15. The table shows the results of a poll of 400 voters after a school board election in which four candidates were running. If 28,000 voted in the election and the votes were distributed among the candidates in the same proportion as in this poll, how many voted for Candidate B?
Answer: B
16,500 voted for Candidate B.
To find out how many votes Candidate B received, we use the proportion of votes from the poll. Since Candidate B received 41.25% of the votes in the poll, applying this percentage to the total votes of 28,000 gives us 16,500 votes for Candidate B.
A) 16,200
This option is incorrect because it represents a lower percentage of votes than what Candidate B actually received in the poll. If Candidate B had received 16,200 votes, that would imply a significantly lower proportion, approximately 57.5% of the total, which does not align with the poll results.
B) 16,500
This option is correct as it accurately reflects the calculation based on the poll's proportion of votes for Candidate B. With 41.25% of 28,000, the result is indeed 16,500 votes, making this the accurate answer.
C) 16,800
This option is incorrect because it suggests that Candidate B received more votes than what was calculated based on the poll's percentage. A figure of 16,800 votes would indicate a higher proportion than what was recorded in the poll, thus misrepresenting the actual support for Candidate B.
D) 17,200
This option is incorrect as well, as it implies that Candidate B had an even greater share of the total votes than what was indicated in the poll. The calculation shows that 17,200 votes would correspond to a percentage significantly above the reported proportion, which contradicts the data from the poll.
Conclusion
The correct answer is 16,500 votes for Candidate B, as it is derived directly from applying the proportional data from the poll to the total votes cast in the election. All other options misrepresent the percentage of support for Candidate B based on the provided poll results, confirming that they are not valid choices.