Question

Onion is sold for 5 consecutive months at the rate of Rs 10, 20, 25, 25, and 50 per kg, respectively. A family spends a fixed amount of money on onion for each of the first three months, and then spends half that amount on onion for each of the next two months. The average expense for onion, in rupees per kg, for the family over these 5 months is closest to

• A. 18
• B. 26
• C. 16
• D. 20

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

18

Answer 2

Suppose the family allocates Rs. 100 per month for the initial three months, followed by Rs. 50 per month for the subsequent two months. This results in them purchasing 10, 5, 4, 2, and 1 kilograms of onions during the first five months, respectively. In total, they acquire 22 kilograms of onions. Their total expenditure over these five months amounts to Rs. 400. To find the average cost per kilogram, we calculate:

$Average \space Expense =\frac{ Total\space Expenditure }{Total \space Amount \space Bought }$

= Rs.$\frac{ 400 }{ 22}$ ≈ Rs. 18 per kilogram.

So the correct answer is option (A): 18.