During a clearance sale, a shop offered a storewide discount of 25% on all items. Priya used her loyalty card and received an additional 20% discount on the already discounted price. She paid $480 for a designer handbag.
- What was the original price of the handbag?
- What was the total amount of discount she received?
Need a hint?
Work out what percentage of the original price Priya actually paid after both discounts. Remember the second discount is on the reduced price, not the original price.
Worked answer
- (a) After the 25% discount, Priya pays 75% of the original price.
- (a) The 20% discount is on that price, so she pays 80% of 75% = 60% of the original price.
- (a) 60% of the original price = $480, so 1% = $480 ÷ 60 = $8.
- (a) Original price = $8 × 100 = $800.
- (b) Total discount = $800 − $480 = $320.
The mistake this question tests
Percentage of a new total
Adding the two discount percentages (25% + 20% = 45%) and finding 45% of $480, which gives $216. This ignores that the second discount applies to the reduced price, not the original price.
How to fix it at home →More PSLE percentage questions
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See the answer →Practise PSLE percentage until the mistakes stop.
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