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If y does not equal 0, what is the value of x/y?

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Source: — Data Sufficiency |

BTGModeratorVI wrote:
Mon May 25, 2020 7:30 am
If y ≠ 0, what is the value of x/y?

(1) x = 2y
(2) x = y + 2

Answer: A
Source: GMAT prep
Target question: What is the value of x/y?

Statement 1: x = 2y
Divide both sides by y to get: x/y = 2
Since we can answer the target question with certainty, statement 1 is SUFFICIENT

Statement 2: x = y + 2
You might automatically recognize that there is no way to use this information to determine the value of x/y.

If you don't recognize this, consider these two cases that satisfy statement 2:
Case a: x = 3 and y = 1. In this case, the answer to the target question is x/y = 3/1 = 3
Case b: x = 4 and y = 2. In this case, the answer to the target question is x/y = 4/2 = 2
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer: A

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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