The table shows the number of males (M) and females (F), in thousands, in Towns X and Y from 2018 to 2022.

Year	X Males	X Females	Y Males	Y Females
2018	50	49	53	50
2019	52	49	54	52
2020	55	52	55	54
2021	53	53	58	56
2022	55	52	62	55

Find the number of years in which the number of females in Town X and Town Y is less than their respective average numbers in these two towns.

AOne, two

BTwo, two ✓ Correct

CThree, two

DTwo, one

Correct answer: (B) Two, two

Explanation

Each town has two such years, so the answer is two, two.

The average female count for Town X is 49, 49, 52, 53 and 52 divided by 5, which is 51.

In Town X the female figures fall below 51 in 2018 and 2019, so two years.

The average female count for Town Y is 50, 52, 54, 56 and 55 divided by 5, which is 53.4.

In Town Y the female figures fall below 53.4 in 2018 and 2019, so again two years.

So both towns have exactly two years below their own averages.

Comparisons here must use each town's own mean, not a shared value across the two towns.

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