BTGmoderatorDC wrote:If a + b + c = 12, what is the value of b ?
(1) a + b = 8
(2) b + c = 6
Target question: What is the value of b ?
Given: a + b + c = 12
Statement 1: a + b = 8
We can take
a + b + c = 12 and rewrite it as
(a + b) + c = 12
Now replace a+b with 8 to get: (8) + c = 12
Solve: c = 4
Now that we know the value of c, can we find the
value of b?
No.
Let's TEST some values that satisfy statement 1. Here are two:
Case a: a = 1, b = 7 and c = 4. In this case, the answer to the target question is
b = 7
Case b: a = 0, b = 8 and c = 4. In this case, the answer to the target question is
b = 8
Since we cannot answer the
target question with certainty, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT
Statement 2: b + c = 6
We can take
a + b + c = 12 and replace b+c with 6 to get: a + 6 = 12
Solve: a = 6
Now that we know the value of a, can we find the
value of b?
No.
Let's TEST some values that satisfy statement 2:
Case a: a = 6, b = 5 and c = 1. In this case, the answer to the target question is
b = 5
Case b: a = 6, b = 4 and c = 2. In this case, the answer to the target question is
b = 4
Since we cannot answer the
target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT
Statements 1 and 2 combined
Statement 1 tells us that c = 4
Statement 2 tells us that a = 6
We can take
a + b + c = 12 and replace c and a with 4 and 6 to get: 4 + b + 6 = 12
Solve:
b = 2
Since we can answer the
target question with certainty, the combined statements are SUFFICIENT
Answer: C
Cheers,
Brent
