After his first semester in college, Thomas is applying for a scholarship that has a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) requirement of 3.5. The point values of pertinent college grades are given in the table below. If Thomas took 5 courses, each with an equal weight for GPA calculations, and received two grades of A-, one grade of B+, and one grade of B, what is the lowest grade that Thomas could receive for his fifth class to qualify for the scholarship?
$$\begin{array}{|c|c|}\hline \text{Grade} & \text{Value} \\\hline \text{A} & 4 \\\hline \text{A-} & 3.7 \\\hline \text{B+} & 3.3 \\\hline \text{B} & 3 \\\hline \text{B-} & 2.7 \\\hline \text{C+} & 2.3 \\\hline \text{C} & 2 \\\hline \text{C-} & 1.7 \\\hline\end{array}$$
View explanation
Correct answer: A
Actual total points (4 subjects) = 2*3.7 + 3.3 + 3 = 13.7
Required total points for the last subject = 17.5 - 13.7 = 3.8
He has to get a minimum of 3.8 points or Grade A (that is 4 points). (Getting A-, 3.7 GPA, won't be enough to get an overall minimum GPA of 3.5 for the 5 subjects)
The correct answer is A.