Maths question from Laboratory Attendant exam, 2026 by JKSSB
The cost price of articles X and Y is the same. Article X is sold at 20% profit and article Y is sold for Rs. 126 less than the selling price of X. If the net profit by selling both the articles is 14%, then what is the cost price (in Rs.) of each article?
Last updated Jun 19, 2026
Correct Answer:
Option D —
1,050
To find the cost price of each article, we can break the problem down by looking at how the total profit percentage relates to the individual sales.
Step 1: Understand the Total Profit
Both articles have the same cost price. Let's imagine the cost price of each article is represented as 100 units.
Cost price of Article X = 100 units
Cost price of Article Y = 100 units
Total cost price for both articles combined = 200 units
We are told that the overall net profit for selling both articles is 14 percent.
14 percent of the total 200 units is 28 units.
This means the total profit earned from selling both items must equal 28 units.
Step 2: Break Down the Profit per Article
Now let's look at how much profit each individual article contributed.
Article X is sold at a 20 percent profit, which means it contributes 20 units of profit.
Since the total profit from both articles is 28 units, Article Y must contribute the remaining profit.
Profit from Article Y = 28 units minus 20 units = 8 units.
Step 3: Find the Difference in Selling Prices
Now we compare the profit of Article X and Article Y to see the difference in their selling prices:
Article X profit = 20 units
Article Y profit = 8 units
Difference in profit = 20 units minus 8 units = 12 units
Since both articles started with the exact same cost price, the difference in their profits (12 units) is exactly equal to the difference in their selling prices.
Step 4: Calculate the Actual Cost Price
The problem states that Article Y is sold for 126 rupees less than Article X. This means our 12 units of difference is equal to 126 rupees.
To find the value of 1 unit:
1 unit = 126 divided by 12
1 unit = 10.5 rupees
Since we defined the cost price of each individual article as 100 units, we multiply the value of 1 unit by 100:
Cost price = 10.5 times 100
Cost price = 1050 rupees
Correct Answer:
D) 1,050
Answer verified by Quintessence Classes faculty — Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
