simpm14 wrote:If wx = y, what is the value of xy ?

(1) wx²= 16
(2) y = 4

Given: wx = y

Target question: What is the value of xy ?

Statement 1: wx²= 16
We can rewrite this as: (wx)(x) = 16
Since wx = y, we can replace wx with y to get: (y)(x) = 16
So, the answer to the target question is xy = 16
Since we can answer the target question with certainty, statement 1 is SUFFICIENT

Statement 2: y = 4
There are several values of w, x and y that satisfy statement 2. Here are two:
Case a: w = 1, x = 4 and y = 4. In this case, the answer to the target question is xy = 16
Case b: w = 2, x = 2 and y = 4. In this case, the answer to the target question is xy = 8
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer: A

Cheers,
Brent