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Which following cannot be true questions.. how do I...

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by hwiya320 » Mon Dec 01, 2008 7:14 am
OK,

When do I draw the line on "yes or no" questions?

For examples,

If sum of the prime numbers x and y is an odd number, which of the following cannot be true?

I. y^2 is odd
2. x-y is odd
3. x/y is an integer

Now, I know that y^2 can or cannot be odd. Since the x and y has to be 2 and 3, 2x2 = even, 3x3 = odd. So it can be both.

So how do I interpret the question? since the original stem is asking which of the following cannot be true.. does that mean ALWAYS? POSSIBLY?

Thanks for your input guys.
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Source: — GMAT Strategy |

by VP_Jim » Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:57 am
"Cannot be true" means "can never be true, under any circumstances, no matter what set of numbers you plug into the statement".

So, a good general strategy for such questions is to try to find a situation where it CAN be true. If it CAN be true, even once, then we can eliminate that answer.
Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep
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by hwiya320 » Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:36 pm
Thanks! I'll have to remember this..
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by niraj_a » Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:56 am
agreed. so in this case, i believe only statement 3 cannot be true.
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