Directions: Study the table given below carefully and answer the questions that follow : Number of Athletes (In Hundred) Who Participated In a Sports Event From 5 Different Countries Over The Years M → Male & F → Female | Countries →
Years ↓ | A (M) | A (F) | B (M) | B (F) | C (M) | C (F) | D (M) | D (F) | E (M) | E (F) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **2005** | 4.4 | 3.3 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 5.6 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 2.1 | | **2006** | 6.6 | 4.2 | 8.4 | 6.2 | 6.9 | 3.3 | 8.4 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 5.2 | | **2007** | 4.6 | 1.8 | 7.4 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 2.8 | 9.3 | 7.3 | 8.7 | 6.5 | | **2008** | 9.6 | 4.9 | 11.4 | 8.4 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 12.6 | 9.4 | 8.9 | 5.8 | | **2009** | 11.8 | 6.4 | 10.6 | 5.2 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 14.4 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 9.2 | | **2010** | 8.2 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 7.2 | 10.8 | 6.9 | 15.6 | 12.1 | 13.6 | 9.8 | In which of the following years was the total number of participants (athletes) the second highest from Country C ?

### Concept & Table Analysis To find the total number of participants from a specific country in a given year, you must add the number of male (M) and female (F) athletes for that year. We need to calculate this for Country C across all years and identify the year with the second-highest total. ### Step-by-Step Solution * Total participants in 2005: $4.5 + 3.1 = 7.6$ (in hundreds) * Total participants in 2006: $6.9 + 3.3 = 10.2$ (in hundreds) * Total participants in 2007: $4.8 + 2.8 = 7.6$ (in hundreds) * Total participants in 2008: $6.6 + 4.2 = 10.8$ (in hundreds) * Total participants in 2009: $7.9 + 6.3 = 14.2$ (in hundreds) * Total participants in 2010: $10.8 + 6.9 = 17.7$ (in hundreds) Comparing the totals: 1st Highest: 2010 (17.7) 2nd Highest: 2009 (14.2) Looking at the given options, the year 2009 is not listed among (a), (b), (c), or (d). ### Exam Strategy & Shortcut Instead of doing precise decimal addition for every row, quickly scan the columns for Country C (M and F). Notice that 2009 and 2010 have significantly larger digits. Compute only those two: $7+6 = 13$ (2009) and $10+6 = 16$ (2010). Since 2009 is clearly the second highest and is absent from the options, mark "None of these" immediately. ### Common Pitfall A common mistake is finding the highest instead of the *second highest*, or assuming that because the true answer is not among the specific years listed, there must be a calculation error. Always trust your math and confidently choose "None of these" if required. ### Final Answer Therefore, the correct answer is **None of these**.