Sets

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Sets

by killerdrummer » Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:15 am
If sets S and T are united into a single set, will the mean of this set be smaller than the sum of means of sets S and T ?

1. S and T are one-element sets
2. Neither set S nor set T contains negative numbers
Source: — Data Sufficiency |

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:57 am
killerdrummer wrote:If sets S and T are united into a single set, will the mean of this set be smaller than the sum of means of sets S and T ?

1. S and T are one-element sets
2. Neither set S nor set T contains negative numbers
Target question: Is the mean of the new set less than the sum of means of sets S and T?

Statement 1: S and T are one-element sets
There are several sets that meet this condition. Here are two:
Case a: S = {2}, T = {3} and new set = {2,3}, in which case the mean of the new set is less than the sum of means of set S and set T
Case b: S = {0}, T = {0} and new set = {0,0}, in which case the mean of the new set is not less than the sum of means of set S and set T
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Statement 2: Neither set S nor set T contains negative numbers
There are several sets that meet this condition. Here are two:
Case a: S = {2}, T = {3} and new set = {2,3}, in which case the mean of the new set is less than the sum of means of set S and set T
Case b: S = {0}, T = {0} and new set = {0,0}, in which case the mean of the new set is not less than the sum of means of set S and set T
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Statements 1 and 2 combined:
There are several sets that meet both conditions. Here are two:
Case a: S = {2}, T = {3} and new set = {2,3}, in which case the mean of the new set is less than the sum of means of set S and set T
Case b: S = {0}, T = {0} and new set = {0,0}, in which case the mean of the new set is not less than the sum of means of set S and set T
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, the combined statements are NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer = E

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by Anju@Gurome » Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:11 am
Have a look at the solution posted by Anurag >> https://www.beatthegmat.com/problem-data ... tml#351638
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Backup Methods : General guide on plugging, estimation etc.
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