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The sum of the 3$$^{rd}$$ and the 4$$^{th}$$ terms of a G.P. is 60 and the product of its first three terms is 1000. If the first term of this G.P. is positive, then its 7$$^{th}$$ term is:
Let us denote the first term of the geometric progression (G.P.) by $$a$$ and its common ratio by $$r$$.
For a G.P., the $$n^{\text{th}}$$ term is given by the well-known formula $$T_n = a\,r^{\,n-1}$$. Hence
$$T_3 = a\,r^{\,3-1}=a\,r^2 \quad\text{and}\quad T_4 = a\,r^{\,4-1}=a\,r^3.$$
According to the first piece of information, the sum of the third and the fourth terms equals 60:
$$T_3 + T_4 = 60 \;\Longrightarrow\; a\,r^2 + a\,r^3 = 60.$$
We can factor out the common part $$a\,r^2$$ from the left-hand side:
$$a\,r^2\,(1 + r) = 60. \cdots(1)$$
Next, we are told that the product of the first three terms is 1000. The first three terms are $$a,\; a\,r,\; a\,r^2,$$ so their product is
$$a \times a\,r \times a\,r^2 = a^3\,r^3.$$
Setting this equal to 1000 gives
$$a^3\,r^3 = 1000. \cdots(2)$$
From equation (2) we can take the real cube root on both sides. Because $$1000 = 10^3,$$ we obtain
$$a\,r = 10. \cdots(3)$$
Now we return to equation (1). First observe that
$$a\,r^2 = (a\,r)\,r.$$
Using the value from (3), namely $$a\,r = 10,$$ we substitute this into equation (1):
$$10\,r\,(1 + r) = 60.$$
Dividing every term by 10 simplifies the equation:
$$r\,(1 + r) = 6.$$
Expanding gives
$$r + r^2 = 6.$$
Re-writing in standard quadratic form,
$$r^2 + r - 6 = 0.$$
We factor this quadratic expression:
$$(r + 3)(r - 2) = 0.$$
Hence the possible values of the common ratio are
$$r = -3 \quad\text{or}\quad r = 2.$$
We must now examine the sign of $$a$$. From equation (3) we have $$a = \dfrac{10}{r}.$$
If $$r = -3,$$ then $$a = \dfrac{10}{-3} = -\dfrac{10}{3},$$ which is negative. Because the problem states that the first term is positive, this value of $$r$$ is not admissible.
Therefore we select
$$r = 2.$$
Substituting $$r = 2$$ into equation (3) immediately yields the first term:
$$a = \dfrac{10}{2} = 5.$$
We are now asked to find the seventh term $$T_7$$. Using the general term formula again,
$$T_7 = a\,r^{\,7-1} = a\,r^6.$$
With $$a = 5$$ and $$r = 2$$, we calculate
$$T_7 = 5 \times 2^6 = 5 \times 64 = 320.$$
Hence, the correct answer is Option A.
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