Jay and Vijay spent an equal amount of money to buy some pens and special pencils of the same quality from the same store. If Jay bought 3 pens and 5 pencils, and Vijay bought 2 pens and 7 pencils, then which one of the following is correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) The price of a pen is two times the price of a pencil
Both spent the same, so 3 pens + 5 pencils cost as much as 2 pens + 7 pencils. Cancelling the common items leaves 1 pen = 2 pencils.
- Equal spending: 3 pens + 5 pencils = 2 pens + 7 pencils.
- Remove 2 pens and 5 pencils from both sides: 1 pen = 2 pencils.
- So a pen costs twice as much as a pencil.
Remember · With equal totals, cancel what both sides share — the leftovers must balance.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·