Maria can either buy a basket that contains P pounds

Expert replies

gmatquant25: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 31; Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:12 pm; Thanked: 5 times

by gmatquant25 » Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:03 pm

Maria can either buy a basket that contains P pounds of apples for $16.50 or buy p pounds of apples at $0.95 per pound. Doe it cost Maria more to buy the basket of apples than to buy p pounds of apples at $0.95 per pound?

(1) The basket contains less than 20 pounds of apples
(2) It would cost maria a total of $18.05 to buy p+4 pounds of apples at $0.95 per pound.

OA[spoiler]B

Could someone help me eliminate option A ?

Thanks[/spoiler]

Like this post

Source: Beat The GMAT — Data Sufficiency | Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:03 pm

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:21 pm

Hi gmatquant25,

In this DS question, the ultimate issue is in figuring out if $16.50 > P(0.95)?

We need to know the value (or possible values) of P to answer this question.

Fact 1: P < 20 pounds

If P = 1, then 16.50 IS > .95 and the answer to the question is YES
If P = 19, 19.(.95) = 18.05 and 16.50 is NOT > 18.05 so the answer to the question is NO

Fact 1 is INSUFFICIENT

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

Like this post

gmatquant25: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 31; Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:12 pm; Thanked: 5 times

by gmatquant25 » Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:28 pm

Thanks Rich !

Like this post

Matt@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2630; Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pmFollowed by: 119 members; Location: East Bay all the way; Thanked: 625 times; GMAT Score:780

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Thu Mar 06, 2014 5:45 pm

If I'm reading this correctly, the question is asking whether 0.95p > 16.50. Dividing both sides by 0.95, the question is really "Is p > ~17.25" or "Did we buy more than about 17Â¼ pounds of apples?"

LOTS of DS questions respond well to this technique, so it's always a good idea to simplify the question first: it'll make the statements that much easier to work with.

Save $100 on any VP online course!

Like this post

Post new topic Post Reply

• Page 1 of 1

GMAT Course Reviews

560 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (560 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review