UPSC Prelims 2016·CSAT·Quantitative Aptitude·Arithmetic

A person is standing on the first step from the bottom of a ladder. If he has to climb 4 more steps to reach exactly the middle step, how many steps doe he ladder have?

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Last updated 8 Jul 2026, 4:39 pm IST
  1. A8
  2. B9Correct
  3. C10
  4. D11

Explanation

Here is the explanation for the correct answer:

  1. The person starts on the 1st step.
  2. He climbs 4 more steps to reach the middle step. Therefore, the middle step is the 5th step (1 + 4 = 5).
  3. In any sequence where the middle position is known, the total number of items is calculated by the formula: (Middle Position multiplied by 2) minus 1.
  4. Applying this, (5 multiplied by 2) minus 1 equals 9.

Alternatively, if the 5th step is the middle, there are 4 steps below it and 4 steps above it. Total steps = 4 + 1 (the middle step) + 4 = 9.

Thus, the ladder has 9 steps. Correct option is B.

Quantitative Aptitude: A person is standing on the first step from the bottom of a ladder. If he has to climb 4 more steps to reach exactly the

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