NECO 2001 Mathematics · Question 33

A bottle of malt costs three times as much as a bottle of Mirinda. If 5 bottles of malt and 4 bottles of…

Question

A bottle of malt costs three times as much as a bottle of Mirinda. If 5 bottles of malt and 4 bottles of Mirinda cost N380.00 altogether, how much does a bottle of malt cost?

A.N90.00
B.N80.000
C.N60.000
D.N40.000
E.N20.000

Answer: C. N60.000

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: Malt costs 3 times Mirinda. We know the total cost of 5 malts and 4 Mirindas is N380. We need the price of one malt. Concept: Use a variable for the cheaper item, express the other in terms of it, then form a linear equation. Solution: Let the cost of one Mirinda = x naira. Then one malt = 3x naira. 5 malts + 4 Mirindas = 380 5(3x) + 4(x) = 380 15x + 4x = 380 19x = 380 x = 20 So Mirinda = N20, and malt = 3 × 20 = N60. Check: 5 × 60 = 300, and 4 × 20 = 80. Then 300 + 80 = 380 ✓ Answer: The malt costs N60.00, which is option C. Tip: Always let the variable stand for the "base" item (the one others are compared to). Here, Mirinda is the base because malt is described as "three times" Mirinda. Also, always check by substituting back into the original statement. It takes 10 seconds and catches mistakes.

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