BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

GMATPrep Apples

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:38 pm
Location: North Carolina

GMATPrep Apples

by Schrute Beets » Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:52 pm
Pat bought 5 lbs. of apples. How many pounds of pears could Pat have bought for the same amount of money?

(1) One pound of pears costs $0.50 more than one pound of apples.

(2) One pound of pears costs 1 1/2 times as much as one pound of apples.


Thanks for your help!
Top
Source: — Data Sufficiency |
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 58
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:00 am
Thanked: 4 times

by Canman » Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:04 am
A = spending on apples
Qa = quantity of apples
Pa = price of apples

Z = spending on pears
Qz = quantity of pears
Pz = price of pears

so...

A = Qa * Pa <--- this is the amount of money he will have to spend on pears

Z=A <--- given in the stem

Qz = (5 * Pa ) / Pz <--- we are given Qa=5 in stem.

1) Pz = Pa + .50 <-- Insufficient because we can't solve for Pz or Pa

2) Pz = (3/2)Pa <-- Insufficient because we can't solve for Pz or Pa

Together we have the system of equations and can plug in Pa and Pz to find Qz

Ans C
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 10:46 am
Thanked: 1 times

by Mclaughlin » Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:29 am
My choice is D both are sufficient

A. we know that pears are fifty cents more a pound. If she bought 5 pounds of apples then lets says apples are $2 a pound, so she spent 10 dollars. That means pears are 2.50 and she can buy 4 pounds worth. SUFFICIENT

B. we know basically the same thing, but this time it's 1.5 times as much per pound, so we can still figure out how many pounds she can buy with the amount she spent on apples, whatever that amount is. SUFFICIENT

What is the OA?
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 118
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:47 pm
Thanked: 5 times
Followed by:1 members

Apples

by ricky » Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:43 am
IMO C...

Wots OA?
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 58
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:00 am
Thanked: 4 times

by Canman » Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:55 am
Good catch...

I'm not so sure about C now

1) I still think this is insufficient. If you plug in some more values for price of apples you will get different quantities of pears.

Mathematically you can see how this is the case

Going back to my earlier post:

Qz = (5 * Pa) / Pz
Qz = (5 * Pa) / (Pa + .50)

2) I see how this can be sufficient:

You want to solve Qz = (5 * Pa) / Pz
and statement 2 tells you that Pz = (3/2) * Pa so...

Qz = (5 * Pa) / (3/2) * Pa which can be simplified to find Qz

Looks like B may be the answer after all.
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 320
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:00 pm
Thanked: 10 times

by ildude02 » Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:56 am
Answer is B.
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 320
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:00 pm
Thanked: 10 times

by ildude02 » Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:01 am
Mclaughlin wrote:My choice is D both are sufficient

A. we know that pears are fifty cents more a pound. If she bought 5 pounds of apples then lets says apples are $2 a pound, so she spent 10 dollars. That means pears are 2.50 and she can buy 4 pounds worth. SUFFICIENT

B. we know basically the same thing, but this time it's 1.5 times as much per pound, so we can still figure out how many pounds she can buy with the amount she spent on apples, whatever that amount is. SUFFICIENT

What is the OA?
I would say A is insufficient becoz the number of pears that can be bought differs with the dollar amount . With the same example you had, if the apples were $4 a pound, then the number of pounds of pears that can be bought will be different. Without knowing exactly how much amount, it will be INSUFF. At least, that's my understanding.
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 10:46 am
Thanked: 1 times

by Mclaughlin » Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:47 am
Hmm then how does #2 work since I did the same rationale?
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 320
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:00 pm
Thanked: 10 times

by ildude02 » Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:31 am
from statement 1, we get that pears cost 0.50 more than the what 1lb of apples cost. If X$ was the cost of 5lbs of apple, then x/5 is 1lb of apples.

Pears cost of 1 lb = x/5 + 0.5. The total numbers of lbs that can be bought for X$ is, X/(x/5 + 0.5) = 5x/(x+ 2.5); without knowing X, its insuffcient.

With statement b, 1lb of pears cost 3/2 * (x/5) = 3x/10.

Total num of lbs is, x / (3x/10) = 10/3 ~ 3 lbs.

That's the math I used to solve it. Not sure if I missed something.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 200
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 10:46 am
Location: Canada
Thanked: 9 times

by beeparoo » Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:35 am
Hahahahahaha! Schrute Beets! :shock: I couldn't even look at the question before bursting out laughing.

"QUESTION: Did my shoes come off in the plane crash?"
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 58
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:36 pm
Thanked: 4 times
GMAT Score:680

by mim3 » Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:57 pm
beeparoo wrote:Hahahahahaha! Schrute Beets! :shock: I couldn't even look at the question before bursting out laughing.

"QUESTION: Did my shoes come off in the plane crash?"
Hilarious.

I think it's B. We're only looking for a ratio/relationship between the price of apples/lb and the price of pears/lb. We get that in B.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 228
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:47 pm
Thanked: 15 times
Followed by:1 members

by amitdgr » Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:07 pm
Canman wrote:A = spending on apples
Qa = quantity of apples
Pa = price of apples

Z = spending on pears
Qz = quantity of pears
Pz = price of pears

so...

A = Qa * Pa <--- this is the amount of money he will have to spend on pears

Z=A <--- given in the stem

Qz = (5 * Pa ) / Pz <--- we are given Qa=5 in stem.

1) Pz = Pa + .50 <-- Insufficient because we can't solve for Pz or Pa

2) Pz = (3/2)Pa <-- Insufficient because we can't solve for Pz or Pa

Together we have the system of equations and can plug in Pa and Pz to find Qz

Ans C

Qz = (5 * Pa ) / Pz or Qz = 5 * (Pa / Pz)

From one we cant find Pa/Pz value

from 2 we have Pa/Pz value as 2/3 .... Therefore 2 alone is sufficient

Answer is B
Please visit my blog Gmat Tips and Strategies
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:23 am
Location: Lima
Thanked: 4 times
Followed by:1 members

by Fab » Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:55 am
I would go with B.

A is insufficient cause the ammount of peers will change depending of te cost of apples.

B establishes a relationship:
5 pounds of apples -----> x $
y pounds of peers -------> 1.5x $

Solving we have: 5x/1/3x/2---->10/3---> 3 1/3 pounds of peers
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1