Question

Directions for Q125-129: The following set of questions is based on a decision-making situation described below. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Ram Kumar, an overworked executive in Delhi, has to decide on the travel plan for attending his friend's marriage in Ajmer, Rajasthan. He has barely managed to get leave from his boss, so he must make sure he reaches Ajmer at least on the day of the marriage. Since it had been a while since his last break, he also planned to visit a few tourist spots along the way to de-stress after a year of demanding work.

As per his plan, Ram would start from Delhi and first visit the Bharatpur bird sanctuary, staying at the forest guest house for some time. He would then travel to Jodhpur for a day or two of sightseeing, and from Jodhpur move to Jaipur to spend a few days visiting the city. After that he would travel on to Ajmer, where his friend's wedding would take place.

Leg 1, Delhi to Bharatpur (bus, taxi or train, all three taking 12 hours): the probability of reaching on time is 0.65 by bus, 0.75 by taxi and 0.9 by train.
Leg 2, Bharatpur to Jodhpur (train, bus or private taxi): the probability of reaching on time is 0.9 by train (12 hours), 0.8 by bus (16 hours) and 0.85 by taxi (14 hours).
Leg 3, Jodhpur to Jaipur (flight, train, bus or taxi): the probability of reaching on time is 0.85 by flight (2 hours), 0.9 by train (10 hours), 0.65 by bus (15 hours) and 0.7 by taxi (15 hours).
Leg 4, Jaipur to Ajmer (train, bus or taxi): the probability of reaching on time is 0.75 by train (4 hours), 0.55 by bus (5 hours) and 0.55 by taxi (5 hours).

Since both Jaipur and Jodhpur have airports, Ram could also fly directly from Delhi to either city, or use a flight partway along with a combination of land transport.

Q127. Ram's younger brother Shyam gets to know of Ram's travel plans and wants to come along. Unlike Ram, Shyam enjoys the scenery en route and wants Ram to maximise the total travel time. To do this, the itinerary Ram should decide on is:

I. Delhi to Bharatpur by train; Bharatpur to Jodhpur by bus; Jodhpur to Jaipur by bus; Jaipur to Ajmer by bus
II. Delhi to Bharatpur by bus; Bharatpur to Jodhpur by bus; Jodhpur to Jaipur by taxi; Jaipur to Ajmer by taxi
III. Delhi to Bharatpur by bus; Bharatpur to Jodhpur by bus; Jodhpur to Jaipur by bus; Jaipur to Ajmer by bus
IV. Delhi to Bharatpur by taxi; Bharatpur to Jodhpur by bus; Jodhpur to Jaipur by taxi; Jaipur to Ajmer by bus
V. Delhi to Bharatpur by taxi; Bharatpur to Jodhpur by taxi; Jodhpur to Jaipur by taxi; Jaipur to Ajmer by taxi

• A. I only
• B. I and II
• C. I, II and III
• D. I, II, III and IV

Hint:

Find the slowest mode available on each leg first, then check which of the five listed itineraries actually reach that maximum total; a leg that is not on its slowest mode drags the total down.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Work out the maximum possible total travel time.
Shyam wants the slowest, not the fastest, itinerary, so we need the slowest mode on each leg. From the passage:
Leg 1, Delhi to Bharatpur: bus, taxi and train all take 12 hours (tied).
Leg 2, Bharatpur to Jodhpur: bus is slowest at 16 hours (train 12 h, taxi 14 h).
Leg 3, Jodhpur to Jaipur: bus and taxi are tied slowest at 15 hours (flight 2 h, train 10 h).
Leg 4, Jaipur to Ajmer: bus and taxi are tied slowest at 5 hours (train 4 h).
So the maximum possible total is \( 12 + 16 + 15 + 5 = 48 \) hours.

Step 2: Total up each Roman numeral itinerary.
I: train (12) + bus (16) + bus (15) + bus (5) = 48 hours.
II: bus (12) + bus (16) + taxi (15) + taxi (5) = 48 hours.
III: bus (12) + bus (16) + bus (15) + bus (5) = 48 hours.
IV: taxi (12) + bus (16) + taxi (15) + bus (5) = 48 hours.
V: taxi (12) + taxi (14) + taxi (15) + taxi (5) = 46 hours.

Step 3: Pick out which itineraries actually hit the maximum.
Itineraries I, II, III and IV each use the slowest mode on leg 2 (bus, 16 hours) and either bus or taxi (both tied at 15 hours) on leg 3, and either bus or taxi (both tied at 5 hours) on leg 4, so all four reach the full 48 hour maximum. Itinerary V uses taxi on leg 2, which only takes 14 hours instead of bus's 16 hours, so it falls 2 hours short at 46 hours and is not among the slowest itineraries.

Final Answer:
Itineraries I, II, III and IV all give the maximum travel time of 48 hours, while V does not. \[ \boxed{\text{I, II, III and IV}} \]