If instead of a sari, handbag and shoes if I had bought only two pairs of shoes, I would have had to pay not 140 rupees but as many times less as the shoes are cheaper than the sari and the handbag, i.e. 120 rupees less. Consequently, the two pairs of shoes would have cost 140 - 120 = 20 rupees. Hence one pair costs 10 rupees. Now we know that the sari and the handbag together cost 140 - 10 = 130 rupees. We also know that the sari is Rs. 90/- more expensive than the handbag. Now let us use the same reasoning again. Had I bought two handbags instead of a sari and a handbag, I would have had to pay not Rs. 130/- but Rs. 90/- less. Therefore two handbags cost 130 - 90 = 40 rupees and one handbag costs 20 rupees. Now we know exactly how much each article cost : Shoes Rs. 10/- Handbag Rs. 20/- Sari Rs. 110/- Rs. 140/- in all