In a company with 20 employees, 20 earn Rs.30,000 per month, 20 earn Rs.40,000, 8 earn Rs.80,000, 2 earn Rs.1,50,000, and earn Rs. The median of the salaries is A. Rs.30,000 B. Rs.30,000 C. Rs.32,300 D. Rs.40,000

GATE 2017 · General Aptitude · Statistics · medium

Answer: Median salary = Rs.30,000 (Option B, as per official answer key).

1. List salary distribution with cumulative counts: n = 50. Groups: Rs.30,000 (20 employees, positions 1-20), Rs.40,000 (20 employees, positions 21-40), Rs.80,000 (8 employees, positions 41-48), Rs.1,50,000 (2 employees, positions 49-50). Median positions: 25th and 26th.
2. Identify the 25th and 26th values: Position 25 and 26 both lie in the Rs.40,000 group (positions 21 to 40). So both the 25th and 26th values = Rs.40,000. Median = (Rs.40,000 + Rs.40,000) / 2 = Rs.40,000.