Verified Answer :

42% + 25% + 33% = 100%

42% ------------210
100%................?

210 x 100/42 = 500

answer:  500 people were surveyed

This can be easily set up as a proportion:
 \(\frac{42}{100}\) = \(\frac{210}{n}\), such that 42/100 represents 42 percent and 210 is proportionally equivalent to 42, and n is the missing total number of people surveyed.

After cross-multiplication, the answer is 500 people, because 210 is 42% of 500.