A printer numbers the pages of a book starting with 1 and uses 3089 digits in all. How many pages does the book have?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1049
Pages 1 to 999 use 9 + 180 + 2700 = 2889 digits. The remaining 200 digits give 50 four-digit page numbers, 1000 to 1049.
- Pages 1–9: 9 digits; 10–99: 90 × 2 = 180; 100–999: 900 × 3 = 2700. Total 2889.
- Digits left = 3089 − 2889 = 200, and 200 ÷ 4 = 50 four-digit pages.
- These are pages 1000 to 1049, so the book has 1049 pages.
Remember · Use the digit blocks 9, 180, 2700; divide what remains by the next digit length.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·