A person X wants to distribute some pens among six children A, B, C, D, E, and F. Suppose A gets twice the number of pens received by B, three times that of C, four times that of D, five times that of E and six times that of F. What is the minimum number of pens X should buy so that the number of pens each one gets is an even number?
- A147
- B150
- C294Correct
- D300
Explanation
Let the number of pens received by children A, B, C, D, E, and F be a, b, c, d, e, f respectively.
From the given conditions: a = 2b => b = a/2 a = 3c => c = a/3 a = 4d => d = a/4 a = 5e => e = a/5 a = 6f => f = a/6
For a, b, c, d, e, f to be whole numbers, 'a' must be a multiple of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The least common multiple (LCM) of (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) is 60. So, 'a' must be a multiple of 60. Let a = 60k, where k is a positive integer.
Now, let's find the number of pens for each child in terms of k: a = 60k b = 60k / 2 = 30k c = 60k / 3 = 20k d = 60k / 4 = 15k e = 60k / 5 = 12k f = 60k / 6 = 10k
The total number of pens X should buy is the sum of pens for all children: Total = a + b + c + d + e + f Total = 60k + 30k + 20k + 15k + 12k + 10k Total = 147k
Now, consider the additional condition: "the number of pens each one gets is an even number". Let's check each child's pens: a = 60k (Always even, since 60 is even) b = 30k (Always even, since 30 is even) c = 20k (Always even, since 20 is even) d = 15k (For 15k to be an even number, k must be an even number.) e = 12k (Always even, since 12 is even) f = 10k (Always even, since 10 is even)
The crucial condition is that 'd' (15k) must be even. This implies that 'k' must be an even number. To find the minimum number of pens, we need the minimum positive integer value for k that is even. The minimum even positive integer for k is 2.
Substitute k = 2 into the total number of pens: Total = 147 * 2 = 294
Let's verify the number of pens for each child with k=2: a = 60 * 2 = 120 (even) b = 30 * 2 = 60 (even) c = 20 * 2 = 40 (even) d = 15 * 2 = 30 (even) e = 12 * 2 = 24 (even) f = 10 * 2 = 20 (even) All conditions are met.
Therefore, the minimum number of pens X should buy is 294.
Analyzing the options: A) 147: This would be the total if k=1. However, if k=1, d=15, which is not an even number. So, this is incorrect. B) 150: Not a multiple of 147. Incorrect. C) 294: This is the calculated minimum number when k=2, satisfying all conditions. Correct. D) 300: Not a multiple of 147. Incorrect.
The final answer is C.

Related questions
More UPSC Prelims practice from the same subject and topic.
- Prelims 2022CSATQuantitative Aptitude
An Identity Card has the number ABCDEFG, not necessarily in that order, where each letter represents a distinct digit (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 only). The number is divisible by 9. After deleting the first…
- Prelims 2022CSATQuantitative Aptitude
Which number amongst 2⁴⁰, 3²¹, 4¹⁸ and 8¹² is the smallest?
- Prelims 2022CSATQuantitative Aptitude
The digits 1 to 9 are arranged in three rows in such a way that each row contains three digits, and the number formed in the second row is twice the number formed in the first row; and the number form…
- Prelims 2022CSATQuantitative Aptitude
How many 3-digit natural numbers (without repetition of digits) are there such that each digit is odd and the number is divisible by 5?
- Prelims 2022CSATQuantitative Aptitude
Consider the Question and two Statements given below : Question : Is x an integer? Statement- 1 : x / 3 is not an integer. Statement- 2 : 3 xis an integer. Which one of the following is correct in res…
- Prelims 2022CSATQuantitative Aptitude
How many seconds in total are there in x weeks, x days, x hours, x minutes and x seconds?