Sequence and SeriesMCQPYQ Nov. 20Question 1759 of 213
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The $20^{th}$ term of arithmetic progression whose $6^{th}$ term is $38$ and $10^{th}$ term is $66$ is:

Select Your Answer (Keyboard: A, B, C, D)
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Correct Answer

✅ Option b — $136$

All Options:

  • A$118$
  • B$136$
  • C$178$
  • D$210$

Detailed Solution & Explanation

Let the first term of the A.P. be a\displaystyle a and the common difference be d\displaystyle d.
We are given:
1) 6th\displaystyle 6^{th\displaystyle \text{th}} term: t6=a+5d=38\displaystyle t_6 = a + 5d = 38
2) $10^{th\displaystyle \text{th}}term:\displaystyle term:t_{10} = a + 9d = 66<br><br>Subtractingthefirstequationfromthesecond:<br><spanclass="katex−display"><spanclass="katex"><spanclass="katex−mathml"><mathxmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"display="block"><semantics><mrow><mostretchy="false">(</mo><mi>a</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>9</mn><mi>d</mi><mostretchy="false">)</mo><mo>−</mo><mostretchy="false">(</mo><mi>a</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>5</mn><mi>d</mi><mostretchy="false">)</mo><mo>=</mo><mn>66</mn><mo>−</mo><mn>38</mn></mrow><annotationencoding="application/x−tex">(a+9d)−(a+5d)=66−38</annotation></semantics></math></span><spanclass="katex−html"aria−hidden="true"><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:1em;vertical−align:−0.25em;"></span><spanclass="mopen">(</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal">a</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">+</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span></span><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:1em;vertical−align:−0.25em;"></span><spanclass="mord">9</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal">d</span><spanclass="mclose">)</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">−</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span></span><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:1em;vertical−align:−0.25em;"></span><spanclass="mopen">(</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal">a</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">+</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span></span><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:1em;vertical−align:−0.25em;"></span><spanclass="mord">5</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal">d</span><spanclass="mclose">)</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mrel">=</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span></span><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:0.7278em;vertical−align:−0.0833em;"></span><spanclass="mord">66</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">−</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span></span><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:0.6444em;"></span><spanclass="mord">38</span></span></span></span></span><br><spanclass="katex−display"><spanclass="katex"><spanclass="katex−mathml"><mathxmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"display="block"><semantics><mrow><mn>4</mn><mi>d</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>28</mn><mtext>  </mtext><mo>⟹</mo><mtext>  </mtext><mi>d</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>7</mn></mrow><annotationencoding="application/x−tex">4d=28  ⟹  d=7</annotation></semantics></math></span><spanclass="katex−html"aria−hidden="true"><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:0.6944em;"></span><spanclass="mord">4</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal">d</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mrel">=</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span></span><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:0.6684em;vertical−align:−0.024em;"></span><spanclass="mord">28</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mrel">⟹</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span></span><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:0.6944em;"></span><spanclass="mordmathnormal">d</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mrel">=</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span></span><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:0.6444em;"></span><spanclass="mord">7</span></span></span></span></span><br><br>Substitute\displaystyle <br><br>Subtracting the first equation from the second:<br><span class="katex-display"><span class="katex"><span class="katex-mathml"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="block"><semantics><mrow><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mi>a</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>9</mn><mi>d</mi><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>−</mo><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mi>a</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>5</mn><mi>d</mi><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>=</mo><mn>66</mn><mo>−</mo><mn>38</mn></mrow><annotation encoding="application/x-tex">(a + 9d) - (a + 5d) = 66 - 38</annotation></semantics></math></span><span class="katex-html" aria-hidden="true"><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1em;vertical-align:-0.25em;"></span><span class="mopen">(</span><span class="mord mathnormal">a</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span><span class="mbin">+</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1em;vertical-align:-0.25em;"></span><span class="mord">9</span><span class="mord mathnormal">d</span><span class="mclose">)</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span><span class="mbin">−</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1em;vertical-align:-0.25em;"></span><span class="mopen">(</span><span class="mord mathnormal">a</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span><span class="mbin">+</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1em;vertical-align:-0.25em;"></span><span class="mord">5</span><span class="mord mathnormal">d</span><span class="mclose">)</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.7278em;vertical-align:-0.0833em;"></span><span class="mord">66</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span><span class="mbin">−</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6444em;"></span><span class="mord">38</span></span></span></span></span><br><span class="katex-display"><span class="katex"><span class="katex-mathml"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="block"><semantics><mrow><mn>4</mn><mi>d</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>28</mn><mtext>  </mtext><mo>⟹</mo><mtext>  </mtext><mi>d</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>7</mn></mrow><annotation encoding="application/x-tex">4d = 28 \implies d = 7</annotation></semantics></math></span><span class="katex-html" aria-hidden="true"><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6944em;"></span><span class="mord">4</span><span class="mord mathnormal">d</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6684em;vertical-align:-0.024em;"></span><span class="mord">28</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">⟹</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6944em;"></span><span class="mord mathnormal">d</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6444em;"></span><span class="mord">7</span></span></span></span></span><br><br>Substituted = 7\displaystyle back into the first equation:<br><span class="katex-display"><span class="katex"><span class="katex-mathml"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="block"><semantics><mrow><mi>a</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>5</mn><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mn>7</mn><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>=</mo><mn>38</mn><mtext>  </mtext><mo>⟹</mo><mtext>  </mtext><mi>a</mi><mo>+</mo><mn>35</mn><mo>=</mo><mn>38</mn><mtext>  </mtext><mo>⟹</mo><mtext>  </mtext><mi>a</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>3</mn></mrow><annotation encoding="application/x-tex">a + 5(7) = 38 \implies a + 35 = 38 \implies a = 3</annotation></semantics></math></span><span class="katex-html" aria-hidden="true"><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6667em;vertical-align:-0.0833em;"></span><span class="mord mathnormal">a</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span><span class="mbin">+</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1em;vertical-align:-0.25em;"></span><span class="mord">5</span><span class="mopen">(</span><span class="mord">7</span><span class="mclose">)</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6684em;vertical-align:-0.024em;"></span><span class="mord">38</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">⟹</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6667em;vertical-align:-0.0833em;"></span><span class="mord mathnormal">a</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span><span class="mbin">+</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6444em;"></span><span class="mord">35</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6684em;vertical-align:-0.024em;"></span><span class="mord">38</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">⟹</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.4306em;"></span><span class="mord mathnormal">a</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6444em;"></span><span class="mord">3</span></span></span></span></span><br><br>Now, find the &#36;20^{th\displaystyle \text{th}} term (t20\displaystyle t_{20}):
t20=a+19dt_{20} = a + 19d
t20=3+19(7)t_{20} = 3 + 19(7)
t20=3+133=136t_{20} = 3 + 133 = 136
Hence, **Option B** is the correct answer.

About This Chapter: Sequence and Series

Paper

Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude

Weightage

4-6 Marks

Key Topics

Arithmetic & Geometric Progressions

This chapter covers Arithmetic Progressions (AP) and Geometric Progressions (GP). Students learn how to find the nth term, sum of n terms, arithmetic/geometric means, and sum to infinity of a GP.

View Official ICAI Syllabus

Exam Strategy Tip

For complex 'sum of series' questions, a great hack is to substitute n = 1 and n = 2 into the question and the options to see which one matches, completely bypassing the formula.

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