According to the New York Times/CBS poll of March, 2005, 47% agreed that Social Security taxes should be raised if necessary to keep the system afloat, and 42% agreed that it would be a good idea to invest part of their Social Security taxes on their own. What is the largest percentage of people who could have agreed with at least one of these statements What is the smallest percentage of people who could have agreed with at least one of these statements ?
A)The largest percentage is 88%, the smallest percentage is 48%
B) The largest percentage is 87%, the smallest percentage is 45%
C) The largest percentage is 89%, the smallest percentage is 47%
D) The largest percentage is 100%, the smallest percentage is 88%
E) The largest percentage is 100%, the smallest percentage is 87%

Question

According to the New York Times/CBS poll of March, 2005, 47% agreed that Social Security taxes should be raised if necessary to keep the system afloat, and 42% agreed that it would be a good idea to invest part of their Social Security taxes on their own. What is the largest percentage of people who could have agreed with at least one of these statements  What is the smallest percentage of people who could have agreed with at least one of these statements  ?
A)The largest percentage is 88%, the smallest percentage is 48%
B) The largest percentage is 87%, the smallest percentage is 45%
C) The largest percentage is 89%, the smallest percentage is 47%
D) The largest percentage is 100%, the smallest percentage is 88%
E) The largest percentage is 100%, the smallest percentage is 87%

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To calculate the largest percentage, we add both percentages to get 89%. This is because everyone who agreed to investing part of their Social Security taxes would also agree to raising Social Security taxes if necessary. To calculate the smallest percentage, we subtract the percentage of people who agreed to both statements (which is not given) from the percentage who agreed to at least one statement. Therefore, the smallest percentage is 47%. The only answer choice that includes both of these values is C.

According to the New York Times/CBS Poll of March, 2005