ExpertsGlobal5
Is the median monthly salary of 15 randomly selected employees of a particular company greater than the average (arithmetic mean) monthly salary by at least 5 percent?
(1) The median monthly salary of the 15 employees is $250 greater than their average monthly salary.
(2) The sum of the monthly salaries of the 15 employees is less than $70,000.
Explanation: Let the number of employees be n.
Since there are 15 randomly selected employees: n = 15.
Let the median monthly salary be M.
Let the average monthly salary be A.
We need to find whether M > 1.05A. Statement (1) M = 250 + A (Equation I)
Possibility 1: If M = 1.1A, then from Equation I, M = 2,750 and A = 2,500. It is possible to construct multiple sets with this condition and in this scenario M > 1.05A.
Possibility 2: If M = 1.01A, then from Equation I, M = 25,250 and A = 25,000. It is possible to construct multiple sets with this condition and in this scenario M < 1.05A.
It is NOT possible to determine with certainty whether M > 1.05A.
Hence, Statement (1) is insufficient. Statement (2) The sum of the monthly salaries of the 15 employees < 70,000
An < 70,000
A(15) < 70,000
A < 4,666.67 (Equation II)
This condition does not impose any restrictions on the median.
It is NOT possible to determine with certainty whether M > 1.05A.
Hence, Statement (2) is insufficient. Statement (1) and Statement (2) combined From Equation II we know that A < 4666.67 and from Equation I we know that M = 250 + A.
If A = 4666.67, then 1.05A = 4900 and M = 4916.67, and thus M > 1.05A.
For any value of A less than 4666.67, the difference between 1.05A and M will further increase and M will still be greater than 1.05A.
It is possible to determine with certainty that M > 1.05A.
Hence, Statement (1) and Statement (2) combined are insufficient. C is the correct answer choice.