There are two things to note here in general.
1/
In general, you should NOT try to rephrase most DS questions. You should leave most DS questions exactly as written, and answer the exact question that is asked.
This is really important, because one of the primary skills tested by DS questions is FOCUS-i.e., can you actually stay focused on one particular quantity of interest?
The problem here is that most people are not perfect when it comes to rephrasing questions-and, if you rephrase the question wrongly, you've just blown the whole problem. Before even starting to work on it.
For instance, if the question says "What is 3x + y?", you should NOT try to rephrase this. If someone tries to rephrase that to "I need to find x and y", then that person is dead.
2/
*IF* a question is unusually complicated- or indirect-looking, THEN you should try to rephrase or simplify. In other words, if there is a clear reason to try to rephrase, then try; otherwise, don't.
For instance, if you see "Is x + y - z < x - y + z?", then it should be clear that this is not the "real" question, and that you should simplify the algebra somewhat. (Cancel x, and bring like terms together.)
Similarly, if you get "Was Jake more than 31 years old on Jan. 1, 2010?", then you can change that to a more direct question, "Was Jake born before 1979?"
On the other hand, if the question is already easy to understand, then don't rephrase it! Just answer the exact question that is asked; that skill is way, way, way more important than rephrasing.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.
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