Retired Moderator
Joined: 07 Jun 2014
Posts: 4815
Given Kudos: 0
WE:Business Development (Energy and Utilities)
Re: Mr. Choudury’s fourth-grade class consists of 20 students:
[#permalink]
27 May 2018, 12:56
Explanation
The most straightforward approach is to determine the total weight of all 20 students, and divide that total by 20:
12 boys × 80 pounds per boy = 960 pounds
8 girls × 70 pounds per girl = 560 pounds
Total = 1,520 pounds
\(\frac{1520}{20}=76\)
Alternatively, many or even most GRE multiple-choice weighted average problems have the same five answers:
Much closer to the lesser value
A little closer to the lesser value
The unweighted average of the two values
A little closer to the greater value
Much closer to the greater value
Any of these five choices could be correct, but the correct answer is usually “a little closer to the lesser value” or “a little closer to the greater value.” In this case, because there are a few more boys than girls, the avergae for the whole class will be a little closer to the boys’ average weight than to the girls’.