EDUCATIVE COMMENTARY ON

JEE 2012 MATHEMATICS PAPERS

Contents
Paper 1 2
Paper 2 36
Concluding Remarks 60
The pattern of JEE 2012 is the same as that of the previous year. The
number of questions in Paper 1 has been reduced to a more reasonable 20 for each
subject in each of the two papers. Further, negative marking is restricted only to
those questions where only one of the alternatives is correct. Negative marking
for questions where more than one alternatives are correct often resulted in
a draconian penalty when a candidate could identify some but not all correct
answers. An even more welcome change is that the match the pairs types
of questions have been dropped. In the past such questions often articially
clubbed together several unrelated problems the only commonality being that
their numerical answers were the same.
As in the commentaries in the last few years, the questions in every sec-
tion in each paper are listed here in a random order except for those based on
paragraphs. Because of staggering of the questions so as to prepare dierent
versions of the same question paper (to curb copying), no particular order of
the questions is sacrosanct. As in the past, unless otherwise stated, all the ref-
erences made are to the authors book Educative JEE (Mathematics) published
by Universities Press, Hyderabad.
At the time of writing this commentary, the fate of the JEE is uncertain.
Despite sti opposition from certain corners, there is a move to abolish it to-
tally and base the admissions to all engineering institutes on a single common
examination. The real JEE was already put on the death bed when it was made
totally objective. If the proposal comes into eect, it will be totally dead and
so this year may also be the year of saying good bye!
2
PAPER 1
Contents
Section I (Single Correct Choice Type) 2
Section II (Multiple Correct Choice Type) 18
Section III (Integer Type)
SECTION I
Single Correct Choice Type
This section contains ten multiple choice questions. Each question has 4
choices out of which ONLY ONE is correct. A correct answer gets 3 points
and an incorrect one 1 point.
Q.1 If lim
x
_
x
2
+x + 1
x + 1
ax b
_
= 4, then
(A) a = 1, b = 4 (B) a = 1, b = 4 (C) a = 2, b = 3 (D) a = 2, b = 3
Answer and Comments: (B). The given function, say f(x) equals
f(x) =
(1 a)x
2
+ (1 a b)x + (1 b)
x + 1
(1)
which is a rational function of x, i.e. a ratio of two polynomials in x.
The behaviour of such a function as x depends on the degrees of
the numerator and the denominator, say p and q respectively. If p > q
the limit does not exist; if p < q the limit is 0 and when p = q the limit
exists and equals the ratio of the leading coecients of the numerator and
the denominator. In the present problem, the third possibility is given
to hold. So the numerator must be of degree 1 (which is the degree of
the denominator) and moreover the coecient of x in the numerator must
equal 4 times that of x in the denominator. This gives a simple system of
two equations in two unknowns, viz.,
1 a = 0 and 1 a b = 4 (2)
solving which we get a = 1 and b = 1 a 4 = 4.
This is a good problem, requiring very little computation once you get
the key idea. In working out the problem mentally, it is hardly necessary
to write down the steps (1) and (2) elaborately. Taking the expression
as it stands, we can split the numerator and write the ratio as
x
2
x + 1
+ 1
3
(a commonly adopted trick while nding antiderivatives of rational func-
tions). The second term is a constant and does not aect the niteness of
the limit. The rst factor, viz.
x
2
x + 1
is of the order of x as x and
the limit of the whole expression cannot be nite unless this troublesome
part is cancelled by some term which is also of the same order. This gives
a = 1 almost instinctively. And once a is determined, the equation for
b is obtained by equating the limit with 4. And this much can be easily
managed in a minute.
The essential idea in this problem is that of asymptotic estimation
(see Exercise (6.53). Instead of saying that
x
2
x + 1
is of the order of x as
x , we also say that asymptotically
x
2
x + 1
equals x.
Q.2 The point P is the intersection of the straight line joining the points
Q(2, 3, 5) and R(1, 1, 4) and the plane 5x4y z = 1. If S is the foot of
the perpendicular drawn from the point T(2, 1, 4) to QR, then the length
of the line segment PS is
(A)
1

2
(B)

2 (C) 2 (D) 2

2
Answer and Comments:(A). This is a straightforward problem asking
for the distance between two points P and S. Neither point is given
directly. Instead, it is dened by some property. So the rst task is to
determine these two points P and S. As both these points lie on the line
QR, we can write them parametrically, since we are given the point Q and
also the vector QR, viz.
Q = (2, 3, 5) and

QR=

i 4

k (1)
Therefore we have
P = (2 , 3 4, 5 ) (2)
and S = (2 , 3 4, 5 ) (3)
for some values of and . To determine we use the fact that P lies on
the plane 5x 4y z = 1. A direct substitution gives
10 5 12 + 16 5 + = 1 (4)
i.e. 12 7 = 1, which gives
=
2
3
(5)
and hence
P = (
4
3
,
1
3
,
13
3
) (6)
4
Determination of (and hence of the point S) requires slightly more work.
We are given that the line TS is perpendicular to the line QR. Hence the
vectors

TS and

QR are perpendicular to each other. The second vector

is already known to us as

i 4

k. The rst vector is given by

TS=

i + (2 4)

j + (1 )

k (7)
Taking dot product with

QR, we get
+ 16 8 + 1 = 0 (8)
i.e. 18 = 9 which gives
=
1
2
(9)
and hence
S = (
3
2
, 1,
9
2
) (10)
Having determined both P and S, a straightforward calculation now gives
PS =
_
(
4
3

3
2
)
2
+ (
1
3
1)
2
+ (
13
2

9
2
)
2
=
_
(
1
36
+
4
9
+
1
36
)
=
_
18
36
=
1

2
(11)
An intelligent candidate would notice that the distance PS could also
have been expressed from (2) and (3) as
PS = | |

1 + 16 + 1 = | |3

2 (12)
From (5) and (9), we have
| | = |
2
3

1
2
| =
1
6
(13)
Putting this into (12) we get PS =
1

2
with a lot less calculation than
before. The explanation is simple. The work done in calculating P and
S from the values of and respectively gets undone when we take the
dierences of the coordinates of P and S later.
So, there is some room to apply a little brain in this problem. Still,
it is a very routine computational problem in solid geometry. The time
saved by taking the short cut is not signicant as compared to the time
spent on the main body of the problem. The real advantage of the short
cut is that it reduces the chances of numerical mistakes.
5
Q.3 The integral
_
sec
2
x
(sec x + tanx)
9/2
dx equals (for some arbitrary constant
K)
(A)
1
(sec x + tan x)
11/2
_
1
11

1
7
(sec x + tan x)
2
_
+K
(B)
1
(sec x + tan x)
11/2
_
1
11

1
7
(sec x + tan x)
2
_
+K
(C)
1
(sec x + tan x)
11/2
_
1
11
+
1
7
(sec x + tan x)
2
_
+K
(D)
1
(sec x + tan x)
11/2
_
1
11
+
1
7
(sec x + tan x)
2
_
+K
Answer and Comments: (C). The expression sec
2
x dx in the integrand
makes it tempting to try the substitution t = tanx. In that case the
integral, say I, would become
I =
_
dt
(t +

1 +t
2
)
9/2
(1)
Rationalising the denominator would convert this to
I =
_
(
_
t
2
+ 1 t)
9/2
dt (2)
As the exponent is not an integer, we cannot expand the integrand (as
a nite sum) by the binomial theorem. So we have to abandon this line.
The given integrand involves a fractional power of a sum of two functions.
In such cases, the right substitution is often to replace the sum by a single
variable. Let us try this approach. So we let
u = sec x + tanx (3)
We now have
du = (sec xtan x + sec
2
x)dx = sec x udx (4)
and hence
sec xdx =
du
u
(5)
We are still left with a factor sec x which we must express in terms of u.
This can be done from the identity
sec x tan x =
1
sec x + tan x
=
1
u
(6)
6
which, coupled with sec x + tan x = u gives
sec x =
1
2
(u +
1
u
) (7)
(we also get tan x =
1
2
(u
1
u
) but that is not needed here.) We can
now transform the given integral completely in terms of an integral of a
function of u, viz.
I =
_
u +
1
u
2uu
9/2
du (8)
The integrand can now be expressed as a sum of various powers of u, each
of which can be integrated separately. Thus
I =
1
2
_
u
9/2
+u
13/2
du
=
1
2
_
u
7/2
7/2
+
u
11/2
11/2
_
=
1
u
11/2
_
1
11
+
u
2
7
_
(9)
Putting back u = sec x+tan x and adding an arbitrary constant gives the
answer.
In the conventional examination this would have been a reasonable full
length question on nding antiderivatives. It would take some thinking
on the part of the candidate to come up with the right substitution, viz.
u = sec x + tan x. In the MCQ format all given alternatives involve the
expression (sec x + tan x)
2
. And this gives an unwarranted clue to the
correct substitution. But a sneaky solution need not even bother. One
can simply dierentiate each of the four alternatives, one by one, and see
whose derivative equals the given integrand. The work involved in all these
four dierentiations is essentially the same, except for the coecients.
Had the paper-setters been a little careful, they could have given
sec xtan x instead of sec x + tan x in some of the fake alternatives. But
even then the problem is already diluted by asking it as an MCQ. It would
have been better to ask, instead, the denite integral from, say, 0 to /4
and give the possible answers numerically. In that case the form of the
answers would not give away the right substitution so easily. But in that
case, the work involved would be far more than justied by the credit
allotted.
Q.4 The total number of ways in which 5 balls of dierent colours can be
distributed among three persons so that each person gets at least one ball
is
(A) 75 (B) 150 (C) 210 (D) 243
7
Answer and Comments: (B). This problem is exactly the same as the
1981 JEE problem in Chapter 1, Comment No. 3. Even the numbers are
the same! The only change is that instead of giving the balls to three
persons, there they were to be put into three distinct boxes so that no
box was empty. As the numbers involved are small, the best solution is
by decomposing the possibilities into mutually disjoint cases. Call the
three persons as P
1
, P
2
, P
3
. Since everybody is to get at least one ball,
the numbers of balls they get are either 2, 2, 1 or 3, 1, 1. In each case,
there are three possibilities depending upon which of the three persons
is the odd man out. The number of ways to give 2 balls to P
1
, 2 (of
the remaining three) to P
2
and the last one to P
3
is
_
5
2
__
3
2
_
= 30. So in
all there are 90 distributions of this type. As for the second kind, the
number of distributions where P
1
gets 3 balls and the other two one each
is
_
5
3
__
2
1
_
= 20. So, there are 60 distributions of this type. In all the answer
is 90 + 60 = 150.
There are also more sophisticated ways of getting the answer. One,
based on Stirling numbers of the second kind, is pointed out in Exer-
cise (1.29). Yet another solution, based on the principle of inclusion and
exclusion (see Exercise (1.43)) can be given as follows. Note that every
distribution of the 5 (distinct) balls to 3 (distinct) persons amounts to
a function from a 5-set (i.e. a set with 5 elements) to a 3-set. The re-
quirement that every person is to get at least one ball amounts to saying
that the corresponding function is surjective, i.e. onto. So the problem is
equivalent to counting the number of surjective functions from a 5-set to
a 3-set. More generally, we count the number of surjective functions from
a set, say X, with m elements to a set, say Y , with n elements using the
principle of inclusion and exclusion.
We follow the notation of Exercise (1.43). Denote the set of all functions
from X to Y by S. Clearly,
|S| = n
m
(1)
We want the number of those functions in S which are surjective. This
requirement can be paraphrased as follows. Let the (distinct) elements of
Y be y
1
, y
2
, . . . , y
n
. For i = 1, 2, . . . , n, let A
i
be the set of those functions
in S whose ranges do not contain the element y
i
. Obviously no such
function can be onto. In fact, a function f : X Y is onto if and only
if it is not in any of these A
i
s, or equivalently it is in the intersection of
their complements, viz.
n

i=1
A

i
. We now apply the principle of inclusion
and exclusion to get

i=1
A

= s
0
s
1
+s
2
s
3
+. . . + (1)
n
s
n
=
n

r=0
(1)
r
s
r
(2)
8
where for r = 1, 2, . . . , n, s
r
is the sum of the cardinalities of the intersec-
tions of these subsets taken r at a time. Thus,
s
1
=
n

i=1
|A
i
|
s
2
=

i<j
|A
i
A
j
|
s
3
=

i<j<k
|A
i
A
j
A
k
|
and more generally,
s
r
=

1i1<i2<...<irn
|A
i1
A
i2
. . . A
ir
| (3)
Note that s
n
is simply |A
1
A
2
. . . A
n
|. Also, s
0
= |S|.
To complete the solution, we need to calculate each s
r
. Note that
for every 1 i n, A
i
is precisely the set of all functions from X to
the set Y {y
i
} which has n 1 elements. So, A
i
= (n 1)
m
for every
i = 1, 2, . . . , n. This gives
s
1
= n(n 1)
m
(4)
Next, for i < j, A
i
A
j
is the set of all functions whose ranges contain
neither y
i
nor y
j
. So each such function is eectively a function from X
to the set Y {y
i
, y
j
} which is a set with n 2 elements. As this holds
for every pair (i, j) with i < j, we get
s
2
=
_
n
2
_
(n 2)
m
(5)
The same reasoning gives that for every r = 1, 2, . . . , n,
s
r
=
_
n
r
_
(n r)
m
(6)
Note that this is also valid for r = 0. Substituting these values into (2)
we get the number of surjective functions from X to Y as
n

r=0
(1)
r
_
n
r
_
(n r)
m
(7)
There is no closed form expression for this sum. But in any special cases
it can be evaluated by nding each term which is easy to evaluate. In the
present problem m = 5 and n = 3. So the sum involves only four terms
and comes out to be
3
5
3 2
5
+ 3 1
5
1 0
5
= 243 96 + 3 = 150 (8)
which is the same answer as before.
9
Q.5 Let P = (a
ij
) and Q = (b
ij
) be two 3 3 matrices with b
ij
= 2
i+j
a
ij
for
all 1 i, j 3. If the determinant of P is 2, then the determinant of Q is
(A) 2
10
(B) 2
11
(C) 2
12
(D) 2
13
Answer and Comments: (D). An honest solution would be to begin by
writing Q out as
Q =
_
_
4a
11
8a
12
16a
13
8a
21
16a
22
32a
23
16a
31
32a
32
64a
33
_
_
(1)
Taking out the factors 4, 8 and 16 from the rst, the second and the third
row respectively, we get
|Q| =

4a
11
8a
12
16a
13
8a
21
16a
22
32a
23
16a
31
32a
32
64a
33

= 4 8 16

a
11
2a
12
4a
13
a
21
2a
22
4a
23
a
31
2a
32
4a
33

(2)
We now take out the factors 2 and 4 from the second and the third column
respectively. What is left is simply |P|. So,
|Q| = 4 8 16 2 4 |P|
= 2
2+3+4+1+2+1
= 2
13
(3)
This is a good problem with a reasonably straightforward solution.
But there is a sneak solution which makes a mockery of even this simple
solution. Note that it is already implicit in the problem that the ratio of
the determinants of Q and P is a constant. So, we shall get a solution
as soon as this constant is determined. And for this purpose it suces
to take P to be any matrix with determinant 2. As the simplest choice
take P to be a diagonal matrix with entries 2, 1 and 1. Then Q is also a
diagonal matrix with entries 8, 16 and 64. So its determinant is 2
13
. In
a conventional examination, this solution would get little credit since it
is applicable only in a special case. But when the problem is posed as a
multiple choice question, there is no way to know how the candidate got
the answer. So a candidate who comes up with a sneak solution not only
gets full credit but also some bonus in terms of the time saved which is a
precious commodity.
Q.6 Let z be a complex number such that the imaginary part of z is non-zero
and a = z
2
+z + 1 is real. Then a cannot take the value
(A) 1 (B)
1
3
(C)
1
2
(D)
3
4
10
Answer and Comments: (D). Before commenting on the problem it-
self, its wording calls for a mild rebuttal. Although the phrase such that
is used commonly (and often inevitably) in precisely stating some compli-
cated denitions (a well known instance being the denition of a limit),
for a layman and at the JEE level it often appears clumsy and should be
avoided as far as possible. Thus, the present problem could have been
worded as Let z be a complex number with a non-zero imaginary part.
Let a = z
2
+z + 1. Then ...... which is a simpler diction.
Now, coming to the problem itself, assume z = x + iy where x, y are
real. We are given y = 0. A direct calculation gives
a = (x +iy)
2
+ (x +iy) + 1
= (x
2
y
2
+x + 1) +i(2xy +y) (1)
As we are given that a is real, we get 2xy + y = 0. As y = 0, we get
x =
1
2
. With this substitution in (1) we have
a =
3
4
y
2
(2)
As y is real and non-zero, y
2
> 0. Hence a <
3
4
. So, a =
3
4
. The other
values given are all less than
3
4
and can be assumed by a with x =
1
2
and a suitable choice of y.
The problem can also be tackled by looking at z
2
+ z + 1 = a as a
quadratic in z. The two possible solutions are
z =
1

4a 3
2
(3)
If a =
3
4
, then z would be purely real contradicting the hypothesis. This
solution is shorter but not so straightforward.
Since the number 1 is real, the reality of z
2
+ z + 1 is equivalent
to that of z
2
+ z. It is not clear what purpose is served by giving that
z
2
+ z + 1 is real instead of giving that z
2
+ z is real, which is more
direct. one possibility is that z
2
+ z + 1 can be expressed as a ratio, viz.
z
3
1
z 1
. The ratio of two non-zero complex numbers, say z
1
and z
2
, is real
if and only if their arguments dier by a multiple of . Geometrically this
means that the points 0, z
1
and z
2
are collinear. In the present case this
amounts to saying that the points z
3
, 1andz are collinear. But that does
not apparently lead to any elegant solution of the problem. Anyway, the
problem is so simple as it stands that it is only of an academic interest to
see if there is any elegant solution.
11
Q.7 The locus of the mid-point of the chord of contact of tangents drawn from
points lying on the straight line 4x 5y = 20 to the circle x
2
+y
2
= 9 is
(A) 20(x
2
+y
2
) 36x + 45y = 0 (B) 20(x
2
+y
2
) + 36x 45y = 0
(C) 36(x
2
+y
2
) 20x + 45y = 0 (AD 36(x
2
+y
2
) + 20x 45y = 0
Answer and Comments: (A). Let P = (x
1
, y
1
) be a point on the given
line, say L, and suppose the tangents from to P to the given circle, say
C, touch it at the points A and B. Let Q = (h, k) be the midpoint of the
chord AB. We have to nd the locus of the point Q.
For the formula lovers, there are two formulas which are almost tailor
made for this problem. One is the equation of the chord of contact of the
point P w.r.t. the circle C. Popularly, it is remembered by T = 0. In the
present case, since
C = x
2
+y
2
= 9 (1)
and P = (x
1
, y
1
), the equation of the chord AB comes out to be
xx
1
+yy
1
= 9 (2)
The second formula, which is less frequently used, is for the equation of a
chord in terms of its middle point M. In a compact form it is T = S
1
. In
the present case, since Q = (h, k), this becomes
hx +ky = h
2
+k
2
(3)
As (2) and (3) are equations of the same line AB, we get
x
1
h
=
y
1
k
=
9
h
2
+k
2
(4)
These are two equations. In addition we are given that (x
1
, y
1
) lies on the
line L. So,
4x
1
5y
1
= 20 (5)
The locus of (h, k) can be obtained by eliminating x
0
and y
0
in these
three equations. The most straightforward way to do this is by getting
the values of x
1
and y
1
from (4) and substitute them in (5). Thus we get
36h
h
2
+k
2

45k
h
2
+k
2
= 20 (6)
i.e.
20(h
2
+k
2
) 36h + 45k = 0 (7)
12
To get the locus of Q, replace its current coordinates h and k by x and y
respectively. This gives (A) as the answer.
Formulas analogous to (2) and (3) are valid for any conic. So the same
method would have worked if instead of the circle C we were given some
other conic in the plane. In the present problem as the conic is a circle
which is heavily studied in pure geometry, instead of using the formulas
(2) and (3), a solution based on some standard properties of tangents to
a circle from a point outside it can be given as follows. We follow the
notation in the solution above. Then it can be seen by symmetry that the
points P, Q and O (the centre of the circle) are collinear and moreover
that OP.OQ = 9, the radius square. (An easy way to see this is the
similarity of the triangles OQB and OBP.)
O
x
y
P
A
B
(x , y )
1 1
Q (h,k)
With this approach, we have, by collinearity of O, Q and B,
x
1
= h and y
1
= k (8)
for some . Also the equality OQ.OP = 9 gives
_
h
2
+k
2
_
x
2
1
+y
2
1
= 9 (9)
Substituting the values from (8) into (9) we get
(h
2
+k
2
) = 9 (10)
Hence we have
x
1
=
9h
h
2
+k
2
and y
1
=
9k
h
2
+k
2
(11)
which is exactly the same as (4). The rest of the work is the same as
before.
The problem is straightforward once you know which formulas or
properties (of circles) to apply. But again, the work involved is more than
can be justied on the basis of the credit allotted.
13
Q.8 Let f(x) =
_
x
2

cos

x

, x = 0
0, x = 0
for x IR. Then f is
(A) dierentiable both at x = 0 and x = 2
(B) dierentiable at x = 0 but not dierentiable at x = 2
(C) not dierentiable at x = 0 but dierentiable at x = 2
(D) dierentiable neither at x = 0 nor at x = 2
Answer and Comments: (B). Here we have two separate problems
about checking dierentiability at the given points. A detailed analysis
would be to consider the right as well as the left handed derivatives of f(x)
at the two points given. But instead, we give an argument which is based
on the known dierentiability of two very commonly studied functions,
viz. g(x) = x
2
sin
1
x
for x = 0 (with g(0) = 0) and h(x) = |x|, at the point
0. The rst is dierentiable at 0 while the second one is not. We count on
this familiarity and tackle the problem using the same reasoning.
The reason that the function g is dierentiable at 0 is that it is of
the form x
2
times a bounded function. So the ratio
g(x) g(0)
x 0
becomes
x times a bounded factor and hence tends to 0. Exactly the same reason
applies to show that f is dierentiable at 0. As for its dierentiability
at 2, note that the rst factor x
2
of f(x) is dierentiable at 2 with a
non-zero derivative 4. As f is continuous at all x = 0 and hence in a
neighbourhood of x = 2, dierentiability of f at 2 depends entirely on
the dierentiability of its second factor, viz. | cos

x
|. (To see this more
formally, write | cos x| as
f(x)
x
2
in a neighbourhood of x = 2 and apply
the quotient rule for derivatives.)
Thus the problem is reduced to checking the dierentiability of
the function, say |k(x)| (where k(x) = cos

x
) at x = 2. Here the crucial
point is that the absolute value function is dierentiable everywhere except
where it takes the value 0. In the present case, in a small neighbourhood
of x = 2, the function k(x) vanishes only at x = 2. However, from this we
must not hastily conclude that |k(x)| is not dierentiable at x = 2. What
matters is not just that |k(x)| 0 as x 2 but how rapidly. If it tends
to 0 more rapidly than |x2| then |k(x)| would indeed be dierentiable at
x = 2 with a vanishing derivative. (For example, the functions |(x 2)
3
|
or | sin
3/2
(x 2)| are dierentiable at x = 2.) On the other hand, if
|k(x)| tends to 0 at a rate slower than or comparable to that of |x 2|,
then |k(x)| is not dierentiable at x = 2. (In the former case, the right
and left handed derivatives dont exist while in the latter they exist but
are unequal. The two cases are illustrated, for example, by
_
|x 2| and
| sin(x 2)| respectively.)
14
So, now we have to see how fast cos

x
tends to 0 as x 2. For this
we consider and simplify the ratio
cos

x
x 2
.
cos

x
x 2
=
sin
_

2


x
_
x 2
=
sin
_
(x2)
2x
_
x 2
(1)
Now we use the well-known fact that as 0, sin tends to 0 at a rate
comparable to that of . So, we replace the numerator in the expression
above by
(x 2)
2x
. So, we get that
lim
x2
cos

x
x 2
= lim
x2
(x 2)
2x(x 2)
=

4
(2)
which shows that as x 2, | cos

x
| tends to 0 at a rate comparable to
that of |x 2|. We are now justied in saying that cos

x
and hence f(x)
is not dierentiable at x = 2.
This is a good problem in which brute force computations can be
avoided with some ne thinking. Unfortunately, a candidate who argues
that | cos

x
| is not dierentiable at x = 2 on the supercial ground that
the absolute value function is not dierentiable at 0 also gets full credit
undeservedly.
Q.9 The function f : [0, 3] [1, 29] , dened by f(x) = 2x
3
15x
2
+36x+1
(A) one-one and onto (B) onto but not one-one
(C) one-one but not onto (D) neither one-one nor onto
Answer and Comments: (B). A straightforward problem about the
behaviour of a polynomial function on an interval. The only way a con-
tinuous function dened on an interval, say [a, b], can be one-one is that
it is either strictly increasing or decreasing. If the function is further dif-
ferentiable, then the sign of its derivative provides a handy criterion. (So
handy, if fact, that many people wrongly believe that a positive derivative
throughout an interval is the very meaning of its being strictly increas-
ing, forgetting that the concept of increasing/decreasing is based purely
on inequalities and has nothing to do with derivatives!)
Returning to the problem, a straight calculation gives
f

(x) = 6x
2
30x + 36
= 6(x
2
5x + 6)
= 6(x 2)(x 3) (1)
15
Both the roots of f

(x) are simple and lie in the interval [0, 3]. So, f

is positive on [0, 2) and negative on (2, 3]. Hence f is neither strictly

increasing nor strictly decreasing on [0, 3] and hence not one-one.
Next, to ascertain which values f takes, too the derivatives help. As f
is strictly increasing on [0, 2] the image of [0, 2] is the interval [f(0), f(2)]
i.e. [1, 29]. This alone is enough to conclude that f is onto. (Just for the
sake of completeness, f is strictly decreasing on [2, 3] and hence maps it
onto [f(3), f(2)] = [28, 29]. As this interval is already included in [0, 29],
it does not add to the range. It remains [0, 29].)
Q.10 The ellipse E
1
:
x
2
9
+
y
2
4
= 1 is inscribed in a rectangle R whose sides are
parallel to the coordinate axes. Another ellipse E
2
, passing through the
point (0, 4) circumscribes the rectangle R. The eccentricity of the ellipse
E
2
is
(A)

2
2
(B)

3
2
(C)
1
2
(D)
3
4
Answer and Comments: (C). A straightforward problem once you un-
derstand the vocabulary involved, specically, what is meant by inscribe,
circumscribe and eccentricity. (Incidentally, these three are highly tech-
nical words and even with an otherwise good command over English, a
candidate is not likely to have come across them unless he has studied
geometry in the English medium. This is no reason to shed tears if the
candidate is weak in geometry. But if he is strong, then it means that he
is being penalised merely for not having studied in the English medium.
Availability of the Hindi version of the question paper alleviates the prob-
lem to some extent but is of little help to a candidate who has studied in
Kannada or Tamil. One solution might be to make dictionaries of technical
terms available to the candidates, similarly to the log tables).
Now coming to the problem itself, the extreme ties of the major and
the minor axes of the ellipse E
1
are (3, 0) and (0, 2) respectively. Hence
the rectangle R has its verticess at (3, 2). The second ellipse is given
to pass these four points. However, this does not determine the ellipse
E
2
uniquely. You need ve conditions to determine an ellipse (and more
generally, any conic). This happens because the general second degree
equation
Ax
2
+ 2Hy +By
2
+ 2G+ 2FY +C = 0 (1)
has ve independent unknowns. (Supercially there are six unknowns,
A, B, C, D, E, F, but it is only their relative proportions that matter). If
(1) is to represent an ellipse (and indeed any conic) passing through the
four points (3, 2) we must have
9A + 12H + 4B + 6G+ 4F +C = 0 (2)
16
9A12H + 4B + 6G4F +C = 0 (3)
9A12H + 4B 6G+ 4F +C = 0 (4)
and 9A+ 12H + 4B 6G4F +C = 0 (5)
Subtracting (3), (4) and (5) from (2), we get three equations in three
unknowns, viz.,
24H + 8F = 0 (6)
24H + 12G = 0 (7)
8F + 12G = 0 (8)
which yield H = F = G = 0. We are now justied in assuming that
the ellipse E
2
has its axes parallel to the coordinate axes. Hence we can
represent E
2
by an equation of the form
x
2
a
2
+
y
2
b
2
= 1 (9)
where we need two equations to determine the parameters a and b. One
of them is already given by any of the four points (3, 2).
9
a
2
+
4
b
2
= 1 (10)
The other equation comes from the data that E
2
passes through the point
(0, 4). In fact, this directly gives b = 4. Putting this into (10) and solving,
we have a
2
= 12. Note that for this ellipse, the major axis is along the y-
axis rather than on the x-axis, as is usually the case. So the usual formula
for the eccentricity has to be modied by switching a and b. That is, we
have
a
2
= b
2
(1 e
2
) (11)
Substituting the values of a and b we get
1 e
2
=
12
16
=
3
4
(12)
which gives e
2
=
1
4
and hence e =
1
2
.
SECTION II
Multiple Correct Choice Type
This section contains ve multiple choice questions. Each question has four
choices out of which ONE OR MORE may be correct. All correct choices
get 4 marks, otherwise, none.
17
The problem is easy once you get that the ellipse E
2
has its axes parallel
to the coordinate axes. This is not given in the statement of the problem
and deriving this from the rest of the data takes some work as shown above.
The trouble is that nearly in all problems at the JEW level, ellipses are in
the standard form. As a result, many students will simply assume that (10)
is the equation of E
2
. Such students will get an unfair advantage over the
scrupulous ones who derive it with some work (which is simple, but takes some
time nevertheless). Yet another sad casualty of the competitive MC based tests.
SECTION II
Multiple Correct Answer(s) Type
This section contains ve questions with four answers to each, out of which
one or more may be correct. 4 points for identifying all correct answers, 0
otherwise.
Q.11 A ship is tted with three engines E
1
, E
2
and E
3
. The engines function
independently of each other with respective probabilities
1
4
,
1
2
and
1
2
. Let
X denote the event that the ship is operational and let X
1
, X
2
and X
3
denote, respectively, the events that the engines E
1
, E
2
and E
3
are func-
tioning. Which of the following is (are) true?
(A) P[X
c
1
|X] =
3
16
(B) P[exactly two engines of the ship are functioning |X] =
7
8
(C) P[X|X
2
] =
5
16
(D) P[X|X
1
] =
7
16
Answer and Comments: (B, D). A question of calculating the condi-
tional probabilities. The ship is operational if and only if at least two of
E
1
, E
2
, E
3
are operational. This resolves into four mutually disjoint events
: either all are operating or exactly one of the three is not functioning and
the other two are. As a result,
P(X) = P(X
1
X
2
X
3
) +P(X
C
1
Z
2
X
3
) +P(X
1
X
c
2
X
3
) +P(X
1
X
2
X
c
3
) (1)
We are given the values of P(X
i
) for i = 1, 2, 3. Further they are given to
be mutually independent. So, (1) gives
P(X) =
1
2
1
4
1
4
+
1
2
1
4
1
4
+
1
2
3
4
1
4
+
1
2
1
4
3
4
=
1
32
+
1
32
+
3
32
+
3
32
=
1
4
(2)
18
In all the statements except (B), the desired probability is already ex-
pressed in terms of symbols. In (B), it is expressed in words. It is the
conditional probability that exactly two of the events X
1
, X
2
and X
3
oc-
cur, given that X occurs. Call the former event ay Y . Then Y is the
disjunction of the three mutually disjoint events X
c
1
X
2
X
3
, X
1
X
c
2
X
3
and
X
1
X
2
X
c
3
, already considered in computing (1). So, taking the last three
terms in (1), we get
P(Y ) =
7
32
(3)
Moreover, Y is a sub-event of X. So Y X is the same as Y . So
P(Y |X) =
P(Y )
P(X)
=
7/32
1/4
=
7
8
(4)
Hence statement (B) is true. The calculations in the remaining three
statements are more direct. In (A),
P(X
c
1
|X) = P(X
c
1
X)/P(X) = P(X
c
1
X
2
X
3
)/P(X)
=
1
2
1
4
1
4
1
4
=
1
8
(5)
Hence (A) is incorrect. In (C), X X
2
equals (X
1
X
2
X
3
) (X
c
1
X
2
X
3
)
(X
1
X
2
X
c
3
). Hence
P(X|X
2
) =
P(X X
2
)
P(X
2
)
=
P(X
1
X
2
X
3
) +P(X
c
1
X
2
X
3
)) +P(X
1
X
2
X
c
3
)
P(X
2
)
=
1
2
1
4
1
4
+
1
2
1
4
1
4
+
1
2
1
4
3
4
1
4
=
5/32
1/4
=
5
8
(6)
So the statement (C) is also incorrect. Finally, for (D), the calculations
are similar to that in (C) except that we interchange X
1
and X
2
. So,
analogously to (6), we have
P(X|X
1
) =
P(X X
1
)
P(X
1
)
=
P(X
1
X
2
X
3
) +P(X
1
X
c
2
X
3
)) +P(X
1
X
2
X
c
3
)
P(X
2
)
=
1
2
1
4
1
4
+
1
2
3
4
1
4
+
1
2
1
4
3
4
1
2
=
7/32
1/2
=
7
12
(7)
19
Therefore the statement (D) is correct.
This is a simple but highly repetitious problem. The statement (B) by
itself (without the answer) could have been asked as an MCQ with only
one correct answer. (B) tests the ability to correctly translate a verbally
described event into a mathematical formula as well as the knowledge
of the formula for conditional probability. Nothing more and a lot less
is tested in the other three statements. They only waste a candidates
precious time and increase the chances of numerical errors.
Q.12 If S is the area of the region enclosed by y = e
x
2
, y = 0, x = 0 and x = 1,
then
(A) S
1
e
(B) S 1
1
e
(C) S
1
4
_
1 +
1

e
_
(D) S
1

2
+
1

e
_
1
1

2
_
Answer and Comments: (A, B, D). Clearly,
S =
_
1
0
e
x
2
dx (1)
If we could evaluate S exactly, then we can answer all alternatives by direct
comparisons. The trouble here is that the integrand e
x
2
does not have
an andtiderivative in an explicit form and so the fundamental theorem of
calculus cannot be applied. Therefore, the present problem is not about
the evaluation of a denite integral. The best we can do is to nd some
upper and lower bounds on S. Parts (A) and (B) of the problem give
possible lower bounds for S while (C) and (D) give possible upper bounds
and our job is to nd which of these are correct.
For any denite integral I =
_
b
a
f(x)dx the most immediate upper
and lower bounds (obtained from the very denition of a denite integral)
are the upper and lower Riemann sums of f(x) for various partitions, say,
P = (x
0
, x
1
, . . . , x
i
, . . . x
n
) (2)
(where a = x
0
< x
1
< x
2
< . . . < x
n
= b). In the present problem, the
integrand is strictly decreasing on [0, 1]. So, the upper and lower Riemann
sums for a partition P like (2) are
U(P; f) =
n

i=1
f(x
i1
)(x
i
x
i1
) (3)
L(P; f) =
n

i=1
f(x
i
)(x
i
x
i1
) (4)
20
We now take f(x) = e
x
2
and [a, b] as [0, 1]. Let us rst see which of the
given four numbers occur either as lower or as upper Riemann sums for I.
Trivially, if we take the partition P to be the one whose only nodes are 0
and 1, then
U(P; f) = f(0) 1 = 1 (5)
and L(P : f) = f(1) 1 =
1
e
(6)
Thus we see that the the expression in (A) is a lower bound for S. Hence
(A) is true.
To see which of the other three expressions arise as lower or upper
bounds for I, we need to recognise some points in [0, 1] at which f assumes
some values which equal some of the numbers occurring in these expres-
sions. We already know (and used) that 1 and
1
e
equal, respectively f(0)
and f(1). A less obvious functional value is
1

e
. Its natural logarithm is
1/2 which equals (
1

2
)
2
. Hence f(
1

2
) =
1

e
. Let us now consider
the partition P = (0,
1

2
, 1) with three nodes. For this partition we have
U(P; f) = f(0)(
1

2
0) +f(
1

2
)(1
1

2
) =
1

2
+
1

e
(1
1

2
) (7)
L(P; f) = f(
1

2
)(
1

2
0) +f(1)(1
1

2
) =
1

2e
+
1
e
(1
1

2
) (8)
The R.H.S. of (7) is precisely the expression in (D). So we see that (D) is
correct. (As it turns out, calculating (8) was essentially a waste. Unfor-
tunately there is no easy way to fortell this.)
The expressions in (B) and (C) cannot be recognised as upper or lower
Riemann sums in an obvious way. So we try some other approaches. One
of them is based on the simple fact that integrals preserve inequalities of
functions. Specically, if we have two functions, say f
1
(x) and f
2
(x) such
that
f
1
(x) f
2
(x) (9)
for all x [a, b]. Then
_
b
a
f
1
(x) dx
_
b
a
f
2
(x) dx (10)
Actually, the inequalities based on upper and lower Riemann sums can
be viewed as special cases of this where one of the functions is the given
integrand and the other function is a step function whose values are the
21
maxima/minima of the integrand on the subintervals of the partition.
But we have already exhausted these possibilities. So we try some other
functions for comparison. In the present problem, we take f
1
(x) as f(x).
We now look for a function f
2
(x) for which the inequality (9) (or its
opposite) will be true throughout [0, 1]. Since the exponential function is
monotonically increasing (i.e. preserves inequalities), we can take f
2
(x) of
the form e
g(x)
where the exponent g(x) is comparable to x
2
throughout
[0, 1]. One such choice is to take g(x) as x. (Of course there are many
others. But we are guided by the requirement that
_
1
0
e
g(x)
dx should
coincide with the expression in (B) or (C).) With this choice, we get
x
2
x (11)
for all x [0, 1] and hence
S
_
1
0
e
x
dx (12)
This integral, unlike the original integral, can be easily evaluated in a
closed form. It equals e
x

1
0
= 1
1
e
which is precisely the expression
in (B). So we see that (B) is also true.
Finally, we check if (C) is correct. The method we are applying
so far requires us to nd a suitable function h(x) which is comparable to
e
x
2
throughout the interval [0, 1] and whose integral over [0, 1] equals the
given expression. This approach did work in (B) by taking h(x) as e
x
(and also indirectly in (A) and (D) where we took h(x) to be a suitable
step function). Unfortunately, in (C), there is no obvious h(x) which will
t the prescription. So here a more delicate analysis is needed.
We can take some clue from
the sum 1 +
1

e
. We already recog-
nised 1 as f(0) and
1

e
as f(
1

2
).
Therefore we get that the expression
1
2
_
1 +
1

e
_
is, geometrically, the mid-
dle height of the trapezium OAPC
shown in the accompanying diagram ,
where O, A, P and C are respectively,
the points (0, 0), (
1

2
, 0), (
1

2
,
1

e
) and
(0, 1).
O
A
B
P
.
M
P
Therefore, the area, say , of this trapezium is,
=
1
2
_
1 +
1

e
__
1

2
0
_
=
1
2

2
_
1 +
1

e
_
(13)
22
Let us now compare this area with the area, say S
1
, under the portion of
the curve y = e
x
2
between x = 0 and x =
1

2
. That is,
S
1
=
_
1/

2
0
e
x
2
dx (14)
It is not easy to evaluate S
1
in a closed form, the diculty being exactly the
same as that in evaluating S, viz. that the integrand has no antiderivative
that can be expressed in a closed form. But our interest is not so much
in evaluating S
1
as in comparing it with . Here we crucially need the
concept of concavity of a function. Since f(x) = e
x
2
a direct calculation
gives
f

(x) = 2xe
x
2
(15)
and f

(x) = (4x
2
2)e
x
2
(16)
for all x. The exponential factor is always positive while the other factor
(4x
2
2) is negative for 0 x <
1

2
and positive for x >
1

2
. So we
get that f is concave downward on [0,
1

2
]. We also get that it is concave
upwards on [
1

2
, ) and hence that the point P on the graph y = e
x
2
is
a point of inection, where the tangent crosses the curve as shown in the
gure. But that is not relevant here. What matters is only the rst part,
viz., that f(x) is concave downward on [0,
1

2
]. Geometrically, this means
that the curve always lies above the chord. Since is the area below this
chord, while S
1
is the area below the curve we have
S
1
> (17)
Further as the integrand e
x
2
is positive throughout, we also have
S > S
1
(18)
Further since 2

2 < 4 we also have

>
1
4
_
1 +
1

e
_
(19)
Combining the last three inequalities, we nally have
S >
1
4
_
1 +
1

e
_
(20)
which shows that the statement (C) is false.
23
This is an excellent problem on the estimation of denite integrals. It
takes certain perceptivity on the part of the candidate to recognise
1

e
as
f
_
1

2
_
and thereby to realise that the point 1/

2 has a special role in

the problem. A further realisation that it is the point where f(x) changes
its concavity gives the necessary hint for (C). Unfortunately, the work
demanded for various alternatives is of a dierent kind. The work for
(C) is unusual since it is based on the concept of concavity downwards.
The time needed far exceeds the time allowed. Note that the inequality
(17) we have proved using concavity is much stronger than what is needed
to disprove (C). It is possible that the paper-setters had some simpler
argument in mind to disprove (C).
Q.13 Tangents are drawn to the hyperbola
x
2
9

y
2
4
= 1, parallel to the straight
line 2x y = 1. The points of contacts of the tangents on the hyperbola
are
(A)
_
9
2

2
,
1

2
_
(B)
_

9
2

2
,
1

2
_
(C) (3

3, 2

2) (D) (3

3, 2

2)
Answer and Comments: (A, B). This is a straightforward problem
about nding the point of contact of a tangent to a conic given its slope.
But apparently the paper-setters thought it too straightforward and so
they have given it a twist by not specifying the slope directly, but, instead
saying that the tangent is parallel to a given line. This line has no other
role in the whole problem. It would be naive to suppose that a candidate
who gets stuck by not being able to nd the slope of the tangent from this
piece of data would have been able to solve the problem correctly had the
slope be given directly as 2. So no testing purpose is served by such corn
husks. In a conventional examination, perhaps some partial credit could
be allotted for merely nding the slope of the tangent. But in an MCQ,
that is not possible either.
Now coming to the problem itself, for the formula lovers, there is
a formula for the equation of a tangent to a conic in terms of its slope.
Knowing the equation, one can nd its point of contact by solving simul-
taneously with the equation of the conic. But a better method is available
if we keep in mind that our interest is more in the point of contact than
with the tangent itself. Suppose (x
1
, y
1
) is a point on the hyperbola. Then
the equation to the tangent at (x
1
, y
1
) is
xx
1
9

yy
1
4
= 1 (1)
If this is to be parallel to the line 2x y = 1, then its slope must be 2.
24
This gives an equation in x
1
, y
1
, viz.
x
1
/9
y
1
/4
= 2 (2)
which upon simplication becomes
x
1
=
9
2
y
1
(3)
Putting this into the equation of the hyperbola gives a quadratic in y
1
,
viz.,
9y
2
1
4

y
2
1
4
= 1 (4)
i.e. y
2
1
=
1
2
which gives y
1
=
1

2
. Putting these values in (3), the two
points of contact are those on (A) and (B).
This solution is so simple that it is relatively pointless to see if it can
be improved. But there is a way to improve. Our interest is in the slope
rather than in the entire equation of the tangent. If we take parametric
equations, there is a handy formula for the slope of the tangent at a point
using the chain rule. So we let
x = 3 sec , y = 2 tan (5)
for [0, 2]. Dierentiating,
dx
d
= 3 sec tan ,
dy
d
= 2 sec
2
(6)
So, by the chain rule,
dy
dx
=
dy/d
dx/d
=
2
3
sec
tan
=
2
3 sin
(7)
Equating this with 2 we get
sin =
1
3
(8)
which then gives cos =
2

2
3
and further tan =
1
2

2
and sec =

3
2

2
. Putting these into (5) gives the desired points of contact. (Ac-
tually, it suces to nd only one of the points of contact, since points of
contact of parallel tangents are always symmetric w.r.t. the centre.)
25
Q.14 If y(x) satises the dierential equation y

y tan x = 2xsec x and y(0) =

0, then
(A) y
_

4
_
=

2
8

2
(B) y

(
_

4
_
=

2
18
(C) y
_

3
_
=

2
9
(D) y

(
_

3
_
=
4
3
+
2
2
3

3
Answer and Comments: (A, D). A straightforward problem on solving
a dierential equation. The given equation is linear with integrating factor
e

_
tan xdx
= e
ln sec x
= cos x (1)
The formula lovers can now also use the ready-made formula for the solu-
tion. But it is often a good idea to multiply the equation throughout by
the integrating factor and cast the L.H.S. as the derivative of some func-
tion. Indeed this is the very purpose of integrating factors. So, multiplying
both the sides by cos x, the given D.E. becomes
y

cos x y sin x = 2x (2)

i.e.
d
dx
(y cos x) = 2x (3)
whose general solution is
y cos x = x
2
+c (4)
where c is an arbitrary constant. The initial condition y(0) = 0 determines
c as 0. Hence we have
y = x
2
sec x (5)
and hence
y

(x) = 2xsec x +x
2
sec xtan x (6)
To complete the solution we have to substitute x =

4
and x =

3
in (5)
and (6). Since tan

4
= 1 while sec

4
=

2, a direct calculation gives

y
_

4
_
=

2
14

2 =

2
8

2
(7)
y

4
_
=

2

2 +

2
16

2 (8)
26
which shows that (A) is true while (B) is false. Similarly, from tan
_

3
_
=
tan 60

3 and sec
_

3
_
= 2 we see, after substitution, that (C) is false
while (D) is true.
A very routine problem about dierential equations with a purely
clerical trigonometrical appendage.
Q.15 Let , [0, 2] be such that
2 cos (1 sin ) = sin
2

_
tan

2
+ cot

2
_
cos 1,
tan(2 ) > 0 and 1 < sin <

3
2
. Then cannot satisfy
(A) 0 < <

2
(B)

2
< <
4
3
(C)
4
3
< <
3
2
(D)
3
2
< < 2
Answer and Comments: (A, C, D). Supercially, this is a problem
about trigonometric equations. But in reality it is not so. There are two
variables here and . But only one equation in them. So, the data is
insucient to determine and . All we can do is to use this equation
to express the variable in terms of . We are also given (indirectly)
the interval(s) over which varies and our job is to nd the set, say S,
over which varies. Once this set S is identied, the problem asks you
to determine which of the given four intervals is (are) disjoint from S.
(The language used in framing the last part of the question is likely to be
confusing to some candidates. Generally, the paper-setters are restrained
from asking questions where the assertion is in the negative.)
Once again, the paper-setters have given a twist to the data. A
straight-forward simplication gives that for any angle ,
tan + cot =
sin
cos
+
cos
sin
=
1
sin cos
=
2
sin 2
(1)
Using this identity (with replaced by /2), the given equation becomes
2 cos (1 sin ) = 2 sin cos 1 (2)
which upon further simplication gives
2 sin( +) = 2 cos + 1 (3)
27
We are also given certain restrictions on the possible values can take.
First [0, 2]. Secondly, tan(2) > 0 which is a twisted way of saying
that tan < 0. So, is further restricted to
_

2
,
_

_
3
2
, 2
_
. Finally we
are also given that 1 < sin <

3
2
which means (
4
3
,
5
3
) {
3
2
}
and further restricts to

_
3
2
,
5
3
_
(4)
From this and (3) we have to determine what possible values can take.
One way to do this would be to solve (3) for to get
= n + (1)
n
sin
1
(cos +
1
2
) (5)
where n is an integer. We shall then have to consider various values of n
for which the R.H.S. has at least some values between 0 and 2 and in each
case determine which possible values can take. Moreover, the analysis
would be dierent for even n than for odd n. This would be complicated.
So we try a simpler approach. We recast (3) as
sin( +) =
1 + cos
2
(6)
Because of (4) the R.H.S. lies between
1
2
and 1. Further since both ,
lie in [0, 2], + [0, 4]. Therefore
+
_

6
,
5
6
_

_
2 +

6
, 2 +
5
6
_
(7)
Thus, we have two cases:

6
< + <
5
6
(8)
or
13
6
< + <
17
6
(9)
We add the inequality

5
3
< <
3
2
(10)
to each of these two inequalities to get

3
2
< <
2
3
(11)
or

2
< <
4
3
(12)
28
The rst possibility is ruled out because 0. The second possibility
means that must lie in the interval
_

2
,
2
3
_
. This is precisely the
interval in (B). As the intervals in the remaining three possibilities are all
disjoint from this interval we see that can never lie in any of them.
We were somewhat lucky that we got the answer relatively easily.
From the data that and both lie in [0, 2], we concluded that +
lies in [0, 4]. Implicitly this was obtained by adding the two inequalities
0 2 and 0 2. This is a true but a crude estimate. When
and are independent of each other, this is the best estimate we can
give. But when two quantities are related to each other, sharper estimates
are often possible for their sums. As an extreme example, both sin
2
x and
cos
2
x vary over [0, 1]. But their sum does not vary all over [0, 2]. In fact,
it is a constant. In the present problem, is related to through the
equation (5). So the variation of + may be much smaller than 0 to
4. There was also some extravagance in concluding (11) from (8) and
(10) (and similarly, in deriving (12) from (9) and (10)). Accordingly, the
set, say S, of possible values of may be only a subset of the interval
_

2
,
4
3
_
. The intervals in (A), (C) and (D) are all disjoint from this
interval and hence also from S. But if they were bigger then it is possible
that they are not disjoint from this interval but still disjoint from the
subset S. In that case our approach would fail. To identify the set S
exactly, we need to follow the other approach of a detailed analysis of (5)
for various values of the integer n. In that case the problem would have
been far more challenging and complicated. As it stands, the problem
is simple for the naive candidate. A scrupulous candidate who goes for
analysing (5) is penalised in terms of the time he spends.
SECTION III
Integer Answer Type
This section contains ve questions. Each has a single digit correct answer.
Correct answer gets 4 points, incorrect one none.
Q.16 Let p(x) be a real polynomial of least degree which has a local maximum
at x = 1 and a local minimum at x = 3. If p(1) = 6 and p(3) = 2, then
p

(0) is ....... .
Answer and Comments: 9. The data implies that p

(x) has 1 and 3

among its roots. So, its degree is at least two. Since p(x) has the least
possible degree among polynomials which satisfy this requirement, so does
p

(x). Hence p

(x) is of the form

p

(x) = (x 1)(x 2) (1)

29
for some (real) constant . Expanding and integrating,
p(x) = (
x
3
3
2x
2
+ 3x) + (2)
where is some other real constant. The values of and can be found
from the given conditions, viz, p(1) = 6 and p(3) = 2 which imply
(
1
3
2 + 3) + = 6 (3)
and (9 18 + 9) + = 2 (4)
respectively. The second equation immediately gives = 2. Putting this
into (3) we get
4
3
= 6 2 = 4 (5)
which implies = 3. This gives
p

(x) = 3(x
2
4x + 3) (6)
whence p

(0) = 9.
A very straightforward problem about determining a polynomial, being
given its points of local maxima and local minima. The computations
involved are reasonable and not prone to numerical errors. The values of
p(x) at any two distinct points would serve to determine and uniquely.
No particular advantage is gained by specifying the values of p(x) at the
points where it has a local maximum or a local minimum. However, with
these values, the same data could have been given a little more subtly, by
specifying that the graph of p(x) has a local maximum at the point (1, 6)
and a local minimum at (3, 2).
The problem could have been made a little more interesting by
specifying that p(x) is a cubic polynomial which has a point of inection
at x = 2 and a local minimum at x = 3. In that case a candidate would
rst have to recognise that the local maximum of p(x) must be at x = 1
(because, for a cubic, the point of inection is the arithmetic mean of the
point of local maximum and the point of local minimum). The rest of the
solution would remain the same.
Q.17 Let S be the focus of the parabola y
2
= 8x and let PQ be the common
chord of the circle x
2
+ y
2
2x 4y = 0 and the given parabola. Then
the area of the triangle PQS is ..... .
Answer and Comments: 4 (square units). A straightforward problem
of nding the area of a triangle from the coordinates of its vertices. In
the present problem, none of the three vertices P, Q, and S is specied
directly. So the real task is to determine these rst. As the focus of the
30
parabola is at S, we get S = (2, 0). To determine P and Q, we have to
solve the equations
x
2
+y
2
2x 4y = 0 (1)
and y
2
= 8x (2)
simultaneously. Substituting (2) into (1) and then solving for y gives
4y = x
2
+ 6x (3)
Squaring and using (2) again, we get an equation of degree 4 in x, viz.
x
4
+ 12x
3
+ 36x
2
128x = 0 (4)
x = 0 is a solution of this equation. It gives (0, 0) as one of common points
of the circle and the parabola which is obvious anyway. Let us take it to
be P. The other solutions satisfy the cubic As soon as we determine the
other end of the common chord, viz. Q, the problem is almost solved. But
it is not easy to nd Q by mere inspection. The x-coordinate of Q must
satisfy the cubic equation
x
3
+ 12x
2
+ 36x 128 = 0 (5)
By trial we see that x = 2 is a solution of this. (Geometrically, we already
know that there are no other real solutions. For an analytical proof we
factorise the cubic as (x 2)(x
2
+ 14x + 64) and note that the quadratic
factor never vanishes for any real x since 7
2
64 < 0.)
Since x = 2, y
2
= 8x = 16. So y = 4. The point (2, 4) does not lie
on the circle. So we must have Q = (2, 4). Now that we know all three
vertices of the triangle PQS its area is
=
1
2

0 0 1
2 0 1
2 4 1

= 4 (6)
Determination of Q is the only non-trivial part in the problem. Our solu-
tion was based on eliminating one of the variables (viz. y) from (1) and
(2) and trial. An alternate (but essentially equivalent) approach is to take
one of the two curves in a parametric form. The parametric equations of
the parabola t
2
= 8x are
x = 2t
2
, y = 4t (7)
where < t < . Substitution into (1) gives
4t
4
+ 16t
2
4t
2
16t = 0 (8)
or, in a factorised form
t(t
3
+ 3t
2
4) = 0 (9)
31
Once again, 0 is an obvious root (which corresponds to the root 0 of (4)
and to the point P = (0, 0) of the common chord). The other roots are
the roots of the cubic factor. As the sum of the coecients is 0, t = 1 is a
root. The cubic factors as (t 1)(t
2
+4t +4) and the quadratic factor has
no roots. So, t = 0, 1 are the only real roots of (8) and the corresponding
common points are (0, 0) and (2, 4). In this approach too there was some
guesswork. But it was not as much a shot in the dark as in (5). Adding
the coecients of the terms in a polynomial is usually the rst thing one
does to see if it has any obvious non-zero roots.
Instead of the parabola, we can represent the circle in a parametric
form. Its center is at (1, 2) and radius

5, we have
x = 1 +

5 cos , y = 2 +

5 sin (10)
Substituting these into the equation of the parabola, we get
(2 +

5 sin )
2
= 8(1 +

5 cos ) (11)
which, after simplication, becomes
5 sin
2
+ 4

5 sin 8

5 cos 4 = 0 (12)
If the cosine term were absent this would be a quadratic in sin . To get
rid of the cosine term we can take it on one side and square both the sides
and replace cos
2
by 1 sin
2
. But then the equation that results would
be a a fourth degree equation in sin . So again we would face the same
diculty.
Yet another way a candidate can hit upon the point Q is if it strikes
him that the ends of the latus rectum of the parabola y
2
= 8x are at
(2, 4). If he also observes luckily that (1, 2) is the centre of the circle,
then he would hardly fail to notice that (2, 4) is the end of the diameter
passing through (0, 0). In particular, it is a common point of the parabola
and the circle.
Summing up, no matter which approach is tried there is an element
of luck in determining the point (Q. The contribution of luck is least in
doing it through (9). Once Q is determined, hardly anything is left in the
problem.
Q.18 The value of
6 + log
3/2
_
_
_
_
1
3

_
4
1
3

_
4
1
3

4
1
3

2
. . .
_
_
_
_
is ......
32
Answer and Comments: 4. This is a somewhat unusual question
because the expression given involves an innitistic process. But it is
dierent from the way innite sums are dened. The sum of an innite
series is dened as the limit of the sequence of its partial sums. Here each
partial sum is an ordinary nite sum. In the present problem, however,
a number is dened by an innitistic process in such a manner that a
part of that number is dened by the same innitistic process. Logically,
such a denition suers from what is called a vicious cycle. It is beyond
the scope of the JEE level to consider the question as to whether such
a number indeed exists. (A similar situation arises for what are called
continued fractions which were popularly studied at one time.)
We bypass these philosophical questions and proceed to nd the value of
the number, assuming that the expression does dene a number uniquely.
Denote the number

_
4
1
3

_
4
1
3

4
1
3

2
. . . (1)
by x. Then, we get the equation
x =

4
1
3

2
x (2)
Squaring both the sides we get a quadratic in x, viz.
x
2
+
1
3

2
x 4 = 0 (3)
Solving,
x =

1
3

2

_
1
18
+ 16
2
=
1 3

2
_
289
18
6

2
=
1 17
6

2
(4)
The negative sign is discarded since obviously x is non-negative. So,
x =
8
3

2
. Completing the solution is now straightforward. The given ex-
pression equals 6+log
3/2
_
1
3

8
3

2
_
which simplies to 6+log
3/2
_
4
9
_
.
Since
4
9
=
_
2
3
_
2
= (3/2)
2
, the expression equals 6 2 = 4.
33
Problems like this are not asked frequently. For those who have seen
similar problems earlier, obtaining (2) and hence (3) is rather routine. (A
fairly well-known simple problem of this type is to evaluate

2 +
_
2 +
_
2 +

2 +. . .
which comes out to be 2.) But in the present problem, even after getting
(3), the subsequent work requires considerable numerical calculation in-
volving radicals. The candidate has also to realise that 289 is a perfect
square. A numerical slip can be fatal here.
Q.19 Let f : IR IR be dened as f(x) = |x| +|x
2
1|. The total number of
points at which f attains either a local maximum or a local minimum is
..... .
Answer and Comments: 5. The expression x changes sign at x = 0
while x
2
1 does so at the points 1. Therefore because of the absolute
value signs in the denition of f(x), to study its behaviour, we have to
separately consider the intervals (, 1), (1, 0), (0, 1) and (1, ). Fur-
ther, f(x) is evidently an even function of x. So, it suces to study its
behaviour only on the rst two of these four intervals.
For x < 1, x is negative but x
2
1 is positive. So,
f(x) = x
2
x 1 (1)
This is a quadratic whose derivative vanishes only at x = 1/2 which is
outside the interval (, 1). So, f(x) is strictly decreasing on (, 1).
Next we consider f on (1, 0). Here f(x) = x+1x
2
which is a quadratic
in x with derivative vanishing at x = 1/2. The function is strictly
increasing on (1, 1/2) and strictly decreasing on (1/2, 0). As f is an
even function, this also implies that f is strictly increasing on (0, 1/2) and
strictly decreasing on (1/2, 1). Similarly, it is strictly increasing on (1, ).
Summing up, f changes its behaviour from increasing to decreasing or
vice versa at the points x = 1, 1/2, 0, 1/2 and x = 1. Therefore it has
a local maximum or a local minimum at these ve points.
A fairly simple problem. The reason-
ing given need not be in words. A good
graph will give the answer equally easily.
In fact the graphic approach has the ad-
vantage that one need not determine the
points 1/2 exactly. All that matters for
the question is that there are two local max-
ima, somewhere in (1, 0) and in (0, 1).
The question is well suited to test the ability to reason correctly without
having to express the reasoning in words.
34
Q.20 If a,

b, c are unit vectors satisfying |a

b|
2
+ |

b c|
2
+ |c a|
2
= 9, then
|2a + 5

b + 5c| is ..... .
Answer and Comments: 3. We rst express the lengths in terms of
the dot products. Thus,
|a

b|
2
= (a

b) (a

b)
= |a|
2
+|

b|
2
2a

b
= 2 2a

b (1)
with similar expressions for |

b c|
2
and |c a|
2
. Adding these three
expressions the data means
a

b +

b c +c a =
3
2
(2)
To use this information we need some other expression where the term
a

b +

b c +c a occurs. One such expression is |a +

b +c|
2
which, upon
expansion, becomes
|a +

b +c|
2
= |a|
2
+|

b|
2
+|c|
2
+ 2(a

b +

b c +c a) (3)
The values of all the terms on the R.H.S. are known to us. Putting them
we get
|a +

b +c|
2
= 3 3 = 0 (4)
This means that the vector |a +

b +c| has zero length. Hence it must be

the zero vector, i.e.
a +

b +c =

0 (5)
Therefore,

b +c = a. Substituting this into the given vector gives

2a + 5

b + 5c = 2a 5a = 3a (6)
Therefore
|2a + 5

b + 5c| = | 3a| = 3|a| = 3 (7)

since a is a unit vector.
The method applied here works only in an extreme case. In gen-
eral, knowing the length of a vector does not determine it uniquely. This
happens to be the case only when the length is 0. Even after getting
(5), if, instead of 2a +5

b + 5c we had some other linear combination, say

a +

b + c where the scalars , , are all distint, we would not be

35
able to nd its length. In the present problem it works because two of the
scalars are equal.
These two unusual features make the problem a little tricky. An
analytically minded candidate is likely to give up when he realises that
the data is, in general, insucient to give the answer uniquely. If he has
the perseverance to see that in the present problem, the method goes
through, then only he gets the answer.
Problems where an equation can be solved only in an extreme case
are not uncommon. Indeed nearly all problems of trigonometric charac-
terisations of equilateral triangles are of this kind. (See Chapter 14.) As
a typical example, if ABC is a triangle, then an equation like
cos A + cos B + cos C = k (8)
does not determine the angles A, B, C uniquely. But the maximum value
k can take is
3
2
. And when k equals this extreme value, there is a unique
solution, viz. an equilateral triangle. The rst part of the present problem
can be looked at as a characterisation of an equilateral triangle. If ABC is
a triangle with circumcentre O and circumradius 1 (an essentially arbitrary
choice) and we let a =

OA,

b =

OB and c =

OC, then it is not hard to show

that these vectors satisfy the data in the problem if and only if the triangle
ABC is equilateral. Questions involving characterisations of equilateral
triangles are not suitable for an MCQ format because here the answer is
trivial to guess but not so trivial to prove. A candidate who has studied
such characterisations is likely to be prompted by the very symmetry of
the data to think that the triangle formed by the end points of the three
vectors (assuming they have a common origin) is equilateral. Unless he is
a scrupulous candidate, he will not bother to prove this. He will just take
it for granted. However, even after getting this, the last part does require
that two of the scalars in the given linear combination of a,

b, c are equal.
36
PAPER 2
Contents
Section I (Single Correct Choice Type)
Section II (Paragraph Type)
Section III (Multiple Correct Answers)
Single Correct Choice Type
This section contains eight multiple choice questions. Each question has 4
choices out of which ONLY ONE is correct. 4 points for a correct answer 1
for an incorrect one.
Q.21 Let a
1
, a
2
, a
3
, . . . be in harmonic progression with a
1
= 5 and a
20
= 25.
The least positive integer n for which a
n
< 0 is
(A) 22 (B) 23 (C) 24 (D) 25
Answer and Comments: (D). Problems on H.P.s are not as common
as those on A.P.s or G.P.s. One of the reasons is that unlike in the case
of an A.P. or G.P., there is no handy formula for the sum of an H.P. The
harmonic progressions are dened in terms of arithmetic ones. So the
standard approach to tackle any problem about numbers in an H.P. is to
consider the A.P. of their reciprocals.
So, we let
b
i
=
1
a
i
(1)
for i = 1, 2, . . . , 25. Then the bs are in an A.P. We are also given that
b
1
=
1
5
and b
20
=
1
25
(2)
Let the common dierence of this progression be d. Then we get
b
20
= b
1
+ 19d (3)
Substituting the values from (1), this gives an equation for d, biz.
19d =
1
25

1
5
=
4
25
(4)
which gives d =
4
475
. Therefore,
b
n
=
4(n 1)
475
+
1
5
=
96 4n
475
(5)
37
Clearly, a
n
and b
n
have the same signs. So, a
n
and hence b
n
is negative if
and only if
96 < 4n (6)
The least n for which this happens is n = 25.
A very straightforward problem. The problem is more about A.P.s
than H.P.s. But had it been asked about A.P.s it would be too easy. So
the paper-setters have given it a slight twist.
Q.22 Let (a) and (a) be the roots of the equation
(
3

1 +a 1)x
2
+ (

1 +a 1)x + (
6

a + 1 1) = 0
where a > 1. Then lim
a0
+
(a) and lim
a0
+
(a) are
(A)
5
2
and 1 (B)
1
2
and 1 (C)
7
2
and 2 (D)
9
2
Answer and Comments: (B). The problem involves a novel combina-
tion of the roots of a family of quadratic equations, parametrised by a
parameter (viz. a here) and their limits as this parameter tends to some
value. Such combinations are often baing to the average candidates. So,
the problem is a good test of a candidates ability to correctly understand
what the problem is all about.
An honest approach to solve the problem is to rst express (a)
and (a) as functions of a and then take the limits of these functions as
a 0
+
. The various fractional powers make the expression look ugly. So
we make a suitable substitution to make the expression look a little more
manageable. We put u =
6

a + 1. Then the quadratic becomes

(u
2
1)x
2
+ (u
3
1)x + (u 1) = 0 (1)
whose roots are
x =
(1 u
3
)
_
(u
3
1)
2
4(u
2
1)(u 1)
2(u
2
1)
(2)
If we want, we could express these in terms of the original parameter a.
A better way out, instead, is to work with u instead of a while nding the
limits of these roots. As a 0
+
, u 1
+
. So, our task is to nd the limits
of the two expressions in (2) as u 1
+
. This can be done easily even
without using the all time favourite lHopitals rule. We simply cancel the
vanishing factor (u 1) and get
x =
(u
2
+u + 1)
_
(u
2
+u + 1)
2
4(u + 1)
2
(3)
38
Then the limits are
3

9 8
2
, i.e.
1
2
and 1. (The data is insucient
to decide which one is the limit of (a) and which one (a). Nor does the
problem ask it.)
This gives the limits of the roots of the quadratic (1) as the parameter
u tends to 1+. But the operation of a limit commutes with many other
operations in mathematics. That is why we have theorems which can be
verbally expressed by statements like A limit of a sum is the sum of the
limits or The limit of a quotient is the quotient of the limits provided
the limit of the denominator is non-zero. We also have theorems which
assert that the limit of the sine is the sine of the limit, or more precisely,
if lim
xc
f(x) = L, then lim
xc
sin(f(x)) = sin L. Indeed this is equivalent to
saying that the sine function is continuous (at L). More generally the
result holds if we replace the sine function by any continuous function.
But the function has to be single valued. (Otherwise it is not a function
at all!)
If we allow an extension of such results even when we have multi-
valued functions, then we can give a shorter solution of the problem. Here
the roots of the quadratic (1) form a bivalued function of the parameter
u. We identied them separately and found their limits as u 0
+
. We
can as well interchange the two processes. That is, we rst take the limit
of the quadratic (1) as u 0
+
and then nd the roots of this limiting
quadratic. If we do this indiscriminately, the limiting quadratic comes out
to be 0x
2
+ 0x + 0 = 0. To avoid this degeneracy, we replace (1) by an
equivalent quadratic valid for u = 1, viz.
(u + 1)x
2
+ (u
2
+u + 1)x + 1 = 0 (4)
We now let u 1. Then the limiting quadratic is
2x
2
+ 3x + 1 = 0 (5)
whose roots are
2

9 8
4
, i.e.
1
2
and 1.
This alternate approach is certainly a short cut. But a rigorous proof
of its validity is beyond the JEE level. So, once again a candidate who
just assumes its validity gets rewarded.
Q.23 Four fair dice D
1
, D
2
, D
3
and D
4
each having six faces numbered 1,2,3,4,5
and 6 are rolled simultaneously. The probability that D
4
shows a number
appearing on one of D
1
, D
2
and D
3
is
(A)
91
216
(B)
108
216
(C)
125
216
(D)
127
216
Answer and Comments: (A). Supercially, this is a problem on proba-
bility. But since the desired probability is merely the ratio of the number
39
of favourable cases to the total number of cases, in reality it is a counting
problem. As the gures shown by the four dice are independent of each
other the total number of cases is 6
4
.
To nd the number of favourable cases, let x
i
denote the gure
shown by D
i
for i = 1, 2, 3, 4. We want the number of ordered quadruples
(x
1
, x
2
, x
3
, x
4
) with 1 x
i
6 (i = 1, 2, 3, 4) for which x
4
equals at least
one of x
1
, x
2
, x
3
. We resort to complementary counting, i.e. we count
the number of (ordered) quadruples (x
1
, x
2
, x
3
, x
4
) in which x
4
is dierent
from all x
1
, x
2
, x
3
and then subtract this number from 6
4
, the total number
of quadruples. Here x
4
can take six possible distinct values. For any xed
value of x
4
, the remaining three x
1
, x
2
, x
3
are free to take any of the ve
remaining values independently of each other. This they can do in 5
3
ways. So the number of unfavourable cases is 65
3
. Hence the number of
favourable cases is 6
4
65
3
, i.e. 6(6
3
5
3
) = 6(216125) = 691.
Therefore the desired probability is
6 91
6
4
=
91
216
.
Instead of using complementary courting, the number of favourable
cases could also have been obtained directly. But this resolves into several
cases depending upon how many and which of x
1
, x
2
, x
3
equals x
4
. The
complementary counting gives the answer is one shot. So, this is a simple
problem which rewards those who get the idea of using complementary
counting.
The language used in the question can be confusing. Some candidates
are likely to interpret one as exactly one. What is intended here is at
least one. Fortunately, in this problem the wrong interpretation would
give the answer as
75
216
which is not one of the alternatives. So that will
alert the candidate, but only after wasting some precious time. The best
thing is to word the question so as to leave no ambiguity.
Q.24 Let PQR be a triangle with area with a = 2, b =
7
2
and c =
5
2
, where
a, b, c are the lengths of the sides of the triangle opposite to angles at P, Q
and R respectively. Then
2 sinP sin 2P
2 sinP + sin 2P
equals
(A) =
3
4
(B) =
45
4
(C) =
_
3
4
_
2
(D) =
_
3
4
_
2
Answer and Comments: (C). Before tackling the problem, it is well
to comment the entertaining part of the notations used in its statement.
In the good old days, the triangle would invariably be taken as ABC
instead of PQR and then nobody needed to be told what a, b, c stood for.
The notation for the area of the triangle is also standard. When the
JEE became an MCQ test, this time honoured practice was changed, the
rationale apparently was that since the alternatives to the question are
40
also marked as (A), (B), (C), (D), the use of the same symbols to denote
anything else could confuse the candidates. It is doubtful if anybody would
really get confused for this reason!
Now coming to the problem itself, let us rst simplify the expression
to be evaluated.
2 sin P sin 2P
2 sin P + sin 2P
=
1 cos P
1 + cos P
=
2 sin
2 P
2
2 cos
2 P
2
= tan
2
P
2
(1)
There are numerous formulas for the various trigonometrical functions
of the angles of a triangle in terms of its sides. In the present problem,
there is an implicit hint that we should choose a formula which involves
the area . (The sides are given and they determine numerically. So,
there must be some purpose in giving all the alternatives in terms of
rather than as numbers.) One such formula is
tan
P
2
=

(s b)(s c)
s(s a)
(2)
where s is the semi-perimeter
1
2
(a +b + c). Combining this with another
well-known formula for the area, viz.
=
_
s(s a)(s b)(s c) (3)
we get
tan
P
2
=
(s b)(s c)

(4)
Squaring and putting b =
7
2
, c =
5
2
and s =
1
2
_
2 +
7
2
+
5
2
_
= 4, we get
tan
2
P
2
=
(1/2)
2
(3/2)
2

2
=
_
3
4
_
2
(5)
A straightforward problem once you get an idea which formula to use.
The hint for this is given in a subtle and an imaginative manner.
Q.25 If P is a 3 3 matrix such that P
T
= 2P +I, where P
T
is the transpose
of P and I is the 3 3 identity matrix, then there exists a column matrix
X =
_
_
x
y
z
_
_
=
_
_
0
0
0
_
_
such that
(A) PX =
_
_
0
0
0
_
_
(B) PX = X (C) PX = 2X (D) PX = X
41
Answer and Comments: (D). As P (and hence also P
T
) is a 3 3
matrix, the single matrix equation
P
T
= 2P +I (1)
is equivalent to a system of 9 equations obtained by matching the corre-
sponding entries of the matrices on both the sides. But to try to deter-
mine P this way would be cumbersome. Instead we use the fact that every
square matrix can be expressed uniquely as a sum of a symmetric and a
skew symmetric matrix. So, suppose
P = A +B (2)
where A is symmetric and B is skew symmetric. Then
P
T
= A
T
+B
T
= A B (3)
So, (1) becomes
A B = 2A+ 2B +I (4)
We rewrite this as
AI = 3B (5)
The L.H.S. is a symmetric while the R.H.S. is a skew symmetric matrix.
Hence both the sides equal the zero matrix of order 3. This gives
B = 0 and A = I (6)
which combined with (2) gives
P = I (7)
As a result, for every 3 1 matrix X,
PX = X (8)
Therefore (D) is true. In fact what we have proved is much stronger than
(D). (D) only requires some non-zero 31 matrix X for which PX = X.
Those familiar with eigenvalues will recognise (D) to mean that P has 1
as an eigenvalue. There are methods for nding eigenvalues of a square
matrix using determinants. But in this problem this is of little help.
Q.26 If a,

b are vectors such that |a +

b| =

29 and
a (2

i + 3

j + 4

k) = (2

i + 3

j + 4

k)

b
then a possible value of (a +

b) (7

i + 2

j + 3

k) is
42
(A) 0 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 8
Answer and Comments: (C). For brevity, denote the vector 2

i+3

j+4

k
by v. Then the given condition is
a v = v

b (1)
The R.H.S. equals

b v. So (1) gives
(a +

b) v =

0 (2)
which is equivalent to saying that a +

b is a scalar multiple of v, say

a +

b = v (3)
Taking lengths of both the sides
|a +

b| = |||v| (4)
The L.H.S. is given as

29. By a direct calculation |v| also comes out

to be

4 + 9 + 16 i.e.

29. So (4) gives || = 1 and hence = 1.

Therefore
a +

b = (2

i + 3

j + 4

k) (5)
and hence
(a +

b) (7

i + 2

j + 3

k) = (2

i + 3

j + 4

k) (7

i + 2

j + 3

k)
= (14 + 6 + 12) = 4 (6)
So there are two possible values of the given expression and one of them
is 4.
The problem is a simple but good test of the knowledge of the basic
properties of the cross product, specically, its anti-commutativity and
the condition for its vanishing. It is a pure coincidence that the value
of |a +

b| is given to be the same as |v|. Apparently, the paper-setters

wanted to keep the computations simple and thereby reward a candidate
who gets the conceptual part correctly. By using the words a possible
value instead of merely saying a value the paper-setters have made it
abundantly clear that there may be more than one correct answers but
only one of them is asked. This leaves no room for confusion in the mind
of the candidate.
Q.27 The equation of a plane passing through the line of intersection of the
planes x + 2y + 3z = 2 and x y +z = 3 and at a distance
2

3
from the
point (3, 1, 1) is
43
(A) 5x 11y +z = 17 (B)

2x +y = 3

2 1
(C) x +y +z =

3 (D) x

2y = 1

2
Answer and Comments: (A). The family of planes passing through
the line of intersection of two given planes is a 1-parameter family and the
equation of any member of it can be written by combining the equations
of these two planes. Thus, in the present problem, the desired plane will
have an equation of the form
(1 )(x + 2y + 3z 2) +(x y +z 3) = 0 (1)
for some real number . (See Chapter 9, Comment No. 13 for a discussion
about the analogous result in the plane for the equation of a line passing
through the point of intersection of two given lines. Often the coecient
(1 ) is dropped. But the danger in doing so is that we miss the second
plane and if it happens to be a right answer, we miss it too. So we work
with (1).) Rewriting it,
x + (2 3)y + (3 2)z 2 = 0 (2)
The distance of this plane from the point (3, 1, 1) is given to be
2

3
.
This gives us an equation for , viz.

3 + 2 3 + 2 3 2
_
1 + (2 3)
2
+ (3 2)
2

=
2

3
(3)
Squaring and simplifying

2
13
2
24 + 14
=
1
3
(4)
This becomes a quadratic in , viz.,
10
2
24 + 14 = 0 (5)
whose roots are
=
12

144 140
10
(6)
Hence = 1 or
7
5
. The rst possibility does give the second plane, viz.
x y + z = 3 as a possible answer. The second value, viz., =
7
5
, after
putting into (2) gives the plane
x
11
5
y +
1
5
z
17
5
= 0 (7)
44
which is the plane in (A). Technically, the problem is not wrong because
it asks for the equation of a plane with certain properties and the plane
in (A) meets the prescription. But in reality there are two such planes. It
would have been better to ask this question as an MCQ where more than
one alternatives may be correct and also give the equation of the second
plane as one of the alternatives.
What is really disturbing about this problem is that the majority of
the candidates would begin the solution by taking the parametrised family
of planes as
(x + 2y + 3z 2) +(x y +z 3) = 0 (8)
where is a real parameter. With this choice the resulting equation in
comes out to be
3
2
= 3
2
+ 4 + 14 (9)
which is a linear equation, with =
7
2
as the only solution. This solution
gives the plane in (A) correctly. But an analytically minded candidate
would realise that unless d = 0, there are two planes in the given family
which are at a distance d from a given point. He will then wonder which
is the other plane. It is only when he realises that the second of the given
two planes is also a right answer, that he would identify that the villain
was to use (8) instead of (1) which is the right thing.
It is hard to tell whether this possibility eluded the paper-setters
too. Probably it did, as otherwise, they would have asked the question
dierently. That is, they would have made it abundantly clear that one
of the answers given is only one of the possible answers to the problem,
as they did in framing the last question. As the problem stands, those
who miss the subtle dierence between (1) and (8) get unduly rewarded.
Ignorance is bliss!
Q.28 The value of the integral
_
/2
/2
_
x
2
+ ln
+ x
x
_
cos x dx is
(A) 0 (B)

2
2
4 (C)

2
2
+ 4 (D)

2
2
Answer and Comments: (B). When the integrand of a function splits
as the sum of two functions, the integral also splits as the sum of two
integrals. In the present case we can write the integral, say I as
I = I
1
+I
2
(1)
where
I
1
=
_
/2
/2
x
2
cos x dx (2)
45
and I
2
=
_
/2
/2
_
ln
+x
x
_
cos x dx (3)
Occasionally, in some tricky problems on integration, it is not a good idea
to split the integrand. Instead, it is easier to evaluate the integral as a
whole by some trick. See for example, the JEE 1983 problem in Comment
No. 24 of Chapter 17. But the present integral is not of this tricky type.
Here I
1
can be evaluated by a standard application of integration by parts.
So, the evaluation of I depends more on that of I
2
. Here no matter which
of the two factors of the integrand is taken as the rst function, integration
by parts will only lead to more complicated integrands. No substitution
suggests itself either. So, it is futile to try to evaluate I
2
by nding an
antiderivative of the integrand. Nor is it necessary. The integral asked
is a denite integral and as pointed out in Chapter 18, there are ways to
evaluate a denite integral taking advantage of some special features of
the problem such as the symmetry of the interval around 0 or some special
property of the integrand.
In the present problem, the interval of integration is symmetric
about the point 0. Further for any x in this interval,
+x
x
and
x
+x
are reciprocals of each other and so their logarithms are negatives of each
other. Therefore the rst factor of the integrand in (3) is an odd function.
The second factor, cos x, is an even function. So the integrand of I
2
is
an odd function over the interval [/2, /2] which is symmetric about 0.
Thus we get
I
2
= 0 (4)
without any computation. As for I
1
, the integrand is an even function of
x. So again by the symmetry of the interval of integration, we have
I
2
= 2
_
/2
0
x
2
cos x dx (5)
The integral on the R.H.S. can be evaluated by two standard applications
of integration by parts. First we nd the indenite integral.
_
x
2
cos x dx = x
2
sin x
_
2xsin x dx
= x
2
sin x + 2xcos x
_
2 cos x dx
= x
2
sin x + 2xcos x 2 sinx (6)
So, nally,
I = I
2
= 2x
2
sin x

/2
0
4xcos x

/2
0
4 sinx

/2
0
=

2
2
0 4 =

2
2
4 (7)
46
The only non-trivial part in the solution is to recognise that ln
+x
x
is an odd function of x. Thereafter the problem is a routine one.
SECTION II
Paragraph Type
This section contains three paragraphs each with two multiple choice ques-
tions. Each question has four possible answers out of which only one is correct.
3 marks for a correct answer, 1 for an incorrect one.
Paragraph for Question No.s 29 to 30
Let f(x) = (1 x)
2
sin
2
x +x
2
for all x IR and let
g(x) =
_
x
1
_
2(t 1)
t + 1
ln t
_
f(t)dt for all x (1, ).
Q.29 Which of the following is true?
(A) g is increasing on (1, )
(B) g is decreasing on (1, )
(C) g is increasing on (1, 2) and decreasing on (2, )
(D) g is decreasing on (1, 2) and increasing on (2, )
Answer and Comments: (B). By the second form of the fundamental
theorem of calculus, we have
g

(x) =
_
2(x 1)
x + 1
ln x
_
f(x) (1)
for all x (1, ). The factor f(x) is positive for all x (1, ). So the
sign of g

(x) depends only on that of the rst factor. Denote it by h(x).

The problem now reduces to deciding the sign of h(x) for x (0, ).
This is not easy if attempted directly because we would have to compare
a rational function with a logarithmic function. But it is easier to compare
their derivatives as they are both rational functions. Rewriting h(x) as
h(x) = 2
4
x + 1
ln x (2)
we have
h

(x) =
4
(x + 1)
2

1
x
=
(x 1)
2
x(x + 1)
2
(3)
which is negative for all x (1, ). Hence h is strictly decreasing on
(1, ). By a direct calculation, h(1) = 0. Therefore h(x) < h(1) = 0 for
47
all x (1, ). Hence g

(x) = h(x)f(x) is also negative for all x (1, )

making g strictly decreasing on (1, ).
The problem is straightforward except that the determination of the
sign of h(x) has to be done by taking its derivative.
Q.30 Consider the statements:
P : There exists some x IR such that f(x) + 2x = 2(1 +x
2
)
Q : There exists some x IR such that 2f(x) + 1 = 2x(1 +x)
Then
(A) both P and Q are true (B) P is true and Q is false
(C) P is false and Q is true (D) both P and Q are false
Answer and Comments: (C). Let us rst consider statement P. The
given equality means
(1 x)
2
sin
2
x +x
2
+ 2x = 2 + 2x
2
(4)
which reduces to
(1 x)
2
sin
2
x = (x 1)
2
+ 1 (5)
and further, to
(1 x)
2
cos
2
x = 1 (6)
As the L.H.S. is always non-negative, there can be no solution to (4). So
the statement P is false.
As for the statement Q, the given equality means
2(x 1)
2
sin
2
x + 2x
2
+ 1 = 2x + 2x
2
(7)
i.e.
p(x) = 0 (8)
where
p(x) = 2(x 1)
2
sin
2
x 2x + 1 (9)
Suppose x > 0. When sin
2
x = 0, p(x) equals 2x+1 which is negative for
x > 1/2. But when sin
2
x = 1, p(x) = 2(x 1)
2
2x +1 which is positive
for x suciently large. Thus we see that p(x) assumes both positive and
negative values on IR. Clearly p(x) is continuous everywhere. Therefore
by the Intermediate Value Property of continuous functions, p(x) vanishes
at least once in IR. Hence the statement Q is true. (Actually, p(x) has
48
many zeros, for example, the reasoning above gives that it has a zero in
every interval of the form [n, n +/2] for every positive integer n. But,
for the truth of the statement Q, all we need is one zero.)
The part of the problem involving the statement Q is more interesting
because it takes merely a glance to see that p(x) can assume both positive
and negative values.
Paragraph for Question No.s 31 to 32
Let a
n
denote the number of all n-digit positive integers formed by the digits
0 and 1 or both such that no consecutive digits in them are 0. Let b
n
be the
number of such n-digit integers ending with digit 1 and c
n
be the number of
such n-digit integers ending with digit 0.
Q.31 Which of the following is correct?
(A) a
17
= a
16
+a
15
(B) c
17
= c
16
+c
15
(C) b
17
= b
16
+c
16
(D) a
17
= c
17
+b
16
Answer and Comments: (A). Evidently, there is nothing great about
the subscript 17. The statements could as well have been made about
a
n
, b
n
and c
n
for any n 3. Let us, in fact, do that. It is often easier to
think of something for a general n, than for a particular value of n.
When we talk of the number of digits of a positive integer, there is
some ambiguity as to whether the leading 0s are to be counted or not.
We proceed on the assumption that the leading zeros do not count. As
the only digits allowed are 0 and 1, an n-digit number must begin with
a 1 as its rst or topmost digit. (Caution: Here by rst, we mean as we
go from left to right. Sometimes, by the rst digit one means just the
opposite, i.e. the digit in the units place.)
With this clarication, we now introduce certain sets. Thus for every
positive integer n, let A
n
be the set of all n-digit number in which no two
consecutive digits are 0, B
n
be the set of those members of A
n
in which
the last digit is 1 and C
n
be the set of those members of A
n
which end
with 0. Obviously, |A
n
| = a
n
, |B
n
| = n and |C
n
| = c
n
. Further, it is clear
that A
n
is the disjoint union of B
n
and C
n
. So, we have
a
n
= b
n
+c
n
(1)
for every n = 1, 2, 3, . . .. Now suppose n 2 and take a typical member
x = (1x
2
. . . x
n1
1) of B
n
. If we remove the last digit 1, then the (n 1)-
digit number (1x
2
. . . x
n1
) is in A
n1
. Conversely, from any number in
49
A
n1
we get a number in B
n
by appending a 1 at the end. This gives us
a bijection between B
n
and A
n1
. Therefore
b
n
= a
n1
(2)
However, if x = (1x
2
x
3
. . . x
n1
0) C
n
, then x
n1
has to be 1 (as oth-
erwise the last two digits of x will both be 0). Hence the (n 1)-digit
number (1x
2
x
3
. . . x
n2
1) lies in B
n1
. Conversely, from every number in
B
n1
we get a number in C
n
by appending a 0 at the end. This gives us
a bijection between C
n
and B
n1
and hence
c
n
= b
n1
(3)
For n 3 we can combine (1), (2) and (3) to get
a
n
= b
n
+c
n
= a
n1
+b
n1
= a
n1
+a
n2
(4)
We now get (A) as a special case, with n = 17. As only one of the
alternatives is given to be correct, we need not bother about the others.
Still, for the sake of completeness we point out that in view of (2) and (3)
the sequences {b
n
} and {c
n
} also satisfy the same recurrence relation as
{a
n
}. That renders (B) false. Replacing c
16
by b
15
we see that (C) is also
false. Finally, replacing a
17
by b
17
+c
17
we see that for (D) to be true, we
must have b
17
= b
16
. But that is not true.
The recurrence relation (4) satised by the sequence {a
n
} is the
well-known Fibonacci relation. As commented in Exercise (5.17), it arises
naturally in many combinatorial problems. The present problem is also
strikingly similar to the JEE 2000 problem in Comment No. 14 of Chapter
22. Indeed, if the coin in that problem is fair (i.e. p =
1
2
), then the
probability p
n
is that problem is precisely
a
n+1
2
n
where a
n
is as in this
problem.
Q.32 The value of b
6
is
(A) 7 (B) 8 (C) 9 (D) 11
Answer and Comments:. (B). We already proved that b
n
= a
n1
for
all n > 1. So it suces to calculate a
5
. For this we repeatedly use the
recurrence relation (4). But we have to feed the initial values a
1
and a
2
rst. Clearly a
1
= 1 and a
2
= 2 because A
2
= {11, 10}. So successive
applications of (4) give a
3
= a
1
+ a
2
= 1 + 2 = 3 and a
4
= a
2
+ a
3
=
2 + 3 = 5. Finally, a
5
= a
3
+a
4
= 3 + 5 = 8. This is also the value of b
6
.
Although this solution is simple enough, those who recognise (4) as
the Fibonacci relation and also recognise that a
1
and a
2
are the Fibonacci
numbers 1 and 2 will realise that all subsequent terms of the sequence
{a
n
} are Fibonacci numbers. The rst few Fibonacci numbers, viz. 1, 2,
50
3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ... are quite well-known. As (B) is the only answer with a
Fibonacci number, it must be the right one without doing any calculation.
Finally, if we count leading zeros too, then an n-digit number with only
0 and 1 as possible digits is nothing but a binary sequence of length n,
with no restriction on the rst term. With this interpretation, the values
of a
n
, b
n
and c
n
will come out to be the values of a
n+1
, b
n+1
and c
n+1
with the present interpretation, because if we take any member of A
n+1
and remove the leading 1, we get a binary sequence of length n with no
consecutive zeros and conversely, if we start with such a sequence and
put a 1 in front we get a member of A
n+1
. With this new interpretation,
there would be no change in the answer to Q.31. But in Q.32, the value
of b
6
will not be 8 but rather the next Fibonacci number after 8, that is
5+8, i.e. 13. Since this is not in any given alternatives, that will alert the
candidate that his interpretation of the problem was wrong.
Paragraph for Question No.s 33 and 34
A tangent PT is drawn to the circle x
2
+ y
2
= 4 at the point P(

3, 1). A
straight line L, perpendicular to PT is a tangent to the circle (x3)
3
+y
2
= 1.
Q.33 A common tangent of the two circles is
(A) x = 4 (B) y = 2 (C) x +

3y = 4 (D) x + 2

2y = 6
Answer and Comments: (D). Call the rst circle ac C
1
and the second
as C
2
. Their centres, say O and C, lie at (0, 0) and (3, 0) respectively, while
their radii, say r
1
and r
2
are 2 and 1 respectively. Since OC = 3 = r
1
+r
2
,
the two circles touch each other externally at the point (2, 0). So, the line
O
P
T
A
B
C
D
L
51
x = 2 is their internal common tangent. Since both the centres lie on the
x-axis, the two common external tangents must meet at some point, say
B, on the x-axis. This point divides the segment OC externally in the
ratio r
1
: r
2
, i.e. in the ratio 2 : 1. This determines the point B as (6, 0).
Among the given alternatives, the line in (D) is the only one which passes
through the point (6, 0). Therefore (D) is the right answer. Nevertheless,
to arrive at it honestly, we must nd the slopes of the common tangents.
For this, suppose one of the common tangents touches the circle C
1
at D.
Then from the right angled triangle ODB, we get
tan

OBD =
OD
DB
=
2

OB
2
OD
2
=
2

36 4
=
2
4

2
=
1
2

2
(5)
Therefore the slopes of the two common external tangents are
1
2

2
. As
they pass through the point (6, 0) their equations are
x 2

2y = 6 (6)
Q.34 A possible equation of L is
(A) x

3y = 1 (B) x +

3y = 1
(C) x

y = 1 (D) x +

y = 5
Answer and Comments: (A). Let us rst nd the equation of the
tangent to the rst circle C
1
at P(

3, 1). This is obtained from the

popular formula T = 0, which gives

3x +y = 4 (7)
The line L is perpendicular to this and hence has slope
1

3
. Also L
touches C
2
. We can now nd the equation of L from the formula for the
equation of a tangent to a conic in terms of its slope. But in the present
case, as the conic is a circle, there is an easier geometric way out. Since
L has slope
1

3
, its equation is of the form
x

3y +c = 0 (8)
To determine c, we equate the perpendicular distance of the center (3, 0)
from (8) with the radius, which is 1. This gives

3 +c

1 + 3

= 1 (9)
i.e. |c + 3| = 2 which has two solutions, c = 5 and c = 1. So the
possible equations of L are x

3y = 1 and x

3y = 5.
52
SECTION III
Multiple Correct Answer(s) Type
This section contains six questions with four answers to each, out of which
one or more may be correct. 4 points for identifying all correct answers, 0
otherwise.
Q.35 If the adjoint of a 33 matrix P is

1 4 4
2 1 7
1 1 3

, then the possible value(s)

of the determinant of P is (are)
(A) 2 (B) 1 (C) 1 (D) 2
Answer and Comments: (A, D). It is futile to try to nd the matrix
P from its adjoint. Doing so would require us to solve a system of 9
equations in 9 unknowns. And to make things worse, these equations are
not linear! So, we look for some other method. We observe that our job
is not so much to nd the matrix P but merely to nd its determinant,
say D. Now, there is a relationship between the determinant of P and its
adjoint. For an n n matrix P it is given by
QP = DI
n
(1)
where Q is the adjoint matrix of P. (Sometimes, Q itself is called the
adjoint of P. But in the present problem the adjoint is to be treated as a
number and so it equals the determinant of the adjoint matrix Q.) Taking
determinants of both the sides,
det(Q)det(P) = D
n
(2)
The second factor on the L.H.S. is simply D (which we want to nd in
the present problem). The rst factor is called the adjoint of P and in the
present problem given to us as the determinant

1 4 4
2 1 7
1 1 3

whose value
comes out to be 4 by a direct expansion. Taking determinants of both the
sides in (1) (and keeping in mind that n = 3), we have
4D = D
3
(3)
This has three roots, D = 0, 1 and 1. Two of these are included in the
answers. The value 0 is not given as a possible answer and so we need
not bother about it. But if it were given as one of the alternatives, we
would have to dismiss it. (Note that it is not given in the statement of the
problem that the matrix P is non-singular.) This is easy but not trivial.
We go back to equation (1). If D = 0 then the R.H.S. would be the zero
matrix 0 and we would get
QP = 0 (4)
53
But Q is non-singular (as its determinant is non-zero) and so Q
1
exists.
Multiplying by it on the left gives
P = I
n
P = Q
1
QP = Q
1
0 = 0 (5)
But this is a contradiction because if P is the zero matrix so would be Q.
Thus we have eliminated the possibility D = 0. Most candidates
will either not see the need for doing so or will simply take it for granted.
(In fact, some people go to the extent of saying that the adjoint always
equals D
n1
. Although this is true, the proof needed for D = 0 is dierent
from that when D = 0.) So, once again the scrupulous candidate gets a
beating. That mars this otherwise excellent question.
Q.36 If the straight lines
x 1
2
=
y + 1
k
=
z
2
and
x + 1
5
=
y + 1
2
=
z
2
are coplanar then the plane(s) containing these two lines is (are)
(A) y + 2z = 1 (B) y +z = 1 (C) y z = 1 (D) y 2z = 1
Answer and Comments: (B, C). The wording of the problem is a little
confusing. If two (distinct) lines are given to be coplanar, then there is
only one plane containing them. So the possible plural in the answer can
be confusing. The catch here is that the value of k is not specied. It is an
unknown parameter which can take any non-zero real value. (Even k = 0
is allowed with the understanding that in that case one of the equations
for the rst line is y = 1 and that for the second line is z = 0.) As the
value of k changes, the given lines will change and so will their coplanarity.
Thus rst we have to determine those values of k for which the given lines
are coplanar and then for each such value nd the equation of the (unique)
plane containing them.
Let us do both these tasks simultaneously. Call the two lines as L
1
and L
2
. (Strictly speaking, we should call them L
1
(k) and L
2
(k) since
they depend on k. But let us not be so fussy.) Also, in case they are
coplanar, let the (unique) plane containing them be given by
ax +by +cz = d (1)
(where again, a, b, c, d depend on k). The parametric equations of L
1
and
L
2
are, respectively,
x = 1 + 2t, y = 1 +kt, z = 2t (2)
and x = 1 + 5s, y = 1 + 2s, z = ks (3)
The plane (1) will contain the line L
1
if and only if the equation
a(1 + 2t) +b(1 +kt) +c(2t) = d (4)
54
is true for all t. This means that it must vanish identically, which gives
2a +kb + 2c = 0 (5)
and a b = d (6)
Similarly, if (1) contains the line L
2
then we get
s(5a + 2b +kc) a b = d (7)
for all s which means
5a + 2b +kc = 0 (8)
and a b = d (9)
(6) and (9) together imply a = 0 and d = b. Putting these values into
(5) and (8) and eliminating b gives
4c = k
2
c (10)
Note that c = 0. For if c = 0, then since already a = 0, from (8) we would
get b = 0 and then (1) will not represent a plane. So, from (10) we get
k
2
= 4 and hence k = 2. Thus there are only two values of k for which
the given lines are coplanar. To nd the equation of the plane containing
them, for k = 2, (5) gives c = b. Since d = b, and b = 0, equation (1)
becomes
y z = 1 (11)
while for k = 2, (5) gives c = b and hence the equation (1) becomes
y +z = 1 (12)
The problem can be done a little more elegantly if we use vectors. Let
A and B, be repsetively, the points (1, 1, 0) and (1, 1, 0). These are
given to lie on L
1
and L
2
respectively. Further let u = 2

i + k

j + 2

k and
v = 5

i +2

j +k

k. (It is a little unfortunate that k appears twice. But one

of the appearances is a scalar and the other a vector. So no confusion is
likely.) These vectors are parallel to the lines L
1
and L
2
respectively.
Now suppose there is some plane, say P, which contains both L
1
and
L
2
. Then the vectors u, v are parallel to P. Further, since P contains
both A and B, the vector

AB is also parallel to P. Therefore the scalar

triple product of these three vectors must vanish. That is,

2 0 0
2 k 2
5 2 k

= 0 (13)
55
which is simply k
2
= 4. Hence k = 2. So for these two values of k the
lines L
1
and L
2
are coplanar. To nd the equations of the plane containing
them, we note that the vector u v is normal to this plane. For k = 2,
u v = (2

i + 2

j + 2

k) (5

i + 2

j + 2

k) = 6

j 6

k. Since A = (1, 1, 0) is
a point in this plane, its equation is
((x 1)

i + (y + 1)

j +z

k) (6

j 6

k) = 0 (14)
which comes out as y z = 1. A similar computation for k = 2 gives
u v = (2

i 2

j + 2

k) (5

i + 2

j 2

k) = 14

j + 14

k. So, the equation of

the plane containing L
1
and L
2
is
((x 1)

i + (y + 1)

j +z

k) (14

j + 14

k) = 0 (15)
which comes out as y +z = 1.
This is an interesting problem, except for its somewhat confusing
statement. Moreover, no matter which method is followed, the compu-
tations involved are lengthy and prone to errors. The question would be
suitable as a full length question in the classical JEE.
Q.37 If f(x) =
_
x
0
e
t
2
(t 2)(t 3)dt for all x (0, ), then
(A) f has a local maximum at x = 2
(B) f is decreasing on (2, 3)
(C) there exists some c (0, ) such that f

(c) = 0
(D) f has a local minimum at x = 3
Answer and Comments: (A, B, C, D). The setting of the problem is
similar to that of Q. 29. In both these problems, a function is dened by a
denite integral and its properties are asked. But these properties require
the derivative of this function, which, by the second form of the funda-
mental theorem of calculus, equals the integrand itself. So the question
is really about the integrand. The twist given by considering a function
dened by an integral only serves to test if the candidate can correctly ap-
ply the second FTC. But similar questions have been asked so frequently
in the past that hardly any originality of thought is tested. Applying it is
more of a ritual. It is bad enough to have to do it once. But to have to
do it twice in the same paper beats reason.
Now, coming to the question itself, by the second form of FTC, we
have
f

(x) = e
x
2
(x 2)(x 3) (1)
for all x (0, ). All alternatives except possibly (C) involve the in-
creasing/decreasing behaviour of f and hence the sign of f

on various
56
subintervals of (0, ). The exponential factor is always positive. So, the
sign of f

(x) is the same as that of (x 2)(x 3) which is positive for

x < 2 and x > 3 and negative for 2 < x < 3. So f is increasing on
(, 2), decreasing on (2, 3) and again increasing on (3, ). Therefore
(A), (B), (D) are all true. As for (C), since f

is the derivative of f

, the
existence of the point c will follow from Rolles theorem, if we could nd
two distinct points, say a, b (0, ) such that f

(a) = f

(b). This is very

easy. As f has a local maximum at x = 2 and a local minimum at x = 3,
f

vanishes at both these points. So there is some c (2, 3) at which f

vanishes. Since (2, 3) (0, ), (C) is also true.

Q.38 Let X and Y be two events such that P(X|Y ) =
1
2
, P(Y |X) =
1
3
and
P(X Y ) =
1
6
. Which of the following is (are) correct?
(A) P(X Y ) =
2
3
(B) X and Y are independent
(C) X and Y are not independent (D) P(X
c
Y ) =
1
3
Answer and Comments: (A, B). A straightforward problem on con-
ditional probability, requiring little more than Bayes theorem. The rst
two pieces of data mean, respectively,
P(X Y )
P(Y )
=
1
2
(1)
and
P(X Y )
P(X)
=
1
3
(2)
As we are also given
P(X Y ) =
1
6
(3)
from (1) and (2) we get
P(Y ) =
1
3
and P(X) =
1
2
(4)
We now have all the data to nd the probabilities occurring in the given
answers.
P(X Y ) = P(X) +P(Y ) P(X Y ) =
1
2
+
1
3

1
6
=
2
3
(5)
which shows that (A) is true. To test (B), we need to check if P(XY ) =
P(X)P(Y ). From the values we now, this is the case. So, (B) is also true
and hence (C), which is the negation of (B) is false. Finally,
P(X
c
Y ) = P(Y ) P(X Y ) =
1
3

1
6
=
1
6
(6)
which shows that (D) is false too.
57
Q.39 For every integer n, let a
n
and b
n
be real numbers. Let f : IR IR be
given by
f(x) =
_
a
n
+ sin x, for x [2n, 2n + 1]
b
n
+ cos x, for x (2n 1, 2n)
, for all integers n.
If f is continuous, then which of the following hold(s) for all n ?
(A) a
n1
b
n1
= 0 (B) a
n
b
n
= 1
(C) a
n
b
n+1
= 1 (D) a
n1
b
n
= 1
Answer and Comments: (B, D). This is one of the problems which
are hard to understand but once you understand them are very easy to
solve (like somebody asking you to give the name of your fathers mother-
in-laws daughter!). The sine and the cosine functions are continuous
everywhere. So, continuity of f at non-integral values means nothing
new. But for every integer n, f has a dierent denition on the two sides
of n and so continuity of f at n means that the left and the right handed
limits are equal to f(n).
Now x some integer n. Then on the immediate right of 2n, f(x) =
a
n
+ sinx while on its immediate left, f(x) = b
n
+ cos x. Therefore,
lim
x2n
+
f(x) = = lim
x2n
+
a
n
+ sin x = a
n
+ 0 = a
n
(1)
while lim
x2n

f(x) = lim
x2n

b
n
+ cos x = b
n
+ 1 (2)
So, continuity of f at x = 2n gives
a
n
= b
n
+ 1 (3)
which means (B) is true and also that (A) is false. . On the other hand,
for x = 2n + 1, f(x) = a
n
+ sin x on the immediate left of 2n + 1 while
on its immediate right it equals b
n+1
+cos x. (Note that it is not b
n
but
b
n+1
here. This is the only catch in the problem.) So,
lim
x(2n+1)
+
f(x) = lim
x(2n+1)
+
b
n+1
+ cos x = b
n+1
1 (4)
while lim
x(2n+1)

f(x) = lim
x(2n+1)

a
n
+ sin x = a
n
(5)
So, continuity of f at x = 2n + 1 gives
a
n
= b
n+1
1 (6)
Replacing n by n 1 this means a
n1
b
n
= 1. So (D) is true and (C) is
false.
This is a good problem to test a candidates ability to understand
a problem. Once he understands it correctly, the computational work
involved is minimal. Such problems are ideal for multiple choice tests.
58
Q.40 Let f : (1, 1) IR be such that
f(cos 4) =
2
2 sec
2

for
_
0,

4
_

4
,

2
_
. Then the value(s) of f
_
1
3
_
is (are)
(A) 1
_
3
2
(B) 1 +
_
3
2
(C) 1
_
2
3
(D) 1 +
_
2
3
Answer and Comments: (A, B, C, D). The problem is wrongly de-
signed. Suppose x (1, 1). Then f(x) is not given explicitly. To nd
it out, we must rst express x as cos 4 for some
_
0,

4
_

4
,

2
_
.
Now, as varies from 0 to /4, cos 4 varies from 1 to 1 in a one-to-one
manner. But as varies over (/4, /2), then cos 4 again varies from
1 to 1 in a one-to-one manner. So, for each xed x (1, 1) there are
two distinct values of in
_
0,

4
_

4
,

2
_
for which cos 4 = x. One of
these values, say , lies in (0, /4) and the other, say , lies in (/4, /2).
These two values are related to each other by
+ =

2
(1)
From the formula in the problem, f(x) would equal both
2
2 sec
2

and
2
2 sec
2

. This means sec

2
= sec
2
and hence
cos = cos (2)
But (2) does not follow from (1). All that we get from (1) is that cos =
sin and sin is dierent from cos or cos for all (/4, /2).
So the data of the problem can never hold. In such a case, any statement
you make about the function f is true by a quirk of logic, because there
is no counterexample to show its falsity, just as anything you say about a
six legged man is true. (Truth of this kind is called vacuous truth. See
Exercise (17.22)(a) for another example of a vacuous question. The 2003
problem about a 33 matrix with positive entries which is its own inverse
is also vacuous, because no such matrix exists.)
Actually, the idea of a function is extraneous to the main theme of
the problem which is purely trigonometrical. The problem could have
asked for the possible value(s) of the expression
2
2 sec
2

given that
_
0,

4
_

4
,

2
_
and cos 4 =
1
3
. Assuming that this is what the paper-
setters had in mind, a solution can be given as follows.
59
We are given something about cos 4 and the expression to be evaluated
is in terms of cos . It is possible to express cos 4 in terms of cos . But the
expression is a fourth degree polynomial in cos and nding the value(s)
of cos from the value of cos 4 is not easy. So we follow a meet half way
strategy so to speak. That is, instead of coming down all the way from
4 to we come down from 4 to 2 and also go up from to 2. More
precisely, from the data cos 4 =
1
3
, we determine the possible values of
cos 2. We also convert the expression to be evaluated (which is given
in terms of ) to an expression in cos 2. Then we simply substitute the
value(s) of cos 2.
The rst task is easy. Since cos 4 = 2 cos
2
2 1, we get
2 cos
2
= 1 +
1
3
=
4
3
(3)
which gives
cos 2 =
_
2
3
(4)
Next, let us simplify the expression to be evaluated.
2
2 sec
2

=
2 cos
2

2 cos
2
1
=
1 + cos 2
cos 2
= 1 +
1
cos 2
(5)
(4) and (5) together imply
2
2 sec
2

= 1
_
3
2
(6)
So (A) and (B) are correct answers.
The trigonometric part of the question is interesting because of the
meet half way strategy the candidate has to think of. By unnecessarily
twisting it and recasting it in terms of functional values, the paper-setters
have killed a good problem.
60
CONCLUDING REMARKS
As in the past years, the JEE Mathematics papers this year are a collage of
all kinds of problems. But this year, the proportion of good problems is fairly
impressive. We mention here Q. 1 (about the asymptotic estimation of a rational
function), Q.5 (about the ratio of the determinants of two related matrices),
Q. 8 (about the dierentiability of x
2
cos

x
), Q.12 (about the estimation of the
denite integral
_
1
0
e
x
2
dx), Q.18 (about a number dened by an innitistic
process), Q.19 (about the number of local extrema of |x| + |x
2
1|), Q.20
(about solving a vector equation in an extreme case), Q. 22 (about the limits
of the roots of a parametrised quadratic equation), Q.23 (which can be done
elegantly using complementary probability), Q.24 (about solving a triangle with
an imaginative hint for the answer), Q.25 (about a matrix whose transpose can
be expressed as a function of that matrix), Q.26 (based on simple properties of
the cross product of vectors), Q.31 and 32 (about getting a recurrence relation
for the number of n-digit integers), Q.35 (where the adjoint of a matrix but not
the matrix is given), and Q.39 (involving limits of sin x and cos x). Q.36 is
a good question about coplanarity of two lines but is marred by the confusing
wording. Q. 40 would also have been a good question about evaluating an
expression in cos given the value of cos 4. But the unnecessary twist given to
it has made the question mathematically wrong.
There are several questions where the work demanded is more than can be
reasonably expected given the time available. These include Q.7 (about nding
a certain locus), Q.12 (about the estimation of the integral
_
1
0
e
x
2
dx), Q. 14
(where a linear dierential equation has to be solved and much more to be done)
and Q.36 (about coplanar lines). The work involved in Q.10 is also substantial
since it is not given that the second ellipse has its axes along the coordinate axes.
Those who simply assume this to be the case get unfairly rewarded. In fact,
there are several other questions where scruples do not pay. These include Q.13
(where a relationship between two angles and is given), Q.22 (asking for
the limits of the roots of a parametrised quadratic equation) and Q.35 (about
the adjoint of a matrix). In such questions those who are blissfully unaware
that their claims need some justication are rewarded. Q.27 (where we have to
identify a member of a one-parameter family of planes) is technically correct as
it stands. But it also gives an unfair advantage to those who take the popular
but incomplete parametrisation of the family of planes because what they miss
does not aect the answer. On the contrary, those who start with the correct
parametrisation will be baed that there are two correct answers to the problem
and will have to resolve the diculty by resorting not so much to mathematics as
to English grammar! An element of luck is involved in Q.17 where the solution
requires that you guess a root of a certain cubic equation.
There are some questions inherently unsuitable to be asked as MCQs be-
cause sneak methods are possible. These include Q.3 (about nding an an-
61
tiderivative of a given function) and Q.5 (about the ratio of two related deter-
minants). In Q. 32 (about nding a certain number) those who realise that the
number asked is a Fibonacci number get the answer without doing any work.
Q.4 (about combinatorics) is a straight repetition of a JEE 1981 problem.
Q.28 (about evaluation of denite integrals of even and odd functions) has little
novelty in it since very similar questions have been asked many times in the
past. The paper-setters are helpless in this regard because of the constraints on
the credit to be awarded to a question. The charm of novel, full length questions
simply cannot exist in the present setting.
The paper-setters have given only a lip service to complex numbers by asking
just one, uninspiring question (Q.6). Areas like number theory, binomial the-
orem (forget about binomial identities) and innite series are totally omitted.
This could be due partly to the reduction in the number of questions to 20 in
each paper. But another reason is the duplication of ideas in several questions.
There was no point in asking two questions (Q.11 and Q.38) on conditional
probability. One of them could have been replaced by a good problem on prob-
ability involving some real life situation. The two problems based on the second
Fundamental Theorem of Calculus are also almost replicas of each other.
Overall the paper is reasonable. Given the constraints they are subject to,
the paper-setters have managed to come up with a fair number of good problems.