GMAT Math : DSQ: Calculating the equation of a parallel line
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Example Question #1 : Dsq: Calculating The Equation Of A Parallel Line
Data Sufficiency Question
What is the slope of a line that passes through the point (2,3)?
1. It passes through the origin
2. It does not intersect with the line
statement 1 alone is sufficient, but statement 2 alone is not sufficient to answer the question
statement 2 alone is sufficient, but statement 1 alone is not sufficient to answer the question
both statements taken together are sufficient to answer the question, but neither statement alone is sufficient
statements 1 and 2 together are not sufficient, and additional data is needed to answer the question
each statement alone is sufficient
each statement alone is sufficient
In order to calculate the equation of a line that passes through a point, we need one of two pieces of information. If we know another point, we can calculate the slope and solve for the 
Example Question #2 : Dsq: Calculating The Equation Of A Parallel Line
Find the equation of the line parallel to the following line:
I) The new line passes through the point 
II) The new line has a 
Statement I is sufficient to answer the question, but statement II is not sufficient to answer the question.
Statement II is sufficient to answer the question, but statement I is not sufficient to answer the question.
Neither statement is sufficient to answer the question. More information is needed.
Both statements are needed to answer the question.
Either statement is sufficient to answer the question.
Either statement is sufficient to answer the question.
To find the equation of a parallel line, we need the slope and the y-intercept.
Parallel lines have the same slope, so we have that.
I and II each give us a point on the graph, so we could find the equation of the line through either of them.
Example Question #3 : Dsq: Calculating The Equation Of A Parallel Line
Find the equation of the line 
- The slope of line
is
.
- Line
goes through point
.
Each statement alone is sufficient to answer the question.
Statements 1 and 2 are not sufficient, and additional data is needed to answer the question.
Statement 1 alone is sufficient, but statement 2 alone is not sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 alone is sufficient, but statement 1 alone is not sufficient to answer the question.
Both statements taken together are sufficient to answer the question, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
Both statements taken together are sufficient to answer the question, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
Statement 1: We're given the slope line AB, because we are ask for the equation of the line we need more than just the slope of the line. Therefore, this information alone is not sufficient to write an actual equation.
Statement 2: Using the information from statement 1 and the points provided in this statement, we can answer the question.
Example Question #4 : Dsq: Calculating The Equation Of A Parallel Line
Given 
I)
II) 
Statement I is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement II is not sufficient to answer the question.
Both statements are needed to answer the question.
Neither statement is sufficient to answer the question. More information is needed.
Either statement is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement II is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement I is not sufficient to answer the question.
Both statements are needed to answer the question.
We are asked to find the equation of a line related to another line.
Statement I tells us the two lines are parallel. This means they have the same slope
Statement II gives us a point on our desired line. We can use this to find the line's y-intercept, which will then allow us to write its equation.
Plug all of the given info into slope-intercept form and solve for b, the line's y-intercept:
So our equation is:
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