sanju09 wrote:Is the median age of all 65 children in a certain crèche more than 5?
I. 40 percent of all children in the crèche are more than 5.
II. 40 percent of all children in the crèche are 5.
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Nice question.
Target question:
Is the median age of all 65 children in a certain crèche more than 5
To find the median age, we arrange all 65 children in ascending order (by age), and the median age will be the age of the middlemost (33rd) child.
Rephrase target question:
Is the 33rd child older than 5?
Statement 1: 40 percent of all children in the crèche are more than 5.
In other words 26 children are older than 5.
This means that 39 children are 5 years old or younger.
So, if we arrange all 65 children in ascending order (by age), the first 39 children will be 5 years old or younger. As such, the 33rd child will
not be older than 5.
Since we can definitively answer the target question, statement 1 is SUFFICIENT
Statement 2: 40 percent of all children in the crèche are 5.
In other words 26 children are 5 years old.
So, if we arrange all 65 children in ascending order (by age), there are several outcomes.
case a: 39 children are 4 years old, and 26 children are 5 years old. Median age = 4, which means the answer to the target question is
no
case b: 39 children are 6 years old, and 26 children are 5 years old. Median age = 6, which means the answer to the target question is
yes
Since we cannot definitively answer the target question, statement 2 is INSUFFICIENT
So, the answer is
A.
Cheers,
Brent
