“Top 10 Trickiest Dishonest Seller Based Profit & Loss Questions Every Aspirant Must Solve!”
Are you preparing for competitive exams? Test your problem-solving skills with these tricky profit and loss questions based on real-life dishonest practices! From faulty weights to clever markups, these questions will challenge your understanding of percentage-based profit calculations. Solve them, check your answers, and boost your exam readiness!
Q1. A dishonest shopkeeper uses a weight of 850 gm instead of 1 kg and sells rice at its cost price. What will be his profit percentage on selling 5 kg rice?
Options:
a) 18.24%
b) 17.65%
c) 15%
d) 13.04%
View Solution
The shopkeeper gives 850 g but charges for 1000 g.
Profit % = (Short weight / Actual weight) × 100
= (150 / 850) × 100
= 17.65%
Answer: (b) 17.65%
Q2. A trader has a weighing balance that shows 1300 g for 1 kg. He further marks up his cost price by 15%. The net profit percentage is:
Options:
a) 48.5%
b) 49.5%
c) 50%
d) 45%
View Solution
Let cost price be ₹100 per kg.
The trader marks up by 15%, so SP per kg = ₹115.
But he gives 1300 g instead of 1000 g, so actual CP of 1300 g = (100/1000) × 1300 = ₹130.
Profit % = ((Selling price – Cost price) / Cost price) × 100
= 49.5%
Answer: (b) 49.5%
3. A dishonest merchant sells goods at a 12.5% loss but uses 28 g instead of 36 g. What is his percentage of profit or loss?
Options:
a) 6.25% loss
b) 12.5% gain
c) 18.75% gain
d) 10.5% loss
View Solution
Real price per 36 g = ₹100
Loss = 12.5%, so Selling price for 36 g = ₹87.5
Since he gives only 28 g, the price per 28 g = (87.5/36) × 28
Actual CP of 28 g = (100/36) × 28 = ₹77.78
Profit % = ((87.5 – 77.78) / 77.78) × 100
= 12.5% gain
Answer: (b) 12.5% gain
4. A dishonest shopkeeper sells sugar at ₹30/kg which he bought at ₹24/kg, and he gives 750 gm instead of 1000 gm. Find his actual profit percentage.
Options:
a) 40%
b) 50%
c) 60%
d) 70%
View Solution
Profit on price = (30 – 24) / 24 × 100 = 25%
Since he gives only 750 g, actual weight profit = 1000/750 = 4/3 times
Total profit = (1 + 0.25) × (4/3) – 1
= 50%
Answer: (b) 50%
5. A dishonest milkman professes to sell his milk at cost price but mixes it with water and thereby gains 25%. The percentage of water in the mixture is:
Options:
a) 4%
b) 25%
c) 20%
d) 25%
View Solution
If cost price of 1 L pure milk = ₹100, then Selling price = ₹125.
Let x be the amount of pure milk in 1L of mixture.
Since water is free, price per liter = 100x = 125
=> x = 0.8, so milk is 80% and water is 20%.
Answer: (c) 20%
6. A seller uses faulty weight in place of a 2kg weight and earns a 25% profit. How much error is there in the 2 kg weight to gain 25%?
Options:
a) 250g
b) 400g
c) 500g
d) 300g
View Solution
Let the actual weight used be x kg.
Since he gains 25%, price for x kg = 2 kg price.
So, x = 2 / 1.25 = 1.6 kg
Error = 2 – 1.6 = 0.4 kg = 400 g
Answer: (b) 400g
7. A vegetable seller sells potatoes at ₹22/kg but gives 850 g instead of 1 kg while selling. What is the actual percentage profit earned by the seller?
Options:
a) 30.45%
b) 42.79%
c) 45.29%
d) 43.79%
View Solution
Cost price of 1 kg = ₹18, Selling price = ₹22
Since he gives 850 g, price for actual 850 g = 22 × 1000 / 850 = 25.88
Profit % = ((25.88 – 18) / 18) × 100
= 43.79%
Answer: (d) 43.79%
8. A dishonest milkman professes to sell his milk at cost price but mixes it with water and thereby gains 20%. The percentage of water in the mixture is …….
Options:
a) 16%
b) 25%
c) 20%
d) 18%
View Solution
Let the cost price of 1L milk = ₹100, then selling price = ₹120
If pure milk is x, then 100x = 120
=> x = 5/6, so milk = 5/6 (≈ 83.33%) and water = 16.67%
Answer: (a) 16%
9. A dishonest shopkeeper cheats at time of buying and selling the products. He weighs 20% more while buying and 10% less while selling. What is his total profit?
Options:
a) 33.33%
b) 25%
c) 66.66%
d) 50%
View Solution
If he buys 120 units and sells only 90 units,
Total profit = (120/90 – 1) × 100
= 33.33%
Answer: (a) 33.33%
10. A shopkeeper cheats 10% while buying and selling. What is his total gain in percentage?
Options:
a) 21.05%
b) 24.24%
c) 22.22%
d) 23.23%
View Solution
Profit per transaction = (10 / (100 – 10)) × 100 = 11.11%
Total profit % = (11.11 + 11.11 + (11.11 × 11.11) / 100)
= 23.23%
Answer: (d) 23.23%
