How can this actually occur?

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Nedaari: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 6; Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2008 11:47 pm; Location: California

by Nedaari » Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:39 pm

The percentage of households with an annual income of more than $40,000 is higher in Merton County than in any other county. However, the percentage of households with an annual income of $60,000 or more is higher in Sommer County.

If the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?

(A) The percentage of households with an annual income of $80,000 is higher in Sommer County than in
Merton County?
(B) Merton County has the second highest percentage of households with an annual income of $60,000 or
more.
(C) Some households in Merton County have an annual income between $40,000 and $60,000.
(D) The number of households with an annual income of more than $40,000 is greater in Merton County
than in Sommer County.
(E) Average annual households income is higher in Sommer County than in Merton County.

The answer is C. I get it...percentage is not the same as numbers. But seriously...How can there not be a direct correlation between the percentage and actual amount of a given whole? Is this because of the tiers in household income? HELLLLP!!!!

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:39 pm

coderversion1: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 72; Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:30 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 14 times; GMAT Score:730

by coderversion1 » Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:12 pm

Clearly C seems to be the right answer.

None of the other statements can be true in all cases.

XLogic: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 127; Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:55 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 17 times

by XLogic » Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:49 am

Took me a while to wrap my head around this one. Only two sentences! Here's my take.

Merton: more household incomes > $40,000 (than Sommer)
Sommer: more household incomes >= $60,000 (than Merton)

Inferences: If Merton has the most number of households with incomes > $40,000, but Sommer has more household incomes (than Merton) >= $60,000, then it must be that Merton's household incomes >= $60,000 must be less than Sommer's. And since we know that Merton has more household incomes > 40,000 than Sommers, then it must be that Merton has some house hold incomes that are greater than 40,000 but less than 60,000.

For Example:
Merton: 50 Household incomes > $40,000
Sommer: 40 Household incomes >= $60,000

Therefore,
Merton: Must have less than 40 household incomes >= $60,000
Merton: Must have greater than 10 household incomes between $40,000 and $60,000
> Merton Must have some household incomes between $40,000 and $60,000 (Answer = C)

What do you think??

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