We know that p is the smallest of the 3 variables. So, how could the product of the 3 be less than p? Most likely, either fractions or negatives will be involved to make that happen.bsandhyav wrote:If p < q and p < r, is (p)(q)(r) < p?
(1) pq < 0
(2) pr < 0
Guyz share your thoughts on this MGMAT Q!!!
I strongly feel the answer is D...however MGMAT says it is C....how?
(1) pq < 0
To get a negative product, we need (-)*(+).
We know that p < q, so we now know that p is negative and q is positive.
However, we can still get both a yes and a no to the original question, since we don't know the sign of r.
If r is negative, then pqr = (-)(+)(-) which is positive, so we'll get a "NO" answer to the question (e.g. if p=-10, q=4, r=-3, pqr = 120).
If r is positive, then pqr = (-)(+)(+) which is negative, so we could get a "YES" answer to the question (e.g. if p=-10, q=2 and r=3, pqr = -60).
Therefore, (1) is insufficient.
(2) pr < 0
Using the exact same reasoning as above, insufficient.
We've eliminated (a), (b) and (d). We're left with (c) and (e), so we need to look at the statements together.
Combined, we know that p is - and that both q and r are +. So, pqr is negative.
HOWEVER, just because it's negative doesn't mean that pqr < p. We can still get both a yes and a no answer.
If p=-10, q=2 and r=3, pqr = -60. Is -60 < -10? YES
If p=-10, q=1 and r=1, pqr = -10. Is -10 < -10? NO
We also could have picked fractions to get a "NO" answer:
If p=-10, q=1/4 and r = 1/2, pqr = -10/8. Is -10/8 < -10? NO
So, even after combining, we can't answer the question: choose (E).
Are you sure that the OA is (C)?
