Question

The percent of working students increased from 5.8% to 52.8%. What was the percent prior to the increase?

a) 45%

b) 47%

c) 50%

d) 55%

Answer 1

The original percent of working students before the increase to 52.8% from 5.8% is not provided in the options; it was 5.8%, per the question's premise. The phrase 'percent prior to the increase' in the question incorrectly suggests to seek a number before 5.8%, but that is already the initial value before the increase.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks us to find the percent of working students before an increase to 52.8% from 5.8%. To calculate this increase, we subtract the original percentage (5.8%) from the increased percentage (52.8%) to find the percentage point increase. Therefore, the increase was 52.8% - 5.8% = 47%. The original percentage was thus the increased percentage minus the percentage point increase, which is 52.8% - 47% = 5.8%. However, since we are looking for the original percentage before the increase, the 5.8% provided is actually the original figure, and our calculation verifies the question's premise. There seems to be a misunderstanding in the question as it is phrased, but the percent of working students prior to the 52.8% was indeed 5.8%