Tough Word Problem - Please explain!

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Tough Word Problem - Please explain!

by starxx68 » Sun Dec 30, 2007 7:53 am
Each of the three charities in Novel Grove Estates has 8 persons serving on its board of directors. If exactly 4 persons serve on 3 boards each and each pair of charities has 5 persons in common on the their boards of directors, then how many distinct persons serve on one or more boards of directors?

A) 8
B) 13
C) 16
D) 24
E) 27

The answer says to make a chart, using letters to represent the different board members. Can anyone explain their process for setting up a chart like that? Thanks!
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by Auzbee » Mon Dec 31, 2007 7:04 pm
Starxxx, I feel that these type of problems eat away extra time on the GMAT. Not sure how to tackle them, other than take a smart guess and move on. Cracking such questions in one shot in less than 3 minutes is highly doubtful.

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by starxx68 » Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:43 pm
Auz, I know what you mean. I usually end up getting them wrong, but get close to the answer. Check out sujay's link to see how to approach this one. I like the Venn Diagram option the best.