other hand, is divisible both
by 2 and 3. So 18 is divisible by 6.

● A number is divisible by 7 when separating the first digit on the right, multiplying by 2,
subtracting this product from what is left and so on, gives zero or a multiple of 7 or is 0. Take
an example of the number 168. The unit digit of the number is 8. Twice of 8 is 16. Now we
divide this 16 from the rest of the number, which is 16. So, 16 - 16 = 0, which is a prerequisite
of being divisible by 7. So 168 is divisible by 7. Take another example, 2793. The units digit
is 3, multiple of 3 is 6. So, 279 - 6 gives us a result of 273. Now, the unit digit is again 3, so
twice of 3 is 6. 27 - 6 gives us a result of 21, so the number 2793 is divisible by 7.

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● A number is divisible by 8 when its last three digits are zeros or they are a multiple of 8. For
520
example, 234,520. Take the last three digit number, 520. 520 is divisible by 8 ( =65). So no
8

matter how huge the number is, it is divisible by 8.

● A number is divisible by 9 when the sum of its digits is a multiple of 9. For example, the
number 4914. The sum of the digits is 4 + 9 + 1 + 4 = 18, which is divisible by 9. So 4914 is
a multiple of 9

● A number is divisible by 10 when it ends in 0. For example, 10, 20, 2943829120, etc.

● A number is divisible by 11 when the difference between the sum of the absolute values of
odd numbers place and the sum of the absolute values of torque figures place from right to
left, is zero or a multiple of 11. Take for example a number 63404. Here, the odd position
(from the right) integers are 4, 4, 6 and the even position integers are 0, 3. So as per the rule,
the difference between the summation of odd position numbers and even position numbers
is (4 + 4 + 6) - (3 + 0) = 14 - 3 = 11, which is a multiple of 11, so the number is divisible by
11.

● A number is divisible by 13 when separating the first digit on the right, multiplied by 9
subtracting this product from what is left and so on, gives zero or a multiple of 13. For
example, take a number 7488. The units digit (first digit on the right) is 8. Multiply 8 with 9
and get the result 72. Now, subtract this number from the rest of the numbers, 748 - 72, which
gives us a result of 676. Now repeat this process. 6 x 9 = 54. 67 - 54 = 13, which is a multiple
of 13, so the number 7488 is divisible by 13.

Remember, Dividend = (Divisor x Quotient) + Remainder

Or, ভাজ্য = (ভাজ্ক x ভাগফল) + ভাগশেষ

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Past Paper Questions

1. (441+442+443) is divisible by - [IBA BBA 09-10]

A. 7 B. 13 C. 15 D. 17 E. none of these

2. Integer x when divided by y quotient is 11 and remainder is 4, and x when by 16

quotient is 4 and remainder is y, find the value of x. [IBA MBA 19-20]

A. 60 B. 72 C. 80 D. 90 E. none of these

3. When a positive integer x is divided by 5 the remainder is 1. When x is divided by 8,

the remainder is 4. What is the smallest positive integer y, such that (x + y) is divisible
by 40? [IBA MBA 17-18]

A. 3 B. 4 C. 9 D. 13 E. None of these

4. If x and y are two distinct positive integers divisible by 4, then which of the following
is necessarily divisible by 8? [IBA MBA 13-14]

A. x + y B. x – y C. 2x + 2y D. 2x + y E. none of these

5. If n is an integer divisible by 6 but not by 4, then which of the following CANNOT be an

integer? [IBA BBA 15-16]
n n n n n
A. 2 B. 3 C. 6 D. 10 E. 12

6. 2pq5 is a four digit number divisible by 25. If the number formed from the two digits
pq is a multiple of 13, then pq=? [IBA BBA 15-16]
A. 10 B. 25 C. 52 D. 65 E. none of these

7. Which of the following pairs of non-zero values of p and q make 6-digit number 674pq0
divisble by both 3 and 11?

A. p = 2 and q = 2 B. p = 5 and q = 4 C. p = 4 and q = 2

D. p = 5 and q = 2 E. p = 6 and q = 3

8. A number consists of two digits. If the digits interchange places and the new number
is added to the original number, then the resulting number will be divisible by:
A. 3 B. 5 C. 9 D. 11 E. 23

9. How many numbers are there from 700 to 950 (including both) which are neither
divisible by 3 nor by 7?
A. 107 B. 141 C. 144 D. 145 E. 146

Answers of Past Paper Questions

1.A 2.E 3.B 4.C 5.E 6.D
7.D 8.D 9.C

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Solutions to Past Paper Questions

1. (A) 441 + 442 + 443 = 441(1+4+42)= 21.441 = 7×3×441

This number is divisible by 7.

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

2. According to the question,

x=11y+4.....................(1)
x=(16x4)+y=64+y...... (2)
From equation (1) and (2)-
11y+4=64+y
Or, 10y=60
Or, y= 6
From (1)-
11x6+4=x
Or, x= 70
So, option (E) is the correct answer.

3. The lowest value of x is 36, which when divided by 5 yields a remainder 1, and when divided
by 8, yields remainder 4. As (x + y) is divisible by 40, then the lowest value of y can be 4.

So, option (B) is the correct answer.

4. backwards calculations is easier and faster in this math.

let us check the options:
A. x + y. let, x = 4, y = 8. then (x + y) = (4 + 8) = 12 is not divisible by 8. So, A is not an answer
B. x - y. let, x = 12, y = 8. then (x - y) = (12 - 8) = 4 is also not divisible by 8.So, B is not an
answer
C. x2 + y2. let, x = 4, y = 8. so, (42 + 82) = 80, it is divisible by 80.
let us check the same option with another set of numbers.
let, x = 12, y = 4. so, x2 + y2 = (122 + 42) = 160 is divisible by 8.
so, C is the answer.
So, option (C) is the correct answer.
but just to be sure,
D. 2x + y. let, x = 12, y = 4. so (2x + y) = (2 x 12 + 4) = 28 is not divisible by 8. so D is not an
answer
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5. Divisibility by 6: If a number is divisible by 6, it means the number can be evenly divided by

both 2 and 3. So, the number has to be a multiple of 6.

Not Divisible by 4: If a number is not divisible by 4, it means the number cannot be evenly
divided by 4. So, the number cannot have 4 as one of its factors.

𝐧
: Since the number is divisible by 6 (which includes 2 as a factor), dividing by 2 will result in
𝟐

a whole number.

𝐧
: The number is divisible by 3 (as it's divisible by 6), so dividing by 3 will also give a whole
𝟑

number.

𝐧
: The number is divisible by 6, so dividing by 6 will give a whole number.
𝟔

𝐧
: Dividing by 10 might not always give a whole number because 10 is not a factor of 6, but
𝟏𝟎

since 10 is made up of 2 and 5, and we already know the number is divisible by 2, it could
still be a whole number if it’s also divisible by 5.

𝐧
: This is the tricky one. For a number to be divisible by 12, it must be divisible by both 3 and
𝟏𝟐

4. While our number is divisible by 3 (because it’s divisible by 6), it's explicitly stated that the
number is not divisible by 4. Therefore, dividing by 12 would not give a whole number.So,
option (E) is the correct answer.

Back calculation is the best course of action here. Amongst the options, 52 and 65 are
multiples of 13. But the number 2655 is not divisible by 25. So, the answer is 52, as the
number 2525 is divisible by 25.
So, option (C) is the correct answer.
6. Solution
2pq5 must be divisible by 25, so q5 must be 25 or 75. Hence q = 2 or 7, so pq is either p2 or p7.
Multiples of 13 between 10 and 99 are 13, 26, 39, 52, 65, 78, 91.
The only number of the form p2 that is a multiple of 13 is 52. Therefore, pq = 52. Answer: 52.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.
7. Solution

Given:
674pq0 is divisible by both 3 and 11
Concept used:
If the sum of digits of a number is a multiple of 3, the number will be completely divisible by
3

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If the difference of the sum of alternative digits of a number is 0 or divisible by 11, then that
number is divisible by 11 completely.
Calculation:
As 674pq0 divisible by 3
So, 6 + 7 + 4 + p + q + 0
⇒ 17 + p + q also divisible by 3
Now,
Possible values of p + q = 4, 7, 10, 13, 16
From the options
Option A and Option D is satisfying
Now,
For Option A
The number is 674220
So, 6 + 4 + 2 - 7 - 2 = 3 Not divisible by 11
For Option D
The number is 674520
So, 6 + 4 + 2 - 7 - 5 = 0 divisible by 11
∴ The required answer is Option D.

So, Option D is the correct answer.

8. Let the ten's digit be x and unit's digit be y.

Then, number = 10x + y
Number obtained by interchanging the digits = 10y + x
∴ (10x + y) + (10y + x) = 11(x + y), which is divisible by 11
So, option D is the correct answer.

9. Solution
Number which is divisible by 3
7003−9503
=233−316
=83......(i)

⇒ Number which is divisible by 7

7007−9503
=100−135
=35+1
=36......(ii)

(∴ If 1st number is totally divisible by 7 then we add +1 in final result)

⇒ Number which is divisible by 21 (LCM of 3 or 7)

70021−95021
=33−45
=12......(iii)

∴ Number which is divisible by 3 or 7

(i) + (ii) - (iii)
(83 + 36) - 12 = 119 - 12 = 107
Total number from 700 to 950
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n = (950 - 700) + 1 = 251

∴ Number which is neither divisible by 3 nor 7
⇒ 251 - 107 = 144

So, Option C is the correct answer.

Practice Problems

1. The six-digit number 54321A is divisible by 9 where A is a single digit whole number.
Find A.
A. 0 B. 2 C. 4 D. 3 E. 1
2. It is given that (232 + 1) is completely divisible by a whole number. Which of the
following numbers is completely divisible by that whole number?
A. (216+1) B. (216-1) C. (7 x 223) D. (296 + 1) E. None of these
3. (452+453+454) is divisible by -
A. 7 B. 13 C. 15 D. 17 E. None of these
4. The remainder is 29, when a number is divided 56. If the same number is divided by 8,
then what is the remainder?
A. 5 B. 7 C. 3 D. 4 E. 1
5. When the positive integer x is divided by 42, the remainder is 19. What is the remainder
when x is divided by 7?
A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 7 E. 0
6. If a positive integer n is divisible by both 5 and 7, then n must also be divisible by
which of the following?
I) 12
II) 35
III) 70
A. None B. (I) only C. (II) only D. (I) and (II) E. (II) and (III
7. How many number between 1000 and 5000 are exactily divisible by 225?
A. 16 B. 18 C. 19 D.12 E.15

Answers of Practice Problems

1.D 2.D 3.A 4.A 5.B 6.C 7.B

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Solutions to Practice Problems

1. A number is divisible by 9, when the sum of its digits is divisible by 9.
Here, 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 + A = 15 + A should be divisible by 9.
Therefore, A = 3 gives 15+ 3 = 18 as the sum of digits, which is divisible by 9.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

2. Let 232 = x
x3=(232)3
Or, x3=296
Or, x3+1=296+1
Or, (x + 1)(x2 – x + 1)= 296 + 1
Or, (232 + 1)(x2 – x + 1)= 296 + 1

So, (296 + 1) is divisible by (232 + 1).

Any whole number that can divide (232+ 1), can divide (296 + 1).
So, (296 + 1) will be divisible by that whole number.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.

3. 452+453+454= 452 (1 + 4 + 42)

=452. 21
=3 x 7 x 452
So, it is divisible by 7.
So, option (A) is the correct answer.
4. Dividend = [(Divisor × Quotient)] + Remainder
It is given that, the remainder is 29, when a number (dividend) is divided 56(divisor).
Dividend and quotient are unknown, hence assume dividend as X and quotient as Y.
Therefore,
x = 56 × y + 29
56 is completely divisible by 8, but 29 is not completely divisible and we get remainder as 5,
which is the required answer.
OR
X = 56 × y + 29
= (8 × 7y) + (8 × 3) + 5
5 is the required remainder.
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

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5. It's given that x=42(k) + 19 and asked x=7(s) + y.

What is the value of y?
Now for that as we know 42(k) is divisible by 7(s), hence no remainder from this
Now 19 divided by 7 will give us a remainder of 5 and that should be our remainder and the
value of (y).
So, option (B) is the correct answer.
6. Since 5 and 7 are prime numbers, if n is divisible by both, then n must also be divisible by 5
x 7 = 35.
(I) 12 is not a factor of 35.
Need NOT be divisible
(II) 35 = 35(1)
MUST be divisible.
(IlI) 70 is a multiple of 35, not a factor.
Need NOT be divisible
So, option (C) is the correct answer.

7. Solution

First number = 1125

Last number = 4950
Number of term =4950-1125225+1
=3825225+1
=17+1
=18

So, Option B is the correct answer.

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Last Digit Problems

First, look into a problem.
Find the last digit of 7358
(We will discuss the solution of the problem later)
A common way to attempt these types of questions is to list out the initial expansions of a
power to determine a pattern. Questions which ask about the last decimal digit of a power
can be solved completely after proving that the pattern in question holds.

Digits 0, 1, 5 & 6

When we observe the behavior of these digits, they all have the same unit's digit as the
number itself when raised to any power.
● 0n = the last digit will be 0,
● 1n = the last digit will be 1,
● 5n = the last digit will be 5,
● 6n = the last digit will be 6.

Digits 4 & 9

Both these numbers have a cycle of only two different digits as their unit's digit.

Let us take a look at how the powers of 4 operate:

● 41 = 4, 42 = 16, 43 = 64, and so on.

Hence, the power cycle of 4 contains only 2 digits 4 & 6, which appear in case of odd and
even powers respectively.

Likewise, the powers of 9 operate as follows:

● 91 = 9, 92 = 81, 93 = 725, and so on.

Hence, the power cycle of 9 also contains only 2 digits 9 & 1, which appear in case of odd
and even powers respectively.

So, broadly these can be remembered in even and odd only,

● 4odd = the last digit will be 4

● 4even = the last digit will be 6
Likewise,

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● 9odd = the last digit will be 9

● 9even = the last digit will be 1

Digits 2, 3, 7 & 8

These numbers have a power cycle of 4 different numbers.

● 21 = 2, 22 = 4, 23 = 8 & 24 = 16 and after that it starts repeating. So, the power cycle of
2 has 4 different digits (2, 4, 8, 6) as the last digit.
● 31 = 3, 32 = 9, 33 = 27 & 34 = 81 and after that it starts repeating. So, the power cycle
of 3 has 4 different digits (3, 9, 7, 1) as the last digit.

7 and 8 follow similar logic.

● 71 = 7, 72 = 49, 73 = 343 & 74 = 2401. So, the power cycle of 7 has 4 different digits (7,
9, 3, 1) as the last digit.
● 81 = 8, 82 = 64, 83 = 512 & 84 = 4096. So, the power cycle of 7 has 4 different digits (8,
4, 2, 6) as the last digit.

So, these four digits i.e. 2, 3, 7 and 8 have a unit digit power cycle of four steps.

All the rules can be summarized in the following table:

Digit D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 (repeat) No. of cycles

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 4 8 6 2 4

3 3 9 7 1 3 4

4 4 6 4 6 4 2

5 5 5 5 5 5 1

6 6 6 6 6 6 1

7 7 9 3 1 7 4

8 8 4 2 6 8 4

9 9 1 9 1 9 2

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Let’s solve the problem- find the last digit of 7358

Notice the pattern of the last digits. They are 7, 9, 3, 1, 7, 9, 3, 1, 7, 9, … The last digit repeats
in a pattern that is 4 digits long: 7, 9, 3, 1,.... Note that 358 divided by 4 is 89 with a remainder
of 2, so the pattern will repeat 89 times, with two extras at hand. The last two entries are 7
and 9, so the last digit of 7358 is 9.

Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. The largest 4-digit number exactly divisible by 88 is:

A. 9944 B. 9768 C. 9988 D. 8888 E. None of these
2. If x is a positive integer, what is the units digit of (249)4x+3 x (525)3x x (423)3?
A. 2 B. 5 C. 4 D. 0 E. None of these
3. 2ab5 is a four-digit number divisible by 25. If the number formed from the two digits
ab is a simple multiple of 16. Then the value of ab can be?
A. 10 B. 16 C. 32 D. 48 E. None of these
4. The unit’s digit in the number (3127)173 is-
A. 1 B. 3 C. 7 D. 9 E. None of these
5. The value of P, when 4864 x 9P2 is divisible by 12, can be?
A. 7 B. 5 C. 8 D. 9 E. None of these
6. The last digit of 13345 is? [JU IBA 19-20]
A. 9 B. 7 C. 3 D. 1 E. Cannot be determined
7. What is the unit digit of 17728 – 13323? [JU IBA 14-15]
A. 1 B. 3 C. 4 D. 6 E. Cannot be determined
8. What is the units digit of the sum 344 + 553 + 212? [IBA BBA 17-18]
A. 2 B. 4 C. 8 D. 9 E. none of these
9. lf x is a positive integer, what is the units digit of (24)5+2x x (36)6 x (17)3 ?
[IBA BBA 15-16]
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 6 E. none of these
10. The unit digit in the product 771 × 663 ×365 = ?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 E. None of these
11. 1727 has a units digit of:

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 7 E. 9
12. Given that p is a positive even integer with a positive units digit, if the units digit of
p3 minus the units digit of p2 is equal to 0, what is the units digit of p + 3?

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A. 3 B. 6 C. 7
D. 9 E.It cannot be determined from the given information.

13. The unit digit in the product 771 × 663 ×365 = ?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 E.None of these
14. A number consists of two digits. If the digits interchange places and the new
number is added to the original number, then the resulting number will be divisible
by:

A. 3 B. 5 C. 9 D.11 E. 23
15. The digit in the unit's place of a numbers is equal to the digit in the ten's place of half
of that number and the digit in the ten's place of that number is less than the digit in
unit's place of half of the number by 1. If the sum of the digits of the number is 7,
then what is the number ?

A. 34 B. 52 C. 162 D.Data inadequate E. 223

Answers of Practice Problems

1.A 2.B 3.C 4.C 5.A 6.C 7.C 8.A 9.A
10. D 11.C 12.C 13.D 14.D 15.B

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Solutions to Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. The largest 4-digit number is 9999

It is not divisible by 88

So, we can get the largest 4-digit number that is divisible by 88 by subtracting the remainder
that we get by

dividing 9999 by 88
9999
= 113 X 88 + 55
88

i.e. When we divide 9999 by 88, the remainder is 55.

So, the largest 4-digit number, divisible by 88 = 9999 – 55 = 9944

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

2. 4x+3 will always be odd regardless of the value of x.

Because, 4x is always even. Even number + 3= Odd number

So, the units digit of (249)4x+3 = 9 (Last digit when 9odd)

Again units digit of (525)3x = 5 (Last digit of 5n will always be 5)

And, units digit of 4233 = 7 (From the power cycle of 3)

So, the required units digit = unit digit of (9 x 5 x 7), which is 5

So, option (B) is the correct answer.

3. 2ab5 will be divisible by 25 when the value of b is either 2 or 7.

In option (c) 32, we find a value which meets the previously stated criteria and also is a
multiple of 16.

So, option (C) is the correct answer.

4. Unit’s digit in 3127173 = unit’s digit in 7173 = unit’s digit in (74)43 x 71

Now, unit’s digit in 74 is 1

Therefore, unit’s digit in (74)43 is 1

Therefore, unit’s digit in (74)43 x 71 is 7

Unit’s digit in 3127173 is 7

So, option (C) is the correct answer.

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5. To determine the value of P such that 4864×9P2 is divisible by 12, we need to ensure that
the number is divisible by both 3 and 4 (since 12 = 3 × 4)

4864 is divisible by 4, but indivisible by 3

So, for 4864 x 9P2 to be divisible by 12, 9p2 has to be divisible by 3

To be divisible by 3, the sum of the digits has to be divisible by 3

Here, 9 + P + 2= 11+ P

The nearest numbers greater than 11 which is divisible by 3 are 12, 15, 18

So, the value of P = 12 – 11 = 1, or 15 – 11 = 4, or 18 – 11 = 7

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

6. First term is 133. The unit place has 3.

Second term is 133 x133 is some number whose unit place will be 9 because 3 2 (unit place
of 2 numbers) is 9

Third term is _ _ _ _9x133 whose unit place will be 7 because 33 gives 7 in unit place.

Fourth term is _ _ _ 7x133 whose unit place will be 1 because 3 4 gives 1 in unit place.

Fifth term is _ _ _ 1x133 whose unit place will be 3 because 3 5 gives 3 in unit place.

And the cycle repeats ( here the cycle is 3,9,7,1,3,9,7,1 & so on).

At 45, the unit digit appears to be 3

So, option (C) is the correct answer.

7. 71 =7; units digit 7

72 = 49; units digit 9

73 =343, units digit 3

74 =_ _ 3 x 7= _ _ _1; units digit 1

75 = _ _ _1x 7= _ _ _ _7; units digit 7- which is similar to 71

so, the cycle is 7, 9, 3, 1 and the cycle repeats after every 4 times.

Now, if we divide the power of 17728 (which is 28) by 4, we get nothing as remainder.
Therefore, the unit digit of 17728 corresponds to the 4th term in the cycle, which is 1.

So, 17728 will have units digit 1

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Similarly,

31 = 3; units digit 3

32 = 9; units digit 9

33 = 27; units digit 7

34 = 81; units digit 1

35 = 343; units digit 3

Repeats after every 4 times as well. Here, the power is 23. That means, after 5 cycle, the unit
digit of 13323 corresponds to the 3rd term in the cycle, which is 7.

so, 13323 will have units digit 7

1(11)-7= 4; as 1<7, we carried 1

So, option (C) is the correct answer.

8. The Units digit of the sum of 344 + 543 + 212 will be the units digit of sum of the units digit of
344, 543, and 212.

The units digit of 344 is 1. The units digit of 543 is 5. And the units digit of 212 is 6.

So the sum is 12.

Therefore the units digit of the whole sum will be 2.

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

9. 4𝑜𝑑𝑑 finishes with 4. since x is a positive integer, the first number's unit digit will be 4 again.

366 -> 66 and the units digit will be 6.

173 -> 73 and the units digit will be 3.

therefore, 4x6x3=72.

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

10. Solution

771 × 663 × 365

↓ ↓ ↓

Unit Place 73 63 31

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↓ ↓ ↓

Unit Digit⇒ 3 × 6 × 3 = 54

⇒ 4 is answer

Option D is the correct answer.

11. When raising a number to a power, the units digit is influenced only by the units digit of that
number. For example 162 ends in a 6 because 62 ends in a 6.

1727 will end in the same units digit as 727.

The units digit of consecutive powers of 7 follows a distinct pattern:

Power of 7 Ends in a ...

71 7
72 9
73 3
74 1
75 7
The pattern repeats itself every four numbers so a power of 27 represents 6 full iterations of
the pattern (6 × 4 = 24) with three left over. The "leftover three" leaves us back on a "3,"
the third member of the pattern 7, 9, 3, 1.
The correct answer is C.
So, C. is the correct answer.
12. When a whole number is divided by 5, the remainder depends on the units digit of that number.
Thus, we need to determine the units digit of the number 11+22+33+...+1010. To do so, we need to first
determine the units digit of each of the individual terms in the expression as follows:

Term Last (Units) Digit

11 1
2 2 4
3 3 7
4 4 6
5 5 5
6 6 6
7 7 3
8 8 6
9 9 9
10 010

To determine the units digit of the expression itself, we must find the sum of all the units
digits of each of the individual terms:

1 + 4 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 6 + 3 + 6 + 9 = 47

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Thus, 7 is the units digit of the number 11+22+33+...+1010. When an integer that ends in 7 is
divided by 5, the remainder is 2. (Test this out on any integer ending in 7.)
So, C is the correct answer.
13. Solution

771 × 663 × 365

↓ ↓ ↓
Unit Place 73 63 31
↓ ↓ ↓
Unit Digit⇒ 3 × 6 × 3 = 54
⇒ 4 is answer
So, Option D is the correct answer.

14. Solution
Let the ten's digit be x and unit's digit be y.
Then, number = 10x + y
Number obtained by interchanging the digits = 10y + x
∴ (10x + y) + (10y + x) = 11(x + y), which is divisible by 11

So, Option D is the correct answer.

15. Solution:

Let the ten's digit be x and unit's digit be y

Then,
10x + y2 = 10y+(x+1)
⇔10x+y=20y+2x+2
⇔8x−19y=2.....(i)
And⇔x+y=7.....(ii)
Solving (i) and (ii), we get :
x = 5, y = 2
Hence, required number = 52
So, Option B is the correct answer.

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Exponents & Roots

Exponents

An exponent (সূচক) of a number, represents the number of times the number is multiplied
to itself. If 8 is multiplied by itself for n times, then, it is represented as:
8 x 8 x 8 x 8 x …..n times = 8n
The above expression, 8n, is said as 8 raised to the power n. Therefore, exponents are also
called power or sometimes indices. Examples:
2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 24
5 x 5 x 5 = 53
10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 106
1
½ x ½ x ½ x ½ x ½ x ½ x ½ = 128 = (½)7 = 2-7

General Form of Exponents

The exponent is a simple but powerful tool. It tells us how many times a number should be
multiplied by itself to get the desired result. Thus, any number ‘a’ raised to power ‘n’ can be

expressed as:
Here a is any number and n is a natural number.
● an is also called the nth power of a.
● ‘a’ is the base and ‘n’ is the exponent or index or power.
● ‘a’ is multiplied ‘n’ times, and thereby exponentiation is the shorthand method of
repeated multiplication.
The relation between the positive and the negative expression is given as-
0 and 1 are the only powers that give the same value, i.e. 0 and 1 respectively, for different

exponent values. Such as

0a = 0
1a = 1
Exponents are used in many algebra problems, so it's important that you understand the rules
for working with exponents. Let's go over each rule in detail, and see some examples.

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Rules of Exponents

Suppose ‘a’ & ‘b’ are the integers and ‘m’ & ‘n’ are the values for powers, then the rules for
exponents and powers are given by:

1. am x an = am + n

As per the multiplication law of exponents, the product of two exponents with the same base
and different powers equals the base raised to the sum of the two powers or integers.

For example, 54 x 55 = 5(4 + 5) = 59 = 1953125

2. am / an = am - n

When two exponents having the same bases and different powers are divided, then it results
in base raised to the difference between the two powers.

For example, 55 / 54 = 5(5 - 4) = 51 = 5

3. a-m = 1/am

Any base has a negative power, then it results in reciprocal but with positive power or integer
to the base.

For example, 5-4 = 1/53 = 1/125

4. a0 = 1

As per this rule, if the power of any integer is zero, then the resulted output will be unity or
one.

For example: 50 = 1

5. (am)n = amn

‘a’ raised to the power ‘m’ raised to the power ‘n’ is equal to ‘a’ raised to the power product
of ‘m’ and ‘n’.

Example: (52)3 = 52 x 3 = 56

6. am × bm =(ab)m

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The product of ‘a’ raised to the power of ‘m’ and ‘b’ raised to the power ‘m’ is equal to the
product of ‘a’ and ‘b’ whole raised to the power ‘m’.

Example: 52 × 62 =(5 x 6)2 = 302

𝒂𝒎 𝒂
7. 𝒎𝒎 = ( )m
𝒃

The division of ‘a’ raised to the power ‘m’ and ‘b’ raised to the power ‘m’ is equal to the division
of ‘a’ by ‘b’ whole raised to the power ‘m’.

Example: 52/62 = (5/6)2

It is advised to the students to memorize the powers or exponents of a few numbers for easier
and faster calculations. A few seconds saved can help you a lot in those exam times. These
are

a. Squares of 1 to 25
b. Cubes of 1 to 10, 20, etc.

Number N2 Number N2 Number N2

1 1 11 121 21 441

2 4 12 144 22 484

3 9 13 169 23 529

4 16 14 196 24 576

5 25 15 225 25 625

6 36 16 256

7 49 17 289

8 64 18 324

9 81 19 361

10 100 20 400

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Number N3

1 1

2 8

3 27

4 64

5 125

6 216

7 343

8 512

9 729

10 1000

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Roots

Square root or Root of a number is a value, which on multiplication by itself, gives the
original number. The square root is an inverse method of squaring a number. Hence, squares
and square roots are related concepts.

Suppose, a is the square root of b, then it is represented as a=√b, or we can express the

same equation as a2 = b. Here, ‘√’ is the radical symbol used to represent the root of

numbers. The positive number, when multiplied by itself, represents the square of the

number. The square root of the square of a positive number gives the original number,

like √(m.m) = √(m2) = m.

For example, the square of 5 is 25, 52 = 25 and the square root of 25, √25 = 5. Since 25

is a perfect square, hence it is easy to find the square root. But for an imperfect square

like 3, 7, 5, etc., we have to use different methods to find the square root. Learn square

roots from 1 to 25 with some shortcut tricks here.

Properties of Square root

Some of the important properties of the square root are as follows:

● If a number is a perfect square number, then there exists a perfect square root.

● If a number ends with an even number of zeros (0’s), then it can have a square root.

● The two square root values can be multiplied. For example, √5 can be multiplied

by √2, then the result should be √10.

● When two same square roots are multiplied, then the result should be a radical

number. It means that the result is a non-square root number. For instance, when

√9 is multiplied by √9, the result obtained is 81.

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● The square root of any negative numbers is not defined because the perfect square

cannot be negative. Hence, negative numbers don't have square roots.

(-5)2=（-5)x(-5) = +25，√25 = 土 5

● If a number ends with 2, 3, 7 or 8 (in the unit digit), then the perfect square root does
not exist.

● If a number ends with 1, 4, 5, 6 or 9 in the unit digit, then the number may have a
perfect square root.

● A cube root of a positive number N is a real number which, when cubed, equals N.
3√27 is 3 because 33 = 27.

● For any positive numbers a and b: √(a x b) = √a x √b, and √(a/b) = √a/√b

● For any positive numbers a and n, a1/n = n√a

● The cube of a real number can be negative. Hence negative numbers can have cube
roots. For example, (-5)3 = (-5) x (-5) x (-5) = 25 x (-5) = -125, 3√(-125) = -5

It is advised to the students to memorise the roots of a few numbers for easier and faster
calculations. A few seconds saved can help you a lot in those exam times. These are,

a. The square roots of the numbers from 1 to 10

b. Square root of π

Number √𝒏

√𝟏 1

√𝟐 1.414

√𝟑 1.732

√𝟒 2

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√𝟓 2.236

√𝟔 2.449

√𝟕 2.646

√𝟖 2.828

√𝟗 3

√𝟏𝟎 3.162

√𝝅 1.772

Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. If (ax)16(by)12(cxy)17(dxy)11 >0, and all the variables are non-zero numbers, which of
the following must be true? [IBA BBA 16-17]
A. ab > 0 B. ab < 0 C. cd > 0 D. cd < 0 E. none of these

2. The expression √(𝟐 + √(𝟐 + √(𝟐 + √𝟐 + ⋯ … … ))) extends to an infinite number of

roots. Which of the following choices most closely approximates the value of this

expression [IBA BBA 15-

16]

A. √3 B. 2 C. 1+√2 D. 1+√3 E. none of these

3. If both 𝟓𝟐 and 𝟑𝟐 are factors of x where x = n × 𝟐𝟓 × 𝟔𝟐 × 𝟕𝟑 , what is the smallest

possible positive value of n?
[IBA MBA 07-08]
A. 25 B. 27 C. 45 D. 75 E. None of these
4. If x = (0.08)𝟐 , y = 1 / (0.08)𝟐 and z = (1 – 0.08)𝟐 – 1, which of the following is true?
[IBA BBA 05-06]
A. x = y = z B. y < z < x C. z < x < y D. y < x and x = z E. None of these
5. What is the greatest positive integer n such that 2n is a factor of 1210?
[IBA BBA 00-01]
A. 10 B. 20 C. 30 D. 40 E. 50
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6. At room temperature, bacteria doubles every 30 minutes. In four hours, what will be
the total number of bacteria from an initial number of 4?
[IBA MBA 94-95]

A. 512 B. 1024 C. 2048 D. 4096 E. None of these

7. If x > 0.7, which of the following could be the value of x?
[IBA MBA 11-12]
A. √0.49 B. √0.7 C.(𝟎. 𝟕) 𝟐
D. (1-√0.2) E. none of these

8. Which of the columns below has the greatest value?

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4
(−𝟔)𝟑 (−𝟔)𝟒 (−𝟔)𝟓 (−𝟔)𝟐
[IBA MBA 09-08]
A. Column 1 B. Column 2 C. Column 3 D. Column 4 E. All are equal

Answers of Practice & Past Paper Questions

1.C 2.B 3.A 4.C 5.B 6.B 7.B 8.D

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Solutions to Practice & Past Paper Questions

1. Given, (ax)16 ×(by)12 ×(cxy)17 ×(dxy)11 >0

a16 × b12 × c17 × d11 × x16+17+11 × y12+17+11 > 0

a16 × b12 × c17 × d11 × x11 × y40 > 0.

Now a, b, x and y have even power.

Raised to even power, they would always be POSITIVE. But without power, each could be
positive or negative. Therefore, we cannot comment on their PRODUCT without powers.

So we cannot comment on ab.

Now all other terms with a, b,x and y are positive, so c17 × d11 also should be > 0...

Therefore, cd>0.

So, option (C) is the correct answer.

2. Let,x= √(𝟐 + √(𝟐 + √(𝟐 + √𝟐 + ⋯ … … )))

We can write, x= √2+x

[Because this is an infinite series, and we replaced √(𝟐 + √(𝟐 + √(𝟐 + √𝟐 + ⋯ … … ))) this

part by x]
x2=2+x [Squaring both sides]
or,x2-x-2=0
or,x-2x+x-2 = 0
or,x (x-2)+ 1 (x-2)= 0
or,(x-2) (x+1) = 0
or,x=2,-1
x cannot be negative. The reason x cannot be negative is that, the original expression
involves square roots, and square roots always produce non-negative numbers.
Hence, x=2
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

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3. We need to determine the smallest possible positive value of “n”

Given, x is divisible by 52 or 25 and 32 or 9.

Now, 32 is present in (6 x 6) but 25 is not present in the other factors i.e. 2 5 x 62 x 73

So, 25 is the minimum value of n.

So, option (A) is the correct answer.

4. X = 0.0064, [This value is less than 1]

1
y= [This value will be more than 1]
0.0064

z = (1 – 0.08)2 – 1= (.92)2 - 1

We won’t need to find the value of Z as we can see it will be a negative value.

Here, x < 1, y > 1 and z < 0

So, z < x < y

Option (C) is the correct answer.

5. The given number is 1210

=(2𝑥2𝑥3)10
=(220 )x(310 )
So the greatest possible value for n such that 2𝑛 can be factor of given number is 20.
So, option (B) is the correct answer.
6. Since the bacteria doubles every 30 minutes, the number of 30-minute intervals in four hours
240 𝑚𝑖𝑛
is = = 8 times
30 𝑚𝑖𝑛

So, total number of bacteria = 4 x 28 = 4 x 256= 1024

So, option (B) is the correct answer.

7. we know,
if th 0 < x < 1, then with the increasing power of x, the value decreases and the decreasing
power of x, the value increases
so, as x > 0.7, the option b which is clearly greater than 0.7 as √0.7 > 0.7, option B is the
answer
So, option (B) is the correct answer.
8. the values in column 1 and 3 are negative and the powers are odd. so the values will also be
negative. as we are looking for the greatest value, we can omit options A and C
then, the values in options B and D are negative but the powers here are even. so these
values are actually positive. between them, 6 > 4, so (−6)6 > (−6)4.
So, option (D) is the correct answer.
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