ExpertsGlobal5
The average duration of Rasmus’s commute across Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday was 3 hours. What was the median length of Rasmus’s commute over the three days?
(1) On Tuesday, Rasmus’s commute took 3 hours.
(2) On Monday, Rasmus’s commute took 2.5 hours.
Explanation: The average duration of commute across the three days was 3 hours.
We need to find whether the median length of commute over the three days can be determined. Statement (1) This statement gives us the duration of commute for one of the days as 3 hours.
Since the average duration of the commute is 3 hours,
maintaining this average requires that both of the other two values are either equal to 3, or one of them is greater than 3 while the other is less than 3. In either case, the median will be 3.
It is possible to determine the median length of commute over the three days.
Hence, Statement (1) is sufficient. Statement (2) This statement gives us the duration of commute for one of the days as 2.5 hours.
Possibility 1: If the duration of commute for the three days was
{2.5, 1.5, 5}, then it satisfies the given conditions and the
median is 2.5.Possibility 2: If the duration of commute for the three days was
{2.5, 3, 3.5}, then it satisfies the given conditions and the
median is 3. It is NOT possible to determine the median length of commute over the three days.
Hence, Statement (2) is insufficient. A is the correct answer choice.