GMAT Math : Geometry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GMAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #241 : Geometry

Quadrilateral  is inscribed in circle  . What is  ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Two opposite angles of a quadrilateral inscribed inside a circle are supplementary, so 

Example Question #241 : Geometry

Rhombus

Note: Figure NOT drawn to scale.

The above figure is of a rhombus and one of its diagonals. What is  equal to?

Possible Answers:

Not enough information is given to answer the question.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The four sides of a rhombus are congruent, so a diagonal of the rhombus cuts it into two isosceles triangles. The two angles adjacent to the diagonal are congruent, so the third angle, the one marked, measures:

Example Question #1 : Calculating An Angle In A Quadrilateral

Rectangle

Refer to the above figure. You are given that Polygon  is a parallelogram, but NOT that it is a rectangle.

Which of the following statements is not enough to prove that Polygon  is also a rectangle?

Possible Answers:

 and  are complementary angles

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To prove that Polygon  is also a rectangle, we need to prove that any one of its angles is a right angle.

If , then by definition of perpendicular lines,  is right.

If , then, since  and  form a linear pair,  is right.

If , then, by the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem,  is a right triangle with right angle .

If  and  are complementary angles, then, since 

, making  right.

However, since, by definition of a parallelogram, , by the Alternate Interior Angles Theorem,  regardless of whether the parallelogram is a rectangle or not.

Example Question #131 : Quadrilaterals

Two angles of a parallelogram measure  and . What are the possible values of  ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Case 1: The two angles are opposite angles of the parallelogram. In this case, they are congruent, and

 

Case 2: The two angles are consecutive angles of the parallelogram. In this case, they are supplementary, and

Example Question #1 : Calculating The Perimeter Of A Quadrilateral

Quad

Note: Figure NOT drawn to scale

What is the perimeter of Quadrilateral , above?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

By the Pythagorean Theorem, 

Also by the Pythagorean Theorem, 

The perimeter of Quadrilateral  is

Example Question #131 : Quadrilaterals

What is the perimeter of Rhombus  ?

Statement 1: 

Statement 2: Rhombus  has area .

Possible Answers:

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.

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.

Correct answer:

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

Explanation:

A rhombus has four congruent sides. Statement 1 gives the length of one of them, so that length can be multiplied by  to yield the perimeter.

The area of a rhombus alone has no bearing on its perimeter, so Statement 2 alone is insufficient.

Example Question #245 : Geometry

Isosceles trapezoid  has a side length of . The length of one of its bases (Base A) is equal to three times the amount of seven inches fewer than the length of the other base (Base B). If Base B has a length of , what is the perimeter of ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In an isosceles trapezoid, the two non-parallel sides are equal. In this case, they are both  long. To find the perimeter, we also need to know the length of both bases. We are told that Base B is . Eliminate any options less than or equal to .

To find the length of Base A, we need to translate the following: "The length of one of its bases (Base A) is equal to three times the amount of seven inches fewer than the length of the other base (Base B)." For translating, break the statement down:

Starting with ,

"seven inches fewer than the length of the other base (Base B)": 

"three times the amount of seven inches fewer than the length of the other base (Base B)": 

So, Base A is  long, so the perimeter of isosceles trapezoid  is:

Example Question #2 : Calculating The Perimeter Of A Quadrilateral

Frank is planning on fencing a rectangular field near his house. The longer side of the house is two times four more than the length of the other side. If the shorter side is  meters, what is the total length of fence that Frank needs?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

This is a perimeter problem, but first we need to find our side lengths. 

The short sides are  meters. The long sides are two times 4 more than the short sides. So

"four more" 

"two times" meters

So our two side lengths are 120 and 56 meters. Find the perimeter by the following:

So, 352 meters

Example Question #1 : Calculating The Perimeter Of A Quadrilateral

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Rhombus  has diagonals  and . What is the perimeter of the rhombus?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The rhombus is a special kind of a parallelogram. Its sides are all of the same length. Therefore, we just need to find one length of this quadrilateral. To do so, we can apply the Pythagorean Theorem on triangle AEC for example, since we know the length of the diagonals. Also, the diagonals intersect at their center. Therefore, triangle AEC has length,  and . Therefore,  or . The perimeter is then .

Example Question #241 : Geometry

Which set of side lengths cannot be the side lengths of a right triangle?

Possible Answers:

\dpi{100} \small 3,4,5

\dpi{100} \small 84,35,91

\dpi{100} \small 45, 55,75

\dpi{100} \small 48,64,80

\dpi{100} \small 28,45,53

Correct answer:

\dpi{100} \small 45, 55,75

Explanation:

For a triangle to be a right triangle, the sides must obey the Pythagorean Theorem. Let's try our options.

3, 4, 5: You should know this is a right triangle without having to do any calculations because it is one of the special triangles that you should remember. But if you didn't, 3^{2} + 4^{2} = 25 = 5^{2}.

28, 45, 53:  28^{2} + 45^{2} = 784 + 2025 = 2809 = 53^{2}

45, 55, 75:  45^{2} + 55^{2} = 2025 + 3025 = 5050 \neq 75^{2}. The sides don't follow the Pythagorean Theorem so this can't be a right triangle. This is our answer. Let's check the remaining two sets of sides as well.

48, 64, 80:  48^{2} + 64^{2} = 2304 + 4096 = 6400 = 80^{2}. These are pretty big numbers and this math might take a while. Instead of doing these calculations, we could also see if 48, 64, and 80 look like any of the special triangles we know. Let's divide the three numbers by 16. 48/16 = 3, 64/16 = 4, and 80/16 = 5. Then this is just a type of 3,4,5 triangle, which we know is a right triangle.

84, 35, 91:  84^{2} + 35^{2} = 7056 + 1225 = 8281 = 91^{2}. Again, these are big numbers to square. Let's divide the three numbers by their greatest common factor, 7. 84/7 = 12, 35/7 = 5, 91/7 = 13. Then this is a 5, 12, 13 triangle, which is another of our special triangles that we know is a right triangle.

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