Data Sufficiency

ktrout2020 wrote:If mn ≠ 0, is m > n?

(1) 1/m < 1/n
(2) m² > n²

Target question: Is m > n?

Given: mn ≠ 0

Statement 1: 1/m < 1/n
This statement doesn't FEEL sufficient, so I'll TEST some values.
There are several values of m and n that satisfy statement 1. Here are two:
Case a: m = 2 and n = 1. In this case m > n
Case b: m = -3 and n = 1. In this case m < n
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Aside: For more on this idea of plugging in values when a statement doesn't feel sufficient, read my article: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/dat ... lug-values

Statement 2: m² > n²
Before I start choosing numbers to test, I'll see if I can REUSE my numbers from statement 1.
Yes I can! Those same values satisfy the conditions in statement 2.
Case a: m = 2 and n = 1. In this case m > n
Case b: m = -3 and n = 1. In this case m < n
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Statements 1 and 2 combined
IMPORTANT: Notice that I was able to use the same counter-examples to show that each statement ALONE is not sufficient. So, the same counter-examples will satisfy the two statements COMBINED.
In other words,
Case a: m = 2 and n = 1. In this case m > n
Case b: m = -3 and n = 1. In this case m < n
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, the combined statements are NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer: A

Cheers,
Brent