In a recently conducted national entrance test, boys constituted 60% of those who appeared for the test. Girls constituted the remaining candidates and they accounted for 60% of the qualified candidates.
Which one of the following is the correct logical inference based on the information provided in the above passage?
A. Equal number of boys and girls qualified
B. Equal number of boys and girls appeared for the test
C. The number of boys qualified is less than the number of girls qualified
D. The number of boys who qualified is less than the number of girls who qualified
GATE 2022 · General Aptitude · Passage Reading · medium
Answer: The number of boys who qualified is less than the number of girls who qualified. Answer: D.
Set up hypothetical totals: Suppose 1000 candidates appeared. Boys = 60% × 1000 = 600; Girls = 40% × 1000 = 400.
Identify composition of qualifiers: Girls accounted for 60% of qualifiers. Therefore boys accounted for 40% of qualifiers. Regardless of the total number of qualifiers Q, boys who qualified = 0.4Q and girls who qualified = 0.6Q.
Evaluate each option: A. Equal boys/girls qualified — false (40% != 60%). B. Equal appeared — false (60% boys). C/D. Both say boys qualified less than girls — true in both wording; option D is the precisely worded correct choice.