IPMAT Indore 2026 · Quantitative Ability · Question 37

IPMAT Indore 2026 previous year question on Tables, with the answer and a step-by-step solution.

TablesData InterpretationMultiple choiceMedium

Set 2: Nutritionist’s diet plan – Calcium, Iron and Protein — this question belongs to a set. Read the full set with all 5 questions →

A nutritionist is designing a daily diet plan of a person using five food items: Milk, Spinach, Almonds, Oats, and Rice. The Minimum Daily Requirement (MDR) of the nutrients Calcium, Iron and Protein should be 1100 mg, 15 mg, and 40 g, respectively. The following table gives nutrient content per serving of each food item:

Food item	Calcium (mg)	Iron (mg)	Protein (g)
Milk	300	0	8
Spinach	90	6	3
Almonds	210	4	6
Oats	120	3	5
Rice	50	1	4

Each serving provides a certain percentage of the MDR. For example, one serving of milk satisfies 20% of MDR of Protein. Further, the number of servings of any food item should be a whole number.

If only x servings of Milk and y servings of Rice are included in the diet plan, then the minimum value of x+y that will satisfy the MDR of all three nutrients is

A
24
B
17
C
15
D
22

Pick an option, then check.

Answer & solution

Answer: Option B

Step 1 — write the three requirements. Milk gives \left( 300,\,0,\,8 \right) and Rice gives \left( 50,\,1,\,4 \right) per serving:

\text{Calcium:}300x+50y\ge 1100

\text{Iron:}0x+1y\ge 15

\text{Protein:}8x+4y\ge 40

Step 2 — the iron row decides y immediately. Milk contains no iron, so all 15 mg must come from rice:

y\ge 15

Step 3 — now use calcium. With y=15:

300x+750\ge 1100 \Rightarrow 300x\ge 350 \Rightarrow x\ge 1.17 \Rightarrow x=2

(servings must be whole numbers)

Step 4 — check protein.

8\left( 2 \right)+4\left( 15 \right)=16+60=76 \ge 40 ✓

Step 5 — total.

x+y=2+15=17

Worth noting: \left( x,y \right)=\left( 1,16 \right) also works and also totals 17 — calcium comes to exactly 300+800=1100. Either way the minimum is 17.

Answer: Option 2 — 17

Shortcut. Milk’s zero in the iron column is the whole question: it forces y\ge 15 before you look at anything else. Then calcium needs only one or two servings of milk, and protein is never binding.

IPMAT Indore 2026 · Quantitative Ability · Question 37

More Tables questions