The answer cannot be determined from the data given.
This is an old problem, and it’s designed to determine whether you are paying attention to the question, not whether you can do math.
Imagine the pupils were marching through the classroom door, one by one. You count them off: “One boy, two boys, three boys…” After 16 pupils pass, all boys, you call out “I just counted 2/5 of the class, and they are all boys.” Does the person standing next to you say “Oh, that means there 24 girls”? Of course not: you haven’t seen the other 24 pupils yet. You don’t know.
The question states 2/5 of them are boys. It doesn’t say ONLY 2/5 of them are boys. The other 3/5 could be boys too.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
The answer cannot be determined from the data given.
This is an old problem, and it’s designed to determine whether you are paying attention to the question, not whether you can do math.
Imagine the pupils were marching through the classroom door, one by one. You count them off: “One boy, two boys, three boys…” After 16 pupils pass, all boys, you call out “I just counted 2/5 of the class, and they are all boys.” Does the person standing next to you say “Oh, that means there 24 girls”? Of course not: you haven’t seen the other 24 pupils yet. You don’t know.
The question states 2/5 of them are boys. It doesn’t say ONLY 2/5 of them are boys. The other 3/5 could be boys too.
Step-by-step explanation: