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by ketkoag » Sat Mar 28, 2009 3:05 am
A department manager distributed a number of pens, pencils, and pads among the staff in
the department, with each staff member receiving x pens, y pencils, and z pads. How
many staff members were in the department ?
(1) The numbers of pens, pencils, and pads that each staff member received were in
the ratio 2 : 3 : 4, respectively.
(2) The manager distributed a total of 18 pens, 27 pencils, and 36 pads.

OA: E
Please explain why not the answer is C.
Because if we take both the statements then there would be 9 staff members. please explain if i am wrong.
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Source: — Data Sufficiency |
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by DanaJ » Sat Mar 28, 2009 4:45 am
While it is true that 9 could be the number of staff members, you also have another possible value: what if the manager has only one staff member and "distributes" everything to him? The ratio of office supplies is still the same 2:3:4, but you've got just one guy who gets everything.
And what if you have three staff members? Then each guy gets 6, 9 and 12 office stuff respectively.
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