GMAT Math : Arithmetic

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GMAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #62 : Descriptive Statistics

Given five distinct positive integers -  - which of them is the median?

Statement 1: 

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

BOTH STATEMENTS TOGETHER do NOT provide sufficient information to answer the question.

BOTH STATEMENTS TOGETHER provide sufficient information to answer the question, but NEITHER STATEMENT ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question.

STATEMENT 1 ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question, but STATEMENT 2 ALONE does NOT provide sufficient information to answer the question.

STATEMENT 2 ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question, but STATEMENT 1 ALONE does NOT provide sufficient information to answer the question.

EITHER STATEMENT ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question.

Correct answer:

STATEMENT 1 ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question, but STATEMENT 2 ALONE does NOT provide sufficient information to answer the question.

Explanation:

Assume Statement 1 alone. The median of five numbers (an odd number) is the number in the middle when they are arranged in ascending order. By Statement 1, this number is , so the question is answered.

Statement 2 alone, however, gives that the mean is . It is possible that the mean and the median can be one and the same or two different numbers.

Case 1: 

The mean is 

making this consistent with Statement 2.

The median is the middle element, .

Case 2: 

again, making this consistent with Statement 2.

The median is the middle element, .

Example Question #61 : Descriptive Statistics

What is the median of a data set comprising nineteen elements?

Statement 1: When arranged in ascending order, the ninth element is 72.

Statement 2: When arranged in descending order, the ninth element is 72.

Possible Answers:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is not sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is not sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

In a data set of 19 elements, 19 being odd, the median is the element that occurs in the  position when they are arranged in ascending (or descending) order. Neither statement alone tells us what that middle element is. But put together, they tell us what the ninth and eleventh elements would be when arranged in ascending (or descending) order. Since both are 72, the element between them - the tenth element, and, thus, the median - must be 72. 

The answer is that both statements together are sufficient to answer the question, but neither statement alone is sufficient to answer the question.

Example Question #1 : Fractions

Of the marbles in a box,  are blue,  are red, and the rest are green. Also, half of the marbles are large and half are small. How many marbles are there?

1) Half of the blue marbles and half of the red marbles are large.

2) There are thirty-six large marbles that are either red or green.

Possible Answers:
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is not sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are not sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is not sufficient to answer the question.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Correct answer: BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Explanation:

From the initial information, we can determine that  of the balls are green.

The first statement alone tells you that half of the blue marbles and half of the red marbles are large, so half of the green marbles must be large as well. But this alone does not tell you how many marbles there are total.

The second statement alone tells you how many large marbles are red or green, but you do not have any way of figuring out how many small marbles or total marbles are. 

But if you put the statements together, you know the following:

Half of the red marbles and half of the green marbles comprise the thirty-six large marbles:

There are 120 marbles.

The answer is that both statements together are sufficent to answer the question, but neither statement alone is sufficient.

 

Example Question #1 : Dsq: Understanding Fractions

Is  a  fraction in lowest terms?

Statement 1:  is a multiple of 4 greater than 8.

Statement 2:  is an even number greater than 6.

Possible Answers:

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Both  and  satisfy the conditions of Statement 1; the first fraction is in lowest terms, the second is not.

Both  and  satisfy the conditions of Statement 2; the first fraction is in lowest terms, the second is not.

Neither statement alone is enough to answer the question. Both together, however, are enough to prove the fraction is not in lowest terms; a fraction which satisfies both statements has both its numerator and denominator divisible by 2.

Example Question #3 : Dsq: Understanding Fractions

Is  a  fraction in lowest terms?

Statement 1:  is an odd number divisible by 5.

Statement 2:  is an even number not divisible by 5.

Possible Answers:

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

 

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

The two statements together are insufficient.  and  each satisfy the conditions of both statements, but the first fraction is in lowest terms and the second is not.

Example Question #234 : Arithmetic

 is a fraction in lowest terms. Is its decimal representation a terminating decimal or a repeating decimal?

Statement 1:  is a power of 2.

Statement 2:  is a multiple of 5.

Possible Answers:

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Explanation:

The two statements together provide insufficient information.

  and   are two examples of fractions that satisfy both conditions; note that the first is represented in decimal form by a terminating decimal, and the second, by a repeating decimal.

Example Question #4 : Dsq: Understanding Fractions

Which fraction is larger than ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

From the question, we know that only one of the fractions in the answer choices is larger than . The correct answer must therefore be the largest of the answer choices. This observation is important, because it means we can eliminate some of the answer choices without performing any calculations. For example, is smaller than , so eliminate from the possibilities. is smaller than both and , so eliminate it as well. Similarly, is smaller than , so eliminate too.

This leaves us with only two answer choices: and

First consider . We can rewrite this as , which is clearly smaller than . Eliminate .

By process of elimination, we've thus shown that is the correct answer choice.

Example Question #6 : Fractions

is a real number. True or false: is an integer.

Statement 1: is an integer.

Statement 2: is an integer.

Possible Answers:

STATEMENT 1 ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question, but STATEMENT 2 ALONE does NOT provide sufficient information to answer the question.

EITHER STATEMENT ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question.

BOTH STATEMENTS TOGETHER do NOT provide sufficient information to answer the question.

STATEMENT 2 ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question, but STATEMENT 1 ALONE does NOT provide sufficient information to answer the question.

BOTH STATEMENTS TOGETHER provide sufficient information to answer the question, but NEITHER STATEMENT ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question.

Correct answer:

STATEMENT 2 ALONE provides sufficient information to answer the question, but STATEMENT 1 ALONE does NOT provide sufficient information to answer the question.

Explanation:

Statement 1 alone does not prove is or is not an integer.

For example, if , then

.

If , then

.

is an integer in only one scenario, but Statement 1 is true in both.

 

Now assume Statement 2 alone, and let . Then is an integer by Statement 2, and

Suppose is an integer. Then , the difference of integers, is itself an integer. But we know that this is equal to , which is not an integer, so, by contradiction, is not an integer.

 

Example Question #1 : Dsq: Understanding Decimals

 is a fraction in lowest terms. Is its decimal representation a terminating decimal or a repeating decimal?

Statement 1:  is a power of 5. 

Statement 2:  is a multiple of 7.

Possible Answers:

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

A fraction in lowest terms can be expressed as a terminating decimal if and only if its denominator has no prime factors other than 2 or 5; the numerator is irrelevant. Statement 1 is unhelpful since it only gives information about the numerator. If Statement 2 is assumed - that is, if we know the denominator has 7 as a prime factor - we know that the decimal representation of  is repeating.

Example Question #1 : Dsq: Understanding Decimals

 and  are fractions in lowest terms.

True or false: The result  can be represented by an integer or a terminating decimal.

Statement 1: Both fractions have powers of 5 in their denominators.

Statement 2: Both fractions have powers of 3 in their numerators.

Possible Answers:

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question. 

Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Assume Statement 1 alone. A necessary and sufficient condition for a lowest-terms fraction to be equivalent to a terminating decimal is that its only prime factors are 2 and 5. Statement 1 says this about both fractions; the sum of terminating decimals is itself an integer or a terminating decimal.

Statement 2 alone provides insuffiicient information. Examine these examples:

Both fit the conditions of the main premise and Statement 2, but in only one case is the sum equal to a terminating decimal.

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