GMAT Prep Ratio Question - Very puzzled

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ssy: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 66; Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:17 pm; Thanked: 5 times; GMAT Score:660

by ssy » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:27 pm

Here's a question from one of the GMAT prep practice tests. Could someone kindly explain the answer?

On a certain sightseeing tour, the ratio of the number of women to the number of men is 5 to 2. What is the number of men on the tour?

1) The ratio of the number of men to the number of children is 5 to 11.

2) The number of women on the tour is less than 30.

The answer is C, both statements together are sufficient.

I thought it was E, none of the statements are sufficient as statement #2 does not even specifiy a unique value for the number of women. Please help, thanks!

Source: Beat The GMAT — Data Sufficiency | Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:27 pm

jangojess: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 175; Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2007 12:01 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 15 times

by jangojess » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:36 pm

stmt 1 - m:c = 5:11 but from the Q we can get that w:m = 5:2. now taking the ratio of all the three we get that w

c = 25:10:22...This is still a ratio and so we can't get the number of men...So insuff

stmt 2 - w < 30 and w:m = 5:2 but number of women can be any multiple of 5 less than 30...so insuff

both - we know that w

c = 25:10:22 and w<30...so w must be 25 which means that m=10 and c=22...So suff.....Ans is C

Trying hard!!!

ssy: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 66; Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:17 pm; Thanked: 5 times; GMAT Score:660

by ssy » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:53 pm

Thank you for your quick response JangoJess!

That is what I thought as well but I took it to a friend of mine who's really good at math who said it was still insufficient.

Is it right to say that given that the ratio of w

c is 25:10:22, the number of woman can only be 25 because if it is any other multiple of 5 -20, 15, 10..etc, the number will not satisfy the entire ratio?

I.e. If we take the number of women to be 15, the number of men and children will not be an integer.

jangojess: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 175; Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2007 12:01 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 15 times

by jangojess » Sat Oct 20, 2007 11:02 pm

u got it right ssy..........

Trying hard!!!

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