Of the votes cast on a certain proposal, 80 more were in

Question

Princeton Review Of the votes cast on a certain proposal, 80 more were in favor of the proposal than were against it. If the number of votes against the proposal was 40 percent of the total vote, what was the total number of votes cast? (Each vote cast was either in favor of the proposal or against it.) A. 480 B. 400 C. 300 D. 240 E. 160 OA B.

deloitte247 · Answer

Vote against the proposal = 40% of the Total votes
Vote for the proposal = 100 - 40 = 60% of the Total vote
Total vote is unknown
$$Let\ total\ vote\ =\ x$$
of the total vote x, 80 more were in favor of the proposal than were against it ; thus
$$\left(60\%\ of\ \ x\right)-\left(40\%\ of\ x\right)=80$$
$$\left(\frac{60}{100}\cdot x\right)-\left(\frac{40}{100}-x\right)=80$$
$$0.6x-0.4x=80$$
$$0.2x=80$$
dividing both sides by the coefficient of x
$$\frac{0.2x}{0.2}=\frac{80}{0.2}$$
$$x=400$$
$$answer\ is\ Option\ B$$

Scott@TargetTestPrep · Answer

AAPL wrote:Princeton Review Of the votes cast on a certain proposal, 80 more were in favor of the proposal than were against it. If the number of votes against the proposal was 40 percent of the total vote, what was the total number of votes cast? (Each vote cast was either in favor of the proposal or against it.) A. 480 B. 400 C. 300 D. 240 E. 160 Let x = the total number of votes cast. So 0.4x votes were against the proposal, and 0.6x votes were in favor of the proposal. We can create the equation: 0.6x - 0.4x = 80 0.2x = 80 x = 400 Answer: B

Rich.C@EMPOWERgmat.com · Answer

Hi All,

We're told that of the votes cast on a certain proposal, 80 MORE were in favor of the proposal than were against it and the number of votes against the proposal was 40 percent of the TOTAL vote. We're asked for the total number of votes cast? (Each vote cast was either in favor of the proposal or against it). This question can be approached in a number of different ways, including by TESTing THE ANSWERS.

To start, since the difference between the number of "yes" votes and the number of "no" votes is 'round number' (in this case, 80), it's likely that the TOTAL number of votes is ALSO a 'nice' round number. We have two of those in the answer choices (re: 400 and 300). Let's TEST Answer B first.

Answer B: 400 votes
IF... there are 400 votes,
then 40% of the 400 were "no" votes --> (.4)(400) = 160
and the remaining 400 - 160 = 240 were "yes" votes
The difference in "yes" votes and "no" votes is 240 - 160 = 80
This is an exact match for what we were told, so this MUST be the answer.

Final Answer: B

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

fskilnik@GMATH · Answer

AAPL wrote:Princeton Review Of the votes cast on a certain proposal, 80 more were in favor of the proposal than were against it. If the number of votes against the proposal was 40 percent of the total vote, what was the total number of votes cast? (Each vote cast was either in favor of the proposal or against it.) A. 480 B. 400 C. 300 D. 240 E. 160 $$? = t\left( {{\rm{total}}} \right)\,\,\,\,\left\{ \matrix{ \,{\rm{against}}\,\,\,{\rm{ = }}\,\,a\,\,\mathop = \limits^{{\rm{stem}}} \,\,{2 \over 5}t \hfill \cr \,{\rm{for}}\,\,{\rm{ = }}\,\,t - a\,\,\mathop = \limits^{{\rm{stem}}} \,\,80 + a\,\,\, \Rightarrow 2a = t - 80 \hfill \cr} \right.\,\,\,\, \Rightarrow \,\,\,2\left( {{2 \over 5}t} \right) = t - 80\,\,\,\, \Rightarrow \,\,\,{1 \over 5}t = 80\,\,\,\, \Rightarrow \,\,\,\left( {\rm{B}} \right)$$ We follow the notations and rationale taught in the GMATH method. Regards, Fabio.

Scott@TargetTestPrep · Answer

AAPL wrote:Princeton Review Of the votes cast on a certain proposal, 80 more were in favor of the proposal than were against it. If the number of votes against the proposal was 40 percent of the total vote, what was the total number of votes cast? (Each vote cast was either in favor of the proposal or against it.) A. 480 B. 400 C. 300 D. 240 E. 160 We can let n = the total number of votes. Thus, 0.4n votes were against the proposal, and 0.6n votes were in favor of the proposal. We can create the equation: 0.6n - 0.4n = 80 0.2n = 80 n = 80/0.2 = 800/2 = 400 Answer: B

Choose how you want to prepare

Get Ready for GMAT Test Day Faster with Live Online Classes

Target Test Prep EA OnDemand

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Of the votes cast on a certain proposal, 80 more were in

GMAT/MBA Expert

GMAT/MBA Expert

GMAT/MBA Expert

Chicago Booth

GMAT Course Reviews

Admissions Consulting Reviews

FREE GMAT PREP RESOURCES

GMAT PREP DEAL TRACKER