GMAT Math : GMAT Quantitative Reasoning

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GMAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #153 : Triangles

Given: Rectangles  and  with diagonals  and , respectively. 

True or false: 

Statement 1: Rectangles  and  are both rhombuses.

Statement 2: Rectangles  and  are both squares.

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 insufficient 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 sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Both rectangles, by definition, have four right angles.

A rhombus is a quadrilateral with four sides of equal length. A square is a quadrilateral with four right angles and four sides of equal length. Therefore, the two statements are actually equivalent in this context, so either they together provide insufficient information, or either alone does. We show that the latter is the case.

If both statements are true, and the rectangles are rhombuses and squares, then

 and .

Consequently,  

.

,

so by the Side-Angle-Side Similarity Theorem, .

Example Question #11 : Dsq: Calculating Whether Right Triangles Are Similar

Triangles and circles

Note: Figure NOT drawn to scale.

Refer to the above figure, which shows two right triangles circumscribed by circles.

True or false: 

Statement 1: The area of the circle that circumscribes  is four times the that of the circle that circumscribes .

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

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.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 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:

Assume Statement 1 alone. The area of the circle that circumscribes  is four times the that of the circle that circumscribes , so the radius of the former is the square root of this, or two, times the radius of the latter; therefore, the ratio of the diameters of the circles is also two. Since in a right triangle inscribed inside a circle, the hypotenuse must be a diameter of that circle, 

 or 

However, no other information is given or can be determined about any other sides or angles, so the triangles cannot been proved or disproved to be similar.

Assume Statement 2 alone. , or , but again, no other information is given or can be determined about any other sides or angles, so the triangles have not been proved or disproved to be similar.

Now assume both statements. , setting up the conditions for the Hypotenuse-Leg Similarity Theorem; it follows that .

Example Question #51 : Right Triangles

Triangle 2

Note: Figure NOT drawn to scale.

Refer to the above figure. True or false: .

Statement 1: 

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

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.

Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 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. If , then corresponding angles are congruent - specifically, . Statement 1 directly contradicts this, so .

Statement 2 alone does not prove or disprove similarity, since information is only given about one set of corresponding sides. No information is given about corresponding angles, or any other set of corresponding sides. 

Example Question #12 : Dsq: Calculating Whether Right Triangles Are Similar

Given:  and , where  and  are right angles.

True or false: 

Statement 1: 

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

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.

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 insufficient 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:

Similarity of two triangles does not require that corresponding sides be congruent - only that they be in proportion. Therefore, the inequality of one pair of corresponding sides, as given in Statement 1 alone, is insufficient to prove or disprove that .

However, similarity of two triangles requires that all three pairs of corresponding angles be congruent. Therefore, Statement 2 alone, which establishes that one such pair is noncongruent, proves that .

Example Question #13 : Dsq: Calculating Whether Right Triangles Are Similar

Given: Rectangles  and  with diagonals  and , respectively. 

True or false: 

Statement 1: Of the two rectangles, only Rectangle  is a rhombus.

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

EITHER statement ALONE is 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.

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.

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. Rectangle   is not a rhombus, so  or  . Rectangle  is a rhombus, so . Therefore, either 

or 

Either way, the corresponding sides are not in proportion; it follows that .

Assume Statement 2 alone. No information is given about  , so the quantities  and  cannot be proved to be equal or unequal. If they are unequal, since the sides are not in proportion, it follows that . If they are equal, then, since , it follows by the Side-Angle-Side similarity Theorem that .

Example Question #14 : Dsq: Calculating Whether Right Triangles Are Similar

Triangle 2

Note: Figure NOT drawn to scale.

Refer to the above figure. True or false: .

Statement 1: Quadrilateral  is a trapezoid.

Statement 2: 

Possible Answers:

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.

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

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Assume Statement 1 alone. Since Quadrilateral  is a trapezoid, it follows that ; by the Corresponding Angles Principle, . By reflexivity, . By the Angle-Angle Postulate, .

Assume Statement 2 alone.

Also, by reflexivity, . By the Side-Angle-Side Similarity Theorem, it follows that .

 

Example Question #15 : Dsq: Calculating Whether Right Triangles Are Similar

Triangles and circles

Note: Figure NOT drawn to scale.

Refer to the above diagram.

True or false: 

Statement 1: Arcs  and  have the same degree measure.

Statement 2: Arcs  and  have the same degree measure.

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 sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

EITHER statement ALONE is 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.

Correct answer:

EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.

Explanation:

Assume Statement 1 alone.  and  have the same degree measure, so the inscribed angles that intercept these arcs must also have the same degree measure - that is, . Since , both being right angles, this sets up the conditions of the Angle-Angle Postulate, so it follows that .

Assume Statement 2 alone. Major arc  and major arc .   by Statement 2, so 

Again, the inscribed angles that intercept these arcs must also be congruent - that is, . Again, this, along with , prove that  by way of the Angle-Angle Postulate. 

Example Question #1 : Dsq: Calculating The Height Of A Right Triangle

Export-png__1_

 is a right triangle where  is a right angle. What is the length of the height ?

(1) 

(1) 

Possible Answers:

Each statement alone is sufficient

Statement 1 alone is sufficient

Statement 2 alone is sufficient

Both statements together are sufficient

Statements 1 and 2 together are not sufficient.

Correct answer:

Both statements together are sufficient

Explanation:

To know the length of the height triangle, we would need to know the lengths of the triangle or the angles to have more information about the triangle.

Statement 1 only gives us a length of a side. There is nothing more we can calculate from what we know so far.

Statement 2 alone tells us that the triangle is isoceles. Indeed, ABC is a right triangle, if one of its angle is 45 degrees, than so must be another. Now, we are able to tell that the length of the height would be the same as half the hypothenuse. A single side would be sufficient to answer the problem. Statment 1 gives us that information. Therefore, both statements together are sufficient.

Example Question #2 : Dsq: Calculating The Height Of A Right Triangle

Export-png

What is the length of the height  of right triangle , where   is a right angle?

(1) 

(2) 

Possible Answers:

Statements (1) and (2) together are not sufficient.

Each statement alone is sufficient

Statement (1) alone is sufficient

Statement (2) alone is sufficient

Both statements together are sufficient

Correct answer:

Both statements together are sufficient

Explanation:

Since we are told that triangle ABC is a right triangle, to find the height, we just need the length of at least 2 other sides. From there, we can find the length of the height since in a right triangle, the height divides the triangle into two triangles with the same proportions. In other words . Therefore, we need to know the length of the sides of the triangle.

Example Question #3 : Dsq: Calculating The Height Of A Right Triangle

Consider right .

I) The longest side, , has a length of  meters.

II) .

What is the height of ?

Possible Answers:

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.

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.

Either statement is sufficient to answer the question.

Correct answer:

Both statements are needed to answer the question.

Explanation:

The height of a right triangle will be one of its side lengths.

I) tells us the length of our hypotenuse.

II) gives us the other two angle measurements.

They are both 45 degrees, which makes JKL a 45/45/90 triangle with side length ratios of  .

Which we can use to find the height.

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