1750 boys and 1250 girls are examined in a test; 42% of the boys and 36% of the girls pass the test. The percentage of the total who failed is?

Appeared in: RRB Nsg. Superintendent-20 July 2019 (Shift-1)

Explanation

First, determine the number of students who failed in each group (boys and girls) by subtracting the pass percentage from 100%.
For boys, the failure rate is 100% - 42% = 58%. For girls, it's 100% - 36% = 64%.
Calculate the absolute number of failures: 58% of 1750 boys is 1015, and 64% of 1250 girls is 800.
Sum the total number of students (1750 + 1250 = 3000) and the total number of failed students (1015 + 800 = 1815).
Finally, calculate the overall failure percentage by dividing the total failures by the total students and multiplying by 100: (1815 / 3000) * 100 = 60.5%.

Option A: This value is incorrect and may result from miscalculation, such as incorrectly determining the number of failed students for one or both groups.
Option C: This is an incorrect percentage. A common error could be miscalculating the total number of failed students or making an arithmetic error during division.
Option D: This value is incorrect. It might arise from calculation errors, such as reversing the pass/fail percentages or arithmetic mistakes during multiplication or division.

Visual 1: Flowchart. A step-by-step flowchart illustrating the calculation process: 1. Find total students. 2. Find fail percentage for boys/girls. 3. Calculate number of failed boys/girls. 4. Sum total failures. 5. Calculate final percentage.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Calculation of weighted average and percentages as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
This question tests basic arithmetic and percentage calculation skills, which are fundamental for various tasks in healthcare and other professional fields.
Nurses frequently use percentage calculations for drug dosages, interpreting lab results, calculating IV drip rates, and assessing patient data like weight loss percentage.
What if the question asked for the total percentage who passed? The process would be similar, but you would use the pass percentages (42% and 36%) to find the number of students who passed (735 boys and 450 girls), sum them (1185), and calculate the percentage: (1185 / 3000) * 100 = 39.5%.

How to Approach the Question

Identify all the given values: number of boys, number of girls, pass percentage for boys, and pass percentage for girls.
Determine the goal: to find the total percentage of students who failed.
Formulate a plan: a) Calculate the total number of students. b) Calculate the number of failed students for each group separately. c) Sum the number of failed students. d) Divide the total failed students by the total students and multiply by 100.
Execute the calculations step-by-step to avoid errors. Double-check each multiplication and addition.
Compare your final calculated answer to the given options to find the match.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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