Question

Five women decided to go shopping at a mall. They arrived at the designated meeting place in the following order: 1. Archana, 2. Chellamma, 3. Dhenuka, 4. Helen, and 5. Shahnaz. Each woman spent at least Rs. 1000. Below are some additional facts about how much they spent during their shopping spree. What is the difference of amount spent by the woman who spent the second highest amount and the amount spent by Helen?

• A. Rs. 1095
• B. Rs. 1041
• C. Rs. 201
• D. Rs. 283
• E. Rs. 894

Hint:

Once the assignment is complete, straightforward subtraction gives the answer.

Answer 1

Answer: (E)

Step 1: Recap from Q65:
We determined:
Chellamma (pos 2) = Rs. 1139
Shahnaz (pos 5) = Rs. 2517 (largest)
Dhenuka (pos 3) = Rs. 1193
Remaining amounts: 1340 and 2234 for Archana (pos 1) and Helen (pos 4).
Clue (v): Helen spent more than Dhenuka (1193). Both 1340 and 2234 are >1193, so both possible.
But clue (i): Woman with 2234 arrived before woman with 1193. Dhenuka has 1193 at pos 3. So 2234 must be with pos 1 (Archana) or pos 2 (Chellamma, but Chellamma has 1139) or pos 3 (Dhenuka, but Dhenuka has 1193). So 2234 must be with Archana (pos 1).
Thus, Archana = Rs. 2234, Helen = Rs. 1340.

Step 2: Ordering Amounts:
Amounts: Archana 2234, Chellamma 1139, Dhenuka 1193, Helen 1340, Shahnaz 2517.
Sorted: 1139, 1193, 1340, 2234, 2517.
Second highest = Rs. 2234 (Archana).
Helen's amount = Rs. 1340.
Difference = \(2234 - 1340 = 894\).