PSAT Math Grid-Ins Question 115: Answer and Explanation

Question: 115

A restaurant surveyed its customers to determine which beverage was most popular with breakfast. Participants were required to choose either coffee or tea. The partially completed table below shows the breakdown by age of a sample of 116 people who responded to a survey on their drink preferences.

Breakdown of Customers’ Drink Preferences

What is the total number of people from the sample who chose coffee as their preferred beverage?

Correct Answer: 43

Explanation:

43

The question asks for the total number of people surveyed who prefer coffee. Start by filling in the table one piece of information at a time. There were 55 people ages 30–44 surveyed and 21 of those prefer coffee, so 55 – 21 = 34 people ages 30–44 prefer tea. There were 14 people ages 65+ surveyed and 4 of those prefer coffee, so 14 – 4 = 10 people ages 65+ prefer tea. These numbers are bolded in the table below.

The total number of people who prefer tea is 17 + 34 + 12 + 10 = 73. The total people surveyed is 116, so 116 – 73 = 43 total people prefer coffee. These numbers are bolded in the table below.

The correct answer is 43.