An automobiles owner reduced his monthly petrol consumption when the prices went up. The price-consumption relationship is as follows: Price (in Rs per liter) 40 50 60 75 Monthly consumption (in liter) 60 48 40 32 If the price goes up to Rs 80 per litre, his expected consumption (in litres) will be:

Q 329 / 370

UPSC CSE Prelims 2015

An automobiles owner reduced his monthly petrol consumption when the prices went up. The price-consumption relationship is as follows:

Price (in Rs per liter)	40	50	60	75
Monthly consumption (in liter)	60	48	40	32

If the price goes up to Rs 80 per litre, his expected consumption (in litres) will be:

EXPLANATION

Correct Option

The provided data illustrates a consistent relationship between the price of petrol and its monthly consumption. By calculating the product of price and consumption for each given data point, the monthly expenditure can be determined:

Rs 40/litre × 60 litres = Rs 2400
Rs 50/litre × 48 litres = Rs 2400
Rs 60/litre × 40 litres = Rs 2400
Rs 75/litre × 32 litres = Rs 2400

This analysis indicates that the automobile owner maintains a constant monthly expenditure of Rs 2400 on petrol. To calculate the expected consumption when the price increases to Rs 80 per litre, the fixed expenditure is divided by the new price:

Expected consumption = Total expenditure / New price

Expected consumption = 2400 / 80 = 30 litres.

Incorrect Options

Options 2 (28 litres), 3 (26 litres), and 4 (24 litres) are incorrect because they do not conform to the established pattern of constant monthly expenditure. Any consumption value other than 30 litres at a price of Rs 80 per litre would contradict the observed price-consumption relationship derived from the given data.