Question

The table below shows the drop-out rates, in percentage, at the Primary level (Classes I-V), the Elementary level (Classes I-VIII), and the Secondary level (Classes I-X) in India, separately for boys, girls, and the total, for the years 1996-97 to 2004-05.

Gender bias is defined as the disproportion between the drop-out rate of boys and the drop-out rate of girls, at a given level.

Suppose the total number of students was 1000 in 1996-97, and this number increased by 1000 every year up to 2004-05, so 1996-97 had 1000 students, 1997-98 had 2000, and so on up to 2004-05 with 9000. What was the approximate total number of drop-outs from primary classes, added up over 1996-97 to 2004-05?

• A. 18,500
• B. 24,500
• C. 19,500
• D. 16,000

Hint:

Multiply each year's number of entering students, 1000, 2000, and so on up to 9000, by that year's primary total drop-out rate, then add up all nine years.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: List the number of students entering each year.
The question says 1996-97 had 1000 students and this number rises by 1000 every year, so the nine years give 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, and 9000 students respectively, for 1996-97 through 2004-05.

Step 2: Use the primary total drop-out rate for each year from the table.
The primary total drop-out rates for these nine years are 40.2, 39.2, 41.5, 40.3, 40.7, 39.0, 34.8, 31.5, and 29.0 percent. Multiplying each year's student count by its rate gives that year's number of drop-outs.

Step 3: Work out the drop-out count year by year.
1996-97: \(1000 \times 0.402 = 402\).
1997-98: \(2000 \times 0.392 = 784\).
1998-99: \(3000 \times 0.415 = 1245\).
1999-2000: \(4000 \times 0.403 = 1612\).
2000-01: \(5000 \times 0.407 = 2035\).
2001-02: \(6000 \times 0.390 = 2340\).
2002-03: \(7000 \times 0.348 = 2436\).
2003-04: \(8000 \times 0.315 = 2520\).
2004-05: \(9000 \times 0.290 = 2610\).

Step 4: Add up all nine years.
\[ 402+784+1245+1612+2035+2340+2436+2520+2610 = 15984 \] This total, about 16,000, is closest to the option 16,000. The other options, 18,500, 24,500, and 19,500, are all noticeably higher than this total.

Final Answer:
The total number of drop-outs from primary classes, added up over 1996-97 to 2004-05, is approximately 16,000. \[ \boxed{16{,}000} \]