Reena scored 15 out of 20, Raju 30 out of 50
Reena scored 15 out of 20, Raju 30 out of 50. Raju says he did better than Reena because he has 30 marks and she has only 15. Judging by marks alone, is Raju right?
Who do you think is right? Pick one.
The answer: No — Reena's percentage is higher
Why
Raju's comparing raw marks, and 30 does beat 15 — but the two tests aren't the same size, so the counts aren't comparable. His 30 is out of 50; her 15 is out of 20. To compare fairly, ask what SHARE each got, by bringing both to the same base — per 100, a percentage. Reena: 15 of 20 is 75%. Raju: 30 of 50 is 60%. Out of the same-size test, Reena did better, even with fewer marks. A bigger number off a bigger total can be a smaller share. Test: 8 out of 10 beats 40 out of 100 — 80% versus 40% — though 40 looks bigger. Raju's not right: marks alone mislead when totals differ; convert to percentage and Reena's 75% tops his 60%.
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