A fruit seller had some bananas. He sells 45 percent bananas and still has 550 bananas left. How many bananas did he originally have?

Appeared in: DSSSB - 29 August 2019 (Shift-2)

Explanation

If 45% of the bananas were sold, the remaining percentage is 100% - 45% = 55%.
The problem states that these remaining 55% of bananas equal 550.
To find the original total (100%), we can set up the equation: 0.55 × Total = 550.
Solving for the total gives: Total = 550 / 0.55, which equals 1000.

Option A: If the original number was 1100, 55% remaining would be 0.55 × 1100 = 605 bananas, not 550.
Option B: If the original number was 800, 55% remaining would be 0.55 × 800 = 440 bananas, not 550.
Option D: If the original number was 900, 55% remaining would be 0.55 × 900 = 495 bananas, not 550.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Solving percentage-based word problems as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Percentage calculations are fundamental in nursing for tasks like calculating medication dosages, interpreting lab value changes, and determining nutritional intake.
For example, a nurse might need to calculate the remaining volume in an IV bag after a certain percentage has been infused.
What if? If the seller had sold 55% and had 450 bananas left, the original amount would be 450 / (1 - 0.55) = 450 / 0.45 = 1000. The logic remains the same, but the numbers change.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the given information: the percentage of items sold (45%) and the number of items remaining (550).
Calculate the percentage of items remaining: Total Percentage (100%) - Percentage Sold (45%) = 55%.
Recognize that the number of remaining items (550) corresponds to the remaining percentage (55%).
Set up an equation to represent this relationship: 55% of Original Amount = 550, or 0.55 × X = 550.
Solve the equation for the original amount (X) by dividing the remaining number by the remaining percentage in decimal form: X = 550 / 0.55.
Calculate the final answer and check it against the given options.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Solving percentage-based word problems
Stem keywords: fruit seller, bananas, sells 45 percent, 550 bananas left, originally have
Lead-in keywords: How many
Negative lead-in flag: false

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Practise the full DSSSB - 29 August 2019 (Shift-2)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.