RAS question
A bar diagram shows the number of students in 5 sections: A=45, B=50, C=35, D=40, E=30. The ratio of students in the largest section to the smallest section is:
Correct answer: (A) 5 : 3.
The ratio of students in the largest section to the smallest section is 5 : 3.
Explanation
A ratio compares two quantities of the same unit, and here the quantities are the numbers of students in different sections. From the bar-diagram values, the largest section is B with 50 students and the smallest section is E with 30 students. The required comparison is therefore 50 : 30, because the question asks for largest to smallest, not smallest to largest or any total. Reducing both terms by their common factor 10 gives 5 : 3. This matches option A and keeps the order of comparison intact.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 10 : 7 would compare 50 with 35 after simplification, but 35 is section C, not the smallest section.
- (C) 3 : 2 is the simplified form of 45 : 30, which uses section A instead of the largest section B.
- (D) 5 : 4 is the simplified form of 50 : 40, which compares the largest section with section D, not with the smallest section E.
Concept
This tests ratio simplification from a bar diagram: identify the required categories first, then reduce the comparison. RAS reasoning questions often use this because it combines data interpretation with a quick arithmetic check.