Hi swerve,

We're told that of the 500 consumers surveyed, 78 percent said they own a toaster, 65 percent said they own a microwave oven and 52 percent said they own BOTH a toaster and a microwave oven. We're asked for the number of consumers surveyed who said that do not own either a toaster or a microwave oven. This question is an example of a standard Overlapping Sets question, so we can use the Overlapping Sets formula to solve it:

Total = (Group 1) + (Group 2) - Both + Neither

In this prompt, the total is 100%, 'Group 1' are those who own a toaster, 'Group 2' are those who own a microwave...

100% = 78% + 65% - 52% + (Neither)
100% = 91% + (Neither)
9% = Neither

Since there were 500 people surveyed, the number who have neither a toaster nor a microwave is 9% of 500 = (.09)(500) = 45

Final Answer: A

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

swerve wrote:Of the 500 consumers surveyed, 78 percent said they own a toaster, 65 percent said they own a microwave oven and, 52 percent said they own both a toaster and a microwave oven. How many of the consumers surveyed said that do not own either a toaster or a microwave oven?

A. 45
B. 55
C. 65
D. 95
E. 130

We can use the equation:

Total = own a toaster + own a microwave - own both + own neither

However, to start we can just use percents:

100 = 78 + 65 - 52 + N

100 = 91 + N

9 = N

So 9% of 500 people or 500 x 0.09 = 45 people own neither a toaster nor a microwave.

Answer: A