JEE Main 2026 · 4 Apr · Shift 1, Mathematics question 10

Mean 40. The total is 360; the known seven numbers sum to 280, so $a+b=80$.

Mean deviation 26. $\sum|x-21|=234$, and the known numbers contribute 183, so $|a-21|+|b-21|=51$.

Solve. Both ≥ 21 would give 38. So $b<21<a$: $a-b=51$, $a=65.5$, $b=14.5$. The median is still 21 ✓.

Answer. $2a=131$.

(D)