Question

a trade school surveyed a random sample of current applicants about their intended course of study. the table shows the results. table: course of study, carpenter: 65, welder: 34, mechanic: 56, electrician: 28 based on the survey results, which inference can be made about all the current applicants to the trade school? options: a. the number of applicants who plan to be a mechanic is twice the number who plan to be an electrician. b. the number of applicants who plan to be a welder is about half the number who plan to be a carpenter. c. the number of applicants who plan to be a carpenter is about the same as the number who plan to be a mechanic. d. the number of applicants who plan to be either a welder or an electrician is less than the number who plan to be a mechanic.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option using the given data (Carpenter: 65, Welder: 34, Mechanic: 56, Electrician: 28):

• Option A: Mechanic (56) vs Electrician (28). \( 56 \div 28 = 2 \), so mechanic is twice electrician. But let's check others.
• Option B: Welder (34) vs Carpenter (65). \( 34 \div 65 \approx 0.52 \), but "about half" – but let's check accuracy. However, 34 is not half of 65 (32.5), so not accurate.
• Option C: Carpenter (65) vs Mechanic (56). 65 and 56 are not "about the same" (difference of 9).
• Option D: Welder + Electrician = \( 34 + 28 = 62 \). Mechanic is 56. 62 > 56, so this is false.

Wait, re - check Option A: Mechanic (56), Electrician (28). 28*2 = 56. So A is correct. Wait, but let's re - evaluate:

Wait, the data: Carpenter: 65, Welder: 34, Mechanic: 56, Electrician: 28.

Option A: Mechanic (56) is twice Electrician (28). 28*2 = 56. Correct.

Option B: Welder (34) vs Carpenter (65). 65/2 = 32.5. 34 is close to 32.5, but is it "about half"? But let's check Option A again. Wait, maybe I made a mistake. Wait, the question is about inference for all applicants. The sample is random, so we can infer proportions.

Wait, let's re - check each option:

Option A: Mechanic (56) and Electrician (28). 56 is exactly twice 28. So in the sample, mechanic is twice electrician. So we can infer that for all applicants, the number of mechanics is twice electricians.

Option B: Welder (34) and Carpenter (65). 34 is about half of 65? 65/2 = 32.5. 34 is close, but not as exact as A.

Option C: Carpenter (65) and Mechanic (56). 65 and 56 are not about the same (difference of 9).

Option D: Welder + Electrician = 34 + 28 = 62. Mechanic is 56. 62 > 56, so D is false.

So the correct option is A.

Answer:

A. The number of applicants who plan to be a mechanic is twice the number who plan to be an electrician.