Q.From the following information, prepare a well-formatted statistical table: In 2024, a college enrolled in Arts 130 boys and 165 girls; in Science 210 boys and 160 girls; in Commerce 190 boys and 130 girls. Show sub-totals and grand total.

This tests whether you can turn a paragraph of figures into a properly-parted table with the correct totals.

The data is classified by stream (the stub / rows) and by sex (the captions / columns), with a total column and a total row.

Table 1. Enrolment of Students by Stream and Sex, 2024

(figures in number of students)

Source: Given data (college enrolment, 2024).

Working of the totals.

• Row (stream) totals: Arts 130 + 165 = 295; Science 210 + 160 = 370; Commerce 190 + 130 = 320.
• Column (sex) totals: Boys 130 + 210 + 190 = 530; Girls 165 + 160 + 130 = 455.
• Grand total: by rows 295 + 370 + 320 = 985; by columns 530 + 455 = 985 — the two agree, confirming the arithmetic. …

Cross-check of the grand total two ways. Summing the six body figures directly gives 130 + 165 + 210 + 160 + 190 + 130 = 985. The row-total route gives 295 + 370 + 320 = 985, and the column-total route gives 530 + …

The commonest error is a totalling slip — always cross-check the grand total both by rows and by columns; the two must agree (here both give 985). Reading the figures into the wrong stream (e.g. swapping Science an …