In a country, 60% of the male citizen and 70% of the female citizen ar

Question

In a country, 60% of the male citizen and 70% of the female citizen are eligible to vote. 70% of male citizens eligible to vote voted, and 60% of female citizens eligible to vote voted. What fraction of the citizens voted during the election?

(A) 0.42

(B) 0.48

(C) 0.49

(D) 0.54

(E) 0.60

(A) 0.42
(B) 0.48
(C) 0.49
(D) 0.54
(E) 0.60

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

"60% of the male citizen are eligible to vote and 70% of those eligible, voted" - So 70% of 60% = 42% of total males voted

"70% of the female citizen are eligible to vote and 60% of those eligible, voted" - So 60% of 70% = 42% of total females voted

It doesn't matter how many of the total are males and how many are females. Since 42% of both voted, 42% of the citizens voted.

Answer (A)

Note that had we obtained different values for "% of total males who voted" and "% of total females who voted", we would not have been able to say the % of total citizens who voted. It would depend on what percentage of the total citizens are male/female.

To take a simple case, say 
40% of total males voted
50% of total females voted

If the population has all males, 40% of the citizens voted.
If the population has all females, 50% of the citizens voted. 
Depending on the proportion of males/females in the population, the percentage of citizens who voted changes.

quantumliner · Answer

Let us say total men in the country is represented by 100m
Let us say total women in the country is represented by 100W

Men Eligible to vote = 60% of 100m = 60m
Women Eligible to vote 70% of 100w = 70w

Men actually voted = 70% of 60m = 42m
Women actually voted = 60% of 70w = 42w

Total men and women voted = 42m + 42w = 42(m+w)
Total population= 100m +100w = 100(m+w)

fraction of the citizens voted during the election = 42(m+w)/100(m+w) = 0.42

Answer is A

JeffTargetTestPrep · Answer

We can let m = the number of male citizens and f = the number of female citizens in this country. So there are (m + f) citizens in this country.

From the information given in the problem, we see that 0.6m male citizens and 0.7f female citizens are eligible to vote. Furthermore, 0.7(0.6m) = 0.42m male citizens and 0.6(0.7f) = 0.42f female citizens voted.

Therefore, a total of (0.42m + 0.42f) citizens voted. The fraction of the citizens who voted is:

(0.42m + 0.42f)/(m + f) = 0.42(m + f)/(m + f) = 0.42

Answer: A

KSBGC · Answer

Assume the number of male and female.

male = 50

Female = 50

Eligible voters:

male = 50 * 0.6 = 30
Female = 50 * 0.7 = 35.

Eligible voters voted:

Male = 30 * 0.7 = 21

Female = 35 * 0.6 = 21.

Total eligible voters voted = 21 + 21 = 42.

Total citizens = 50 + 50 = 100.

Fraction required = 42 / 100 = 0.42.

A is the best option.

bumpbot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club BumpBot: 

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

 This post was generated automatically.

In a country, 60% of the male citizen and 70% of the female citizen ar

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Problem Solving (PS) Questions

In a country, 60% of the male citizen and 70% of the female citizen ar

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards