Test Codes: S1A (Multiple-choice Type) and

S1B (Short Answer Type) 2007

Questions will be set on the following and related topics.

Algebra: Sets, operations on sets. Prime numbers, factorization of integers

and divisibility. Rational and irrational numbers. Permutations and
combinations. Binomial theorem. Logarithms. Theory of quadratic
equations. Polynomials and remainder theorem. Arithmetic and geo-
metric progressions. Inequalities involving AM, GM, and HM. Com-
plex numbers.

Geometry: Plane geometry of class X level. Geometry of 2 dimensions

with Cartesian and polar coordinates. Concept of a locus. Equation
of a line, angle between two lines, distance from a point to a line. Area
of a triangle. Equations of circle, parabola, ellipse and hyperbola and
equations of their tangents and normals. Mensuration.

Trigonometry: Measures of angles. Trigonometric and inverse trigono-

metric functions. Trigonometric identities including addition formulæ,
solutions of trigonometric equations. Properties of triangles. Heights
and distances.

Calculus: Functions, one-one functions, onto functions. Limits and conti-

nuity. Derivatives and methods of differentiation. Slope of a curve.
Tangents and normals. Maxima and minima. Curve-tracing using cal-
culus. Methods of integration, definite and indefinite integrals, evalu-
ation of area using integrals.

Logical Reasoning: Consistency of statements.

Note. The actual selection paper will have about 30 questions in S1A and
about 10 questions in S1B. A candidate may answer as many as possible.

Sample Questions for S1A

1. For a given real number α > 0, define a n = (1α + 2α + · · · + nα )n and

bn = nn (n!)α for n = 1, 2, .... Then
(A) an < bn for all n > 1,
(B) there exists an integer n > 1 such that a n < bn ,
(C) an > bn for all n > 1,
(D) there exist integers n and m both larger than one such that a n >
bn and am < bm .

1
2. The last digit of (2137)754 is

(A) 1, (B) 3, (C) 7, (D) 9.

3. The sum of all distinct four digit numbers that can be formed using
the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each digit appearing at most once, is

(A) 399900, (B) 399960, (C) 390000, (D) 360000.

4. If n is a positive integer such that 8n + 1 is a perfect square, then

(A) n must be odd,
(B) n cannot be a perfect square,
(C) n must be a prime number,
(D) 2n cannot be a perfect square.

5. The coefficient of a3 b4 c5 in the expansion of (bc + ca + ab)6 is

   
12! 6 6
(A) , (B) 3!, (C) 33, (D) 3 .
3!4!5! 3 3

6. If log10 x = 10log100 4 then x equals

(A) 410 , (B) 100, (C) log 10 4, (D) none of the above.

7. Let C denote the set of all complex numbers. Define A and B by

A = {(z, w) : z, w ∈ C and |z| = |w|},

B = {(z, w) : z, w ∈ C and z 2 = w2 }.

Then

(A) A = B, (B) A ⊆ B and A 6= B,

(C) B ⊆ A and B 6= A, (D) none of the above.

8. Consider the two arithmetic progressions 3, 7, 11, . . . , 407 and 2, 9, 16,

. . . , 709. The number of common terms of these two progressions is

(A) 0, (B) 7, (C) 14, (D) 15.

9. If positive numbers a, b, c, d are such that 1/a, 1/b, 1/c, 1/d are in arith-
metic progression then we always have

(A) a + d ≥ b + c, (B) a + b ≥ c + d,
(C) a + c ≥ b + d, (D) none of the above.

2
10. The set of all real numbers x satisfying the inequality x 3 (x+1)(x−2) ≥
0 is

(A) the interval [2, ∞), (B) the interval [0, ∞),
(C) the interval [−1, ∞), (D) none of the above.

11. z 1 , z2 are two complex numbers with z2 6= 0 and z1 6= z2 and satisfying

 z1 + z 2  z1
 
 z1 − z2  = 1. Then z2 is
(A) real and negative,
(B) real and positive,
(C) purely imaginary,
(D) none of the above need to be true always.

12. Let A be the fixed point (0, 4) and B be a moving point (2t, 0). Let
M be the mid-point of AB and let the perpendicular bisector of AB
meet the y-axis at R. The locus of the mid-point P of M R is

(A) y + x2 = 2, (B) x2 + (y − 2)2 = 1/4,

(C) (y − 2)2 − x2 = 1/4, (D) none of the above.

13. A circle of radius a, with both the coordinates of its centre positive,
touches the x-axis and the straight line 3y = 4x. Then its equation is
(A) x2 + y 2 − 2ax − 2ay + a2 = 0,
(B) x2 + y 2 − 6ax − 4ay + 12a2 = 0,
(C) x2 + y 2 − 4ax − 2ay + 4a2 = 0,
(D) x2 + y 2 − 2ax − 6ay + a2 = 0.

14. In a triangle ABC, the medians AM and CN to the sides BC and AB

respectively, intersect at the point O. Let P be the mid point of AC
and let M P intersect CN at Q. If the area of the triangle OM Q is s
square units, the area of ABC is

(A) 16s, (B) 18s, (C) 21s, (D) 24s.

15. The set of all solutions of the equation cos 2θ = sin θ +cos θ is given by
(A) θ = 0,
(B) θ = nπ + π2 , where n is any integer,
(C) θ = 2nπ or θ = 2nπ − π2 or θ = nπ − π4 , where n is any integer,
(D) θ = 2nπ or θ = nπ + π4 , where n is any integer.

3
16. The sides of a triangle are given to be x 2 + x + 1, 2x + 1 and x2 − 1.
Then the largest of the three angles of the triangle is
 
◦ x
(A) 75 , (B) π radians, (C) 120◦ , (D) 135◦ .
x+1

17. Two poles, AB of length two metres and CD of length twenty metres
are erected vertically with bases at B and D. The two poles are at a
distance not less than twenty metres. It is observed that tan ∠ACB =
2/77. The distance between the two poles is

(A) 72m, (B) 68m, (C) 24m, (D) 24.27m.

18. If A, B, C are the angles of a triangle and sin 2 A + sin2 B = sin2 C,

then C is equal to

(A) 30◦ , (B) 90◦ , (C) 45◦ , (D) none of the above.
 
1
19. In the interval (−2π, 0), the function f (x) = sin
x3
(A) never changes sign,
(B) changes sign only once,
(C) changes sign more than once, but finitely many times,
(D) changes sign infinitely many times.
(ex − 1) tan2 x
20. lim
x→0 x3

(A) does not exist, (B) exists and equals 0,

(C) exists and equals 2/3, (D) exists and equals 1.

21. Let f1 (x) = ex , f2 (x) = ef1 (x) and generally fn+1 (x) = efn (x) for all
d
n ≥ 1. For any fixed n, the value of fn (x) is equal to
dx

(A) fn (x), (B) fn (x)fn−1 (x),

(C) fn (x)fn−1 (x) · · · f1 (x), (D) fn+1 (x)fn (x) · · · f1 (x)ex .

22. If the function

 2
 x − 2x + A

if x 6= 0
f (x) = sin x


B if x=0

is continuous at x = 0, then

4
 (A) A = 0, B = 0, (B) A = 0, B = −2,
(C) A = 1, B = 1, (D) A = 1, B = 0.

23. A truck is to be driven 300 kilometres (kms.) on a highway at a

constant speed of x kms. per hour. Speed rules of the highway require
that 30 ≤ x ≤ 60. The fuel costs ten rupees per litre and is consumed
at the rate 2 + (x2 /600) litres per hour. The wages of the driver are
200 rupees per hour. The most economical speed (in kms. per hour)
to drive the truck is
√ √
(A) 30, (B) 60, (C) 30 3.3, (D) 20 33

24. A right circular cone is cut from a solid sphere of radius a, the vertex
and the circumference of the base being on the surface of the sphere.
The height of the cone, when its volume is maximum, is

4a 3a 6a
(A) , (B) , (C) a, (D) .
3 2 5

x2
25. Let f be the function f (x) = cos x − 1 + . Then
2
(A) f (x) is an increasing function on the real line,
(B) f (x) is a decreasing function on the real line,
(C) f (x) is an increasing function on the interval (−∞, 0] and decreas-
ing on the interval [0, ∞),
(D) f (x) is a decreasing function on the interval (−∞, 0] and increas-
ing on the interval [0, ∞).

26. The area of the region bounded by the straight lines x = 21 and x = 2,
and the curves given by the equations y = log e x and y = 2x is
1 √ 5 3
(A) (4 + 2) − loge 2 + ,
loge 2 2 2
1 √ 5
(B) (4 − 2) − loge 2,
loge 2 2
1 √ 5 3
(C) (4 − 2) − loge 2 + ,
loge 2 2 2
(D) none of the above.
Z 1 t Z a
e e−t
27. If b = dt then dt is
0 t+1 a−1 t − a − 1

(A) bea , (B) be−a , (C) −be−a , (D) −bea .

5
28. Let P, Q, R and S be four statements such that if P is true then Q is
true, if Q is true then R is true and if S is true then at least one of Q
and R is false. It then follows that
(A) if S is false then both Q and R are true,
(B) if at least one of Q and R is true then S is false,
(C) if P is true then S is false,
(D) if Q is true then S is true.

29. Given that the real numbers a ≥ 0, b ≥ 0, c ≥ 0 are such that a+b+c =
4 and (a + b)(b + c)(c + a) = 24, which of the following statements is
true?
(A) More information is needed to find the values of a, b and c,
(B) Even when a is given to be 1, more information is needed to find
the values of b and c,
(C) The system of two equations is inconsistent,
(D) By suitably fixing the values of a and b, the value of c can be
determined.
2 2
30. The number
 π of roots of the equation x + sin x = 1 in the closed
interval 0, 2 is

(A) 0, (B) 1, (C) 2, (D) 3.

31. The smallest positive integer n with 24 divisors, where 1 and n are also
considered as divisors of n, is equal to

(A) 240, (B) 360, (C) 420, (D) 480.

32. Let a1 , a2 , . . . be a sequence of real numbers such that lim n→∞ an = ∞.

For any real number x define an integer valued function f (x) as the
smallest positive integer n for which a n ≥ x. Then for any integer
n ≥ 1 and any real number x,

(A) f (an ) ≤ n and af (x) ≥ x, (B) f (an ) ≤ n and af (x) ≤ x,

(C) f (an ) ≥ n and af (x) ≥ x, (D) f (an ) ≥ n and af (x) ≤ x.

33. The number of maps f from the set {1, 2, 3} into the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
such that f (i) ≤ f (j) whenever i < j is

(A) 60, (B) 50, (C) 35, (D) 30.

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34. The number of distinct solutions (x, y) of the system of equations

x2 = y 2 , and (x − a)2 + y 2 = 1

where a is any real number, can only be

(A) 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, (B) 0, 1 or 3,
(C) 0, 1, 2 or 4, (D) 0, 2, 3 or 4.

35. The set of values of m for which mx 2 − 6mx + 5m + 1 > 0 for all real
x is

(A) m < 41 , (B) m > 0, (C) 0 ≤ m ≤ 41 , (D) none of the above.

36. A lantern is placed on the ground 100 feet away from a wall. A man six
feet tall is walking at a speed of 10 feet/second from the lantern to the
nearest point on the wall. When he is midway between the lantern and
the wall, the rate of change (in ft./sec.) in the length of his shadow is

(A) 2.4, (B) 3, (C) 3.6, (D) 12.

37. The locus of the foot of the perpendicular from any focus upon any
tangent to the ellipse x2 /a2 + y 2 /b2 = 1 is

(A) x2 /b2 + y 2 /a2 = 1, (B) x2 + y 2 = a2 + b2 ,

(C) x2 + y 2 = a2 (D) none of the foregoing curves.

38. An isosceles triangle with base 6 cms. and base angles 30 ◦ each is
inscribed in a circle. A second circle touches the first circle and also
touches the base of the triangle at its midpoint. If the second circle is
situated outside the triangle, then its radius (in cms.) is
√ √ √ √
(A) 3 3/2, (B) 3/2, (C) 3, (D) 4/ 3.

Z 2
39. The set of values of a for which the integral (|x − a| − |x − 1|) dx is
0
nonnegative, is

(A) all numbers a ≥ 1, (B) all real numbers,

(C) all numbers a with 0 ≤ a ≤ 2, (D) all numbers a ≤ 1.

7
40. The digit in the unit’s place of the number 1! + 2! + 3! + · · · + 99! is

(A) 0, (B) 1, (C) 3, (D) 7.

12 + 2 2 + · · · + n 2
41. Let α = lim ,
n→∞ n3
(13 − 12 ) + (23 − 22 ) + · · · + (n3 − n2 )
β = lim . Then
n→∞ n4

(A) α = β, (B) α < β, (C) 4α = 3β, (D) 3α = 4β.

42. Consider the statement: x(α − x) < y(α − y) for all x, y with 0 < x <
y < 1. The statement is true

(A) if and only if α ≥ 2, (B) if and only if α < 2,

(C) if and only if α < −1, (D) for no value of α.

1000n
43. If an = , for n = 1, 2, 3, . . ., then the sequence {a n }
n!
(A) does not have a maximum,
(B) attains maximum at exactly one value of n,
(C) attains maximum at exactly two values of n,
(D) attains maximum for infinitely many values of n.

44. Let S = {1, 2, . . . , n}. The number of possible pairs of the form (A, B)
with A ⊆ B for subsets A and B of S is
n  
X 
n n
(A) 2n , (B) 3n , (C) , (D) n!.
k n−k
k=0

45. Consider three boxes, each containing 10 balls labelled 1, 2, . . . , 10.

Suppose one ball is drawn from each of the boxes. Denote by n i , the
label of the ball drawn from the i-th box, i = 1, 2, 3. Then the number
of ways in which the balls can be chosen such that n 1 < n2 < n3 is

(A) 120, (B) 130, (C) 150, (D) 160.

46. The maximum of the areas of the isosceles triangles with base on the
positive x-axis and which lie below the curve y = e −x is:

(A) 1/e, (B) 1, (C) 1/2, (D) e.

8
 Sample Questions for S1B

1. How many natural numbers less than 10 8 are there, with sum of digits
equal to 7?

2. We say that a sequence {θn } of real numbers converges to λ if, for

every positive real number ε, there exists a positive integer m, such
that, for every n ≥ m, |θn − λ| ≤ ε. Using this definition, show that
the sequence { n1 } does not converge to 0.3.

3. Consider the function

log e (2 + x) − x2n sin x
f (x) = lim
n→∞ 1 + x2n
defined for x > 0. Is f (x) continuous at x = 1? Justify your answer.
Show that f (x) does not vanish anywhere in the interval 0 ≤ x ≤ π2 .
Indicate the points where f (x) changes sign.

4. Suppose all the three equations ax 2 − 2bx + c = 0, bx2 − 2cx + a = 0

and cx2 − 2ax + b = 0 have only positive roots. Show that a = b = c.

5. Show that
250
X
√ 1 √
2( 251 − 1) < √ < 2( 250).
k=1
k

6. Let θ1 , . . . , θ10 be any 10 values in the closed interval [0, π]. Show that
the product
 10
9
(1 + sin2 θ1 )(1 + cos2 θ1 ) · · · (1 + sin2 θ10 )(1 + cos2 θ10 ) ≤ .
4

What is the maximum value attainable by this product and at what

values of θ1 , . . . , θ10 is the maximum attained?

7. Find all positive integers x such that [x/5] − [x/7] = 1, where, for any
real number t, [t] is the greatest integer less than or equal to t.

8. Two intersecting circles are said to be orthogonal to each other if the

tangents to the two circles at any point of intersection are perpendicu-
lar to each other. Show that every circle through the points (2, 0) and
(−2, 0) is orthogonal to the circle x 2 + y 2 − 5x + 4 = 0.

9. Show that there is exactly one value of x which satisfies the equation

2 cos2 (x3 + x) = 2x + 2−x .

9
10. An oil-pipe has to connect the oil-well O and the factory F , between
which there is a river whose banks are parallel. The pipe must cross
the river perpendicular to the banks. Find the position and nature of
the shortest such pipe and justify your answer.

11. Let x = (x1 , . . . , xn ) and y = (y1 , . . . , yn ) where x1 , · · · , xn , y1 , · · · , yn

are real numbers. We write x > y if either x 1 > y1 or for some k,
with 1 ≤ k ≤ n − 1, we have x1 = y1 , . . . , xk = yk , but xk+1 > yk+1 .
Show that for u = (u1 , . . . , un ), v = (v1 , . . . , vn ), w = (w1 , . . . , wn ) and
z = (z1 , . . . , zn ), if u > v and w > z, then u + w > v + z.

12. For any positive integer n, let f (n) be the remainder obtained on
dividing n by 9. For example, f (263) = 2.

(a) Let n be a three-digit number and m be the sum of its digits.

Show that f (m) = f (n).
(b) Show that f (n1 n2 ) = f (f (n1 ) · f (n2 )) where n1 , n2 are any two
positive three-digit integers.

13. Suppose that the roots of x2 + px + q = 0 are rational numbers and

p, q are integers. Then show that the roots are integers.
T z+1
14. Sketch the set A B in the complex plane, where A = {z : | z−1 | ≤ 1},
B = {z : |z| − Re(z) ≤ 1} and Re(z) denote the real part of z.

15. Using Calculus, draw a rough sketch of the function

x+1
f (x) =
(x − 1)(x − 7)

as x ranges over all possible values for which the above formula for
f (x) is meaningful.

16. Let
P (x) = xn + an−1 xn−1 + an−2 xn−2 + · · · + a1 x + a0
be a polynomial with integer coefficients, such that P (0) and P (1) are
odd integers. Show that:

(a) P (x) does not have any even integer as root.

(b) P (x) does not have any odd integer as root.

17. Prove by induction or otherwise that for every integer n ≥ 0,

Z π/2
sin(2n + 1)x π
dx = .
0 sin x 2

10
18. Consider the parabola y 2 = 4x. Let P = (ξ, η) be any point inside the
parabola, i.e., η 2 < 4ξ, and let F be the focus of the parabola. Find
the point Q on the parabola such that F Q + QP is minimum. Also,
show that the normal at Q to the parabola bisects the angle ∠F QP .

19. Let N = {1, 2, . . . , n} be a set of elements called voters. Let C =

{S : S ⊆ N } be the set of all subsets of N . Members of C are called
coalitions. Let f be a function from C to {0, 1}. A coalition S ⊆ N
is said to be winning if f (S) = 1; it is said to be a losing coalition
if f (S) = 0. A pair hN, f i as above is called a voting game if the
following conditions hold.

(a) N is a winning coalition.

(b) The empty set ∅ is a losing coalition.
(c) If S is a winning coalition and S ⊆ S 0 , then S 0 is also winning.
(d) If both S and S 0 are winning coalitions, then S ∩ S 0 6= ∅, i.e., S
and S 0 have a common voter.

Show that the maximum number of winning coalitions of a voting game

is 2n−1 . Find a voting game for which the number of winning coalitions
is 2n−1 .

20. Suppose f is a real-valued differentiable function defined on [1, ∞) with

f (1) = 1. Suppose, moreover, that f satisfies f 0 (x) = 1/(x2 + f 2 (x)).
Show that f (x) ≤ 1 + π/4 for every x ≥ 1.

11
 Model Question Paper S1A

1. Let p, q and d be positive integers such that p > q. If p and q are

divided by d, the remainders are R and S respectively. If the products
pq and RS are divided by d, the remainders are r and s respectively.
Which of the following is always true?
(A) r > s (B) r < s
(C) r = s (D) r + s = d.

2. Let θ be a rational number, and an = sin(n!πθ), n = 1, 2, . . .. Then

lim an
n→∞

(A) equals 0 (B) equals 1

(C) equals 0 or 1 depending (D) may not exist for some
on the value of θ values of θ.

3. The roots of the equation x2 + bx + c = 0 are both real and greater

than 1. If s = b + c + 1, then

(A) s must be greater than 0

(B) s must be less than 0
(C) s must lie between −1 and +1
(D) none of the above is necessarily true.

4. Consider the sequence 1,2,2,3,3,3,4,4,4,4,. . . . Then the 5000 th term of

this sequence is
(A) 98 (B) 99 (C) 100 (D) 101.

dx d2 x d2 y
5. If = u, = v, then is
dy dy 2 dx2
v v v2 v2
(A) − (B) − (C) − (D) − .
u4 u3 u3 u
6. If p, q, r are positive real numbers such that pqr = 1, then the value of
1 1 1
−1
+ −1
+ is
1+p+q 1+q+r 1 + r + p−1

p+q+r
(A) 1 (B)
pq + qr + rp
p2 + q 2 + r 2
(C) (D) none of the above.
pq + qr + rp

12
 7. ABC is a right angled triangle with hypotenuse BC. Then

(A) the vertex A, the circumcentre, the centroid, and the orthocentre
of the triangle always lie on a straight line
(B) the vertex A, the circumcentre, and the centroid of the triangle
always lie on a straight line but the orthocentre of the triangle
need not be on the same straight line
(C) the vertex A, the circumcentre, and the orthocentre of the triangle
always lie on a straight line but the centroid need not be on the
same straight line
(D) the vertex A, the centroid, and the orthocentre of the triangle
always lie on a straight line but the circumcentre need not be on
the same straight line.

8. If the roots of the equation x3 + px2 + qx + r = 0 are α, β and γ, then

the equation whose roots are αβ, βγ and γα is
(A) x3 + qx2 + prx + r 2 = 0 (B) x3 − qx2 + pqx − r 2 = 0
(C) x3 − qx2 − pqx − r 2 = 0 (D) x3 − qx2 + prx − r 2 = 0.

9. If θ is a real root of the quadratic equation in Z

Z 2 + (a + iA)Z + (b + iB) = 0,

where a, b, A and B are real, A 6= 0, B 6= 0, then

(A) the equation has another real root distinct from θ
b B
(B) Z = + i is a complex root of the equation
θ θ
(C) Z = (a − θ) + iA is a complex root of the equation
(D) nothing can be said about the other root.

10. If cos−1 (5/x) + cos−1 (12/x) = π/2, then

(A) x = 13 or −13 (B) x = 13
(C) x = −13 (D) there is no real solution
for x.

13
11. Let ABCD be a unit square. Four points E, F , G and H are chosen on
the sides AB, BC, CD and DA respectively. The lengths of the sides
of the quadrilateral EF GH are α, β, γ and δ. Which of the following
is always true?
√
(A) 1 ≤ α2 + β 2 + γ 2 + δ 2 ≤ 2 2
√ √
(B) 2 2 ≤ α2 + β 2 + γ 2 + δ 2 ≤ 4 2
(C) 2 ≤ α2 + β 2 + γ 2 + δ 2 ≤ 4
√ √
(D) 2 ≤ α2 + β 2 + γ 2 + δ 2 ≤ 2 + 2.

12. In how many ways can three distinct numbers be chosen from the
set {1, 2, . . . , 2n} such that the numbers are in increasing arithmetic
progression?
       
n 1 2n n 2n
(A) (B) (C) 2 (D) .
3 2 3 2 2

Z 1 2
x3 ex + 1
13. The value of dx is
−1 1 + x2
π π
(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) (D) .
4 2

14. Let A = (−1, 0) and B = (2, 0) be two points on the X-axis. A point
M is moving in the plane in such a way that ∠M BA = 2∠M AB 6= 0.
Then the point M moves along
(A) a straight line (B) a parabola
(C) an ellipse (D) a hyperbola.

15. Suppose that f is a twice differentiable function satisfying f 00 (x) =

−f (x). Define two functions g(x) and h(x) by

g(x) = f 0 (x), h(x) = {f (x)}2 + {g(x)}2 .

If h(5) = 5, the value of h(10) is equal to

(A) 5 (B) 10 (C) 25 (D) 50.

14
16. Let m ≥ 2 be an integer. Suppose that T is the total number of
permutations of the integers 1, 2, . . . , 2m + 1, such that the numbers
1, 2, . . . , m − 1 always precede the number m, and the numbers m +
3, m + 4, . . . , 2m + 1 always succeed the number m. Then T equals
(A) 2(2m + 1)(m − 2)!(m + 1)! (B) 2(2m + 1)(m − 1)!m!
(C) 2(2m + 1){m!}2 (D) 2(2m + 1){(m − 1)!}2 .

17. Let
  
1 1
S= θ cos , θ sin : 0 < θ < ∞ , and C = {(x, y) : x2 +y 2 = 4}.
θ θ

Then the set S ∩ C contains

(A) no points
(B) exactly one point
(C) more than one but finitely many points
(D) infinitely many points.

18. Suppose that the function

 √
ax2 − 4 x + 1, if 0 < x < 1
g(x) =
bx + 5, if x ≥ 1.

is differentiable for all x > 0. Then

(A) a = 0, b = −2, (B) a = 6, b = 10
(C) a = −6, b = −14 (D) a is any real number
and b = 2a − 2.
19. Let a, b, c, d, e and f be distinct positive numbers such that a, b and c
are in arithmetic progression, d, e and f are in harmonic progression
and ad, be and cf are in geometric progression. Then
a b c a b c
(A) = = (B) = =
d e f f e d
(C) af = be = cd (D) none of the above is necessarily true.

20. If the tangent to the curve y = ex at the point x = x0 intersects the

X-axis at x = x1 , then x0 − x1 is equal to
(A) 1 (B) −1 (C) ex1 −x0 (D) ex0 −x1 .

15
21. Let S be the set

{(x, α) : x > 1, 0 ≤ α ≤ 2π and log x 5 + log5 x + 2 sin α ≤ 0}.

Then
(A) S is an empty set
(B) S contains only one element
(C) S contains more than one but finitely many elements
(D) S contains infinitely many elements.

22. Let S = {0, 1, 2, . . . , 25}, and

T = {n ∈ S : n2 + 3n + 2 is divisible by 6}.

Then the number of elements in the set T is

(A) 16 (B) 17 (C) 18 (D) 19.

23. Let C denote the set of all complex numbers and let a be a real number.
The number of points z in C satisfying

|z − i| = |z − 1 + i| = |z − a|

is
(A) equal to 0 (B) exactly equal to 1
(C) at most 1 (D) at least 1.
1 t
24. If x = t t−1 and y = t t−1 , t > 0, t 6= 1, the relation between x and y is
(A) y x = x1/y (B) x1/y = y 1/x (C) xy = y x (D) xy = y 1/x .

25. Let n be a positive integer. Define

f (x) = min{|x − 1|, |x − 2|, . . . , |x − n|}.

Z n+1
Then f (x)dx equals
0
(n + 4) (n + 3) (n + 2) (n + 2)
(A) (B) (C) (D) .
4 4 2 4
26. Let n be any odd integer greater than 1. Then the expression

1n + 2n + . . . + 2006n

is divisible by
(A) 2006 (B) 2007 (C) 2008 (D) none of the above.

16
27. Let n ≥ 1 be an integer. Define

fn (x) = xn+1 − xn + xn−1 , 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.

Then for every n ≥ 1

(A) fn is monotonically increasing
(B) fn is monotonically decreasing
(C) fn attains its maximum at exactly one point in [0, 1]
(D) fn attains its minimum at exactly one point in [0, 1].

28. Let n be a positive integer. Consider a square S of side 2n units.

Divide S into 4n2 unit squares by drawing 2n − 1 horizontal and 2n − 1
vertical lines one unit apart. A circle of diameter 2n − 1 is drawn with
its centre at the intersection of the two diagonals of the square S. How
many of these unit squares contain a portion of the circumference of
the circle?
(A) 4n − 2 (B) 4n (C) 8n − 4 (D) 8n − 2.

29. In the triangle ABC, the angle ∠BAC is a root of the equation
√
3 cos x + sin x = 1/2.

Then the triangle ABC is

(A) obtuse angled (B) right angled
(C) acute angled but not equilateral (D) equilateral.

30. If 0 < x < 1 and

n
x x2 x2
An = + + . . . + n+1 ,
1 − x2 1 − x4 1 − x2
then lim An is
n→∞
x 1 1 x
(A) (B) (C) (D) .
1−x 1−x 1+x 1+x

17
 Model Question Paper S1B

Note: Try to give complete answers showing clearly how the steps are ob-
tained. However, you will get some marks for partially correct answers.
All questions carry equal marks.

1. If the normal to the curve x2/3 + y 2/3 = a2/3 at some point makes an
angle θ with the X-axis, show that the equation of the normal is

y cos θ − x sin θ = a cos 2θ.

2. Suppose that a is an irrational number.

(a) If there is a real number b such that both (a+b) and ab are rational
numbers, show that a is a quadratic surd. (a is a quadratic surd
√ √
if it is of the form r + s or r − s for some rationals r and s,
where s is not the square of a rational number).
(b) Show that there are two real numbers b 1 and b2 such that
i. a + b1 is rational but ab1 is irrational.
ii. a + b2 is irrational but ab2 is rational.
(Hint: Consider the two cases, where a is a quadratic surd
and a is not a quadratic surd, separately).

3. For any integer n greater than 1, show that 4 n + n4 is never a prime

number.

4. In the figure below, E is the midpoint of the arc ABEC and the
segment ED is perpendicular to the chord BC at D. If the length of
the chord AB is l1 , and that of the segment BD is l2 , determine the
length of DC in terms of l1 and l2 .

C
B
D

Figure 1: Diagram of circle in Question 4

18
 5. Let A, B, and C be three points on a circle of radius 1.

(a) Show that the area of the triangle ABC equals

1
(sin(2∠ABC) + sin(2∠BCA) + sin(2∠CAB)) .
2

(b) Suppose that the magnitude of ∠ABC is fixed. Then show that
the area of the triangle ABC is maximized when ∠BCA = ∠CAB.
(c) Hence or otherwise show that the area of the triangle ABC is
maximum when the triangle is equilateral.

6. (a) Let f (x) = x − xe−1/x , x > 0. Show that f (x) is an increasing

function on (0, ∞), and limx→∞ f (x) = 1.
(b) Using part (a) and calculus, sketch the graphs of y = x−1, y = x,
y = x + 1, and y = xe−1/|x| for −∞ < x < ∞ using the same X
and Y axes.

7. For any integer n greater than 1, show that

 
n 2n 2n
2 < < n−1 .
n Y i
(1 − )
n
i=0

8. Show that there exists a positive real number x 6= 2 such that log 2 x =
x
2 . Hence obtain the set of real numbers c such that

log2 x
=c
x
has only one real solution.

9. Find a four digit number M such that the number N = 4 × M has the
following properties:

(a) N is also a four digit number, and

(b) N has the same digits as in M but in the reverse order.

10. Consider a function f on nonnegative integers such that f (0) = 1,

f (1) = 0 and f (n) + f (n − 1) = nf (n − 1) + (n − 1)f (n − 2) for n ≥ 2.
Show that
n
f (n) X (−1)k
= .
n! k!
k=0

19