Average of 30 integers

CAT 2019 Slot 2 · Quantitative Ability · Medium · Averages

This is a medium Quantitative Ability question from the CAT 2019 Slot 2 paper. It tests Averages. The full answer key and a step-by-step explanation are below — try it yourself first, then reveal the solution.

The average of 30 integers is 5. Among these 30 integers, there are exactly 20 which do not exceed 5. What is the highest possible value of the average of these 20 integers?

  1. A.

    4

  2. B.

    5

  3. C.

    4.5

  4. D.

    3.5

Answer

C

Explanation

Total sum of the 30 integers =30×5=150= 30 \times 5 = 150.

Let the 20 integers that do not exceed 5 have sum S20S_{20}, and the remaining 10 integers (each exceeding 5, so each 6\ge 6) have sum S10S_{10}.

To maximize the average of the 20 integers, we must maximize S20S_{20}, which means minimizing S10S_{10}.

Since each of the 10 integers is greater than 5, the minimum integer value for each is 6. Min S10=10×6=60\text{Min } S_{10} = 10 \times 6 = 60 Max S20=15060=90\text{Max } S_{20} = 150 - 60 = 90

The highest possible average of these 20 integers is 9020=4.5\frac{90}{20} = 4.5.

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