IPM Indore 2025 Question Paper

Let's analyse the percentage monthly decline in sales for the months provided in the options compared to the previous month.

1. June

The Apparel sales in June were 230 lakhs of rupees, down from 249 lakhs in May. The percentage decrease was $$\dfrac{249-230}{249}\times 100 = 7.63\%$$

2. March

The Apparel sales in March were 236 lakhs of rupees, down from 279 lakhs in February. The percentage decrease was $$\dfrac{279-236}{279}\times 100 = 15.41\%$$

3. December

The Apparel sales in December were 221 lakhs of rupees, down from 228 lakhs in November. The percentage decrease was $$\dfrac{228-221}{228}\times 100 = 3.07\%$$

4. October

The Apparel sales in October were 222 lakhs of rupees, down from 288 lakhs in September. The percentage decrease was $$\dfrac{288-222}{288}\times 100 = 22.91\%$$

Based on the calculations above, it's clear that the greatest percentage decline in a month from the options compared to the previous month should be for October. The correct answer is option D.

Based on the question, we essentially need to find a sequence of at least three consecutive increasing percentage values of product return as a percentage of sales.

1. For the Apparel category, in January, February, and March, we have $$13\%$$, $$16\%$$ and $$20\%$$, which are increasing values.
2. For the Footwear category, in October, November, and December, we have $$8\%$$, $$9\%$$, and $$10\%$$, which are increasing values.
3. For the Electronics category, no three months show a consistently increasing percentage value of product returns out of total sales.

The correct answer is therefore option C; both the Apparel and Footwear categories showed a consecutive increase in the percentage of monthly product returns for three months.

In the Footwear category in June, $$5\%$$ was the rate of product return, this means that the rest $$95\%$$ were the net sales. The total Footwear sales were 111 and hence the net sales will be $$\dfrac{95}{100}\times 111 = 105.45$$ lakhs.

Similarly, for May, the Footwear category total sales were 69, out of which $$6\%$$ were returned and thus $$94\%$$ comprised of net sales. The total net Footwear sales in May were $$\dfrac{94}{100}\times 69 = 64.86$$ lakhs.

Therefore, the percentage increase in Footwear net sales from May to June can be calculated to be $$\dfrac{105.45-64.86}{64.86}\times 100 = 62.58\%$$. The correct answer is option A.

In January, the contribution of the Apparel category = $$\dfrac{262}{262+104+289}=\dfrac{262}{655}=40\%$$

In April, the contribution of the Apparel category = $$\dfrac{258}{258+58+325}=\dfrac{258}{641}=40.25\%$$

In December, the contribution of the Apparel category = $$\dfrac{221}{221+86+268}=\dfrac{221}{575}=38.43\%$$

In August, the contribution of the Apparel category = $$\dfrac{252}{252+60+336}=\dfrac{252}{648}=38.89\%$$

So, for April the contribution is highest.

For September, the value of footwear returned = $$\dfrac{9}{100}\times\ 118$$ (lakhs of rupees)

For July, the value of footwear returned = $$\dfrac{9}{100}\times\ 119$$ (lakhs of rupees)

For June, the value of footwear returned = $$\dfrac{5}{100}\times\ 111$$ (lakhs of rupees)

For March, the value of footwear returned = $$\dfrac{7}{100}\times\ 121$$ (lakhs of rupees)

Clearly the biggest number is $$9\times\ 119=1071$$ out of all of these

So, option (b) July is the correct answer.

We can infer from the sentence "Meta's algorithm will now play up politics because it is the flavour of the season" that the kind of content moderation preferred by people depends on the period or the season, and option A cannot be inferred. While the author mentions fact-checking, he does not claim that the failure to do so is social media's innate strength; therefore, option B is incorrect. Option C is contrary to what the author says in the passage, "unfiltered content can push users away from social media" , and is also incorrect. The author continues by saying that "Its move away from content moderation is driven by the need to be more inclusive, yet unfiltered content can push users away from social media towards legacy forms that have better moderation systems in place", from which we can infer option D, which is the correct answer.

From the section "Social media now has enough control over all other forms of media to broaden its reach. It is the connective tissue for mass consumption of entertainment," we can infer that option B is true, and is likely the correct answer. Option A is incorrect since the author discusses throughout the passage how current debates on content moderation can influence the social media ecosystem. Option D is also incorrect, as the author has not mentioned that social media is incapable of adapting ('cannot adapt') to new policies. Option C mentions that social media can publish any material, which is itself discussed in the context of content moderation, and also states that it 'flourishes' due to this, which is incorrect, as the author underlines the struggles social media faces. 

The author says: "Having Washington lean on foreign governments over content moderation does not benefit free speech. Yet, that is the nature of the social media beast, designed to amplify bias," and also that "Meta's algorithm will now play up politics because it is the flavour of the season." From these sections, we can infer that the information available on social media does not necessarily relate to the individual right to free speech or the global concerns surrounding free speech. The author also argues in favour of regulation, and option A is incorrect. Option D is the only reasonable choice available.

The passage makes it clear that social media is the connective tissue of mass consumption of entertainment, and technologies are shaping up to drive their advantage further. From this, we can infer that option A is incorrect. Option B implies that social media has succeeded in finding alternative means of fact-checking, which is contradicted by "social media does not have solutions to either." Option C is also incorrect because it states that other platforms are reworking their engagement with social media. Yet, the aspect of social media's independence from them has not been addressed. Option D is likely the correct answer as the author writes, "Information and misinformation continue to jostle on social media at the mercy of user discretion. Social media now has enough control over all other forms of media to broaden its reach."

The passage reads, "Technologies are shaping up to drive this advantage further through synthetic content targeted precisely at its intended audience." Only option A can be inferred from this section. To push the content further through precision targeting resonates with enlarging the sphere of influence. All other options, are irrelevant to this point.