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

Redeem

Maria's Car Trip

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 56
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:27 pm

Maria's Car Trip

by dnkcdnguy » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:40 pm

Timer

00:00

Your Answer

A

B

C

D

E

Global Stats

Q: During a car trip, Maria stopped to rest after she traveled 1/2 of the total distance of her destination.

She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination. What was the total distance, in miles, from Maria's starting point to her destination?

A) 280
B) 320
C) 360
D) 420
E) 480

Source: GMAT Prep
Answer: B

Can someone please help with the above question.

Thanks
"If you fail to plan,..then you plan to fail"
Top
Source: — Problem Solving |
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:33 pm
Thanked: 4 times

by hypik21 » Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:47 pm
I drew a number line to make it easier for me visually..stop 1 should be in the middle, with 4 indents after the midpoint. 1/4 of distance from the midpoint is 1/8th the distance of the entire trip. there is 3/8ths left to complete the trip which equals 120. therefore 8/8th is your answer 320
Top
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:09 am

Maria's Car Trip

by katz » Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:48 pm
dnkcdnguy,

Let the total distance between the starting point and destination be "d".

Rest point 1:
Clearly Maria has covered half (1/2)*d the distance from starting point to her destination. She now has to cover the remaining (1/2)*d of the distance. For example, if the distance between her starting point and destination is 200 miles, she covered 100 miles and has another 100 miles to cover.

Rest point 2:
Maria now covered (1/4) distance between her rest point 1 and destination. From above (rest point 1), we know that she has to cover (1/2)*d the distance, and since she has covered (1/4)*(1/2)*d, she has actually covered (1/8)*d distance between rest point 1 and destination.

Total Distance Covered and to Cover:
The total distance covered so far would be (1/2)*d + (1/8)*d = (5/8)*d.
She would have to cover another (1-5/8)*d = (3/8)*d.

The problem states that (3/8)*d = 120 miles.
Therefore the total distance (d) = 120 miles * 8/3 (simple cross multiplication) = 320 miles.

And the answer would be "B".

I hope this helps.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:26 pm
Thanked: 237 times
Followed by:25 members
GMAT Score:730

by logitech » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:40 am
If the total distance is 8x

He stopped at 4x and 5x

Since the remaining 3x = 120, the total distance is 320
LGTCH
---------------------
"DON'T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR DREAM!"
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:30 pm
Thanked: 3 times
Followed by:2 members
GMAT Score:670

by Vitalina » Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:04 am
I also always draw when there is a distance problem. 120 is 3/4 of a half distance. Thus, 1/4 of a half distance is 40.
120+40 gives us 160 as half of Maria's trip. Then we have 320 - B as the answer
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 2:55 pm

by siddhans » Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:27 am
dnkcdnguy wrote:Q: During a car trip, Maria stopped to rest after she traveled 1/2 of the total distance of her destination.

She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination. What was the total distance, in miles, from Maria's starting point to her destination?

A) 280
B) 320
C) 360
D) 420
E) 480

Source: GMAT Prep
Answer: B

Can someone please help with the above question.

Thanks
She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination.


Does this statement mean that she stopped when she was just 1/4th of the distance away from her destination and that 1/4th of distance from the destination is 120 miles? The wording is so confusing in the problem.

means 1/8 => 120 ... Therefore 1 => 920??? What am i missing here?
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 401
Joined: Tue May 24, 2011 1:14 am
Thanked: 37 times
Followed by:5 members

by MBA.Aspirant » Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:05 am
siddhans wrote:
dnkcdnguy wrote:Q: During a car trip, Maria stopped to rest after she traveled 1/2 of the total distance of her destination.

She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination. What was the total distance, in miles, from Maria's starting point to her destination?

A) 280
B) 320
C) 360
D) 420
E) 480

Source: GMAT Prep
Answer: B

Can someone please help with the above question.

Thanks
She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination.


Does this statement mean that she stopped when she was just 1/4th of the distance away from her destination and that 1/4th of distance from the destination is 120 miles? The wording is so confusing in the problem.

means 1/8 => 120 ... Therefore 1 => 920??? What am i missing here?
no it means that she stopped after travelling for 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and destination, then she traveled 120 miles which represent 3/4 of the remaining distance.

that distance of course is 1/2 of the whole trip

so 3/4 of 1/2 d = 120

d = 320
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 2:55 pm

Maria's Car Trip

by siddhans » Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:54 am
MBA.Aspirant wrote:
siddhans wrote:
dnkcdnguy wrote:Q: During a car trip, Maria stopped to rest after she traveled 1/2 of the total distance of her destination.

She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination. What was the total distance, in miles, from Maria's starting point to her destination?

A) 280
B) 320
C) 360
D) 420
E) 480

Source: GMAT Prep
Answer: B

Can someone please help with the above question.

Thanks
She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination.


Does this statement mean that she stopped when she was just 1/4th of the distance away from her destination and that 1/4th of distance from the destination is 120 miles? The wording is so confusing in the problem.

means 1/8 => 120 ... Therefore 1 => 920??? What am i missing here?
no it means that she stopped after travelling for 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and destination, then she traveled 120 miles which represent 3/4 of the remaining distance.

that distance of course is 1/2 of the whole trip

so 3/4 of 1/2 d = 120

d = 320

I still dont understand how 3/4 of 1/2 d - 120 ???

I have attached a picture of what I have understood . Please tell me why my interpretation is wrong
Image
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 401
Joined: Tue May 24, 2011 1:14 am
Thanked: 37 times
Followed by:5 members

by MBA.Aspirant » Mon Jul 11, 2011 3:27 am
Start --------1/2d--------|--1/4(1/2)d|-----3/4(1/2d) or 120--------Destination

so she travelled for 1/2 d then stopped

then travelled for 1/4 of the other 1/2 d, then stopped

then continued the remaining 3/4 of 1/2 d which is equal to 120 miles

3/4 * 1/2d = 120

so d = 320
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
Followed by:1906 members
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Mon Jul 11, 2011 4:33 am
dnkcdnguy wrote:Q: During a car trip, Maria stopped to rest after she traveled 1/2 of the total distance of her destination.

She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination. What was the total distance, in miles, from Maria's starting point to her destination?

A) 280
B) 320
C) 360
D) 420
E) 480

Source: GMAT Prep
Answer: B

Can someone please help with the above question.

Thanks
We can plug in the answers, which represent the total distance.

Answer choice C: 360 miles.
First stop = 1/2 * 360 = 180.
Remaining distance = 360-180 = 180.
Second stop = 1/4 * 180 = 45.
Remaining distance = 180-45 = 135.
Remaining distance is supposed to be 120, just a bit less.
The correct answer must be just a bit smaller.

The correct answer is B.

Answer choice B: 320 miles.
First stop = 1/2 * 320 = 160.
Remaining distance = 320-160 = 160.
Second stop = 1/4 * 160 = 40.
Remaining distance = 160-40 = 120. Success!

Note that plugging in the answers required no special insight and allowed me to determine the correct answer very quickly. I had to try only one answer choice to see that the correct answer is B.
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 2:55 pm

by siddhans » Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:19 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
dnkcdnguy wrote:Q: During a car trip, Maria stopped to rest after she traveled 1/2 of the total distance of her destination.

She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination. What was the total distance, in miles, from Maria's starting point to her destination?

A) 280
B) 320
C) 360
D) 420
E) 480

Source: GMAT Prep
Answer: B

Can someone please help with the above question.

Thanks
We can plug in the answers, which represent the total distance.

Answer choice C: 360 miles.
First stop = 1/2 * 360 = 180.
Remaining distance = 360-180 = 180.
Second stop = 1/4 * 180 = 45.
Remaining distance = 180-45 = 135.
Remaining distance is supposed to be 120, just a bit less.
The correct answer must be just a bit smaller.

The correct answer is B.

Answer choice B: 320 miles.
First stop = 1/2 * 320 = 160.
Remaining distance = 320-160 = 160.
Second stop = 1/4 * 160 = 40.
Remaining distance = 160-40 = 120. Success!

Note that plugging in the answers required no special insight and allowed me to determine the correct answer very quickly. I had to try only one answer choice to see that the correct answer is B.

The statement says . She stopped again after she travelled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her first stop and her destination.

So that means if the destination is at X she should have stopped just before 1/4th distance remaining from the last end point i.e when she reached X/2 + 3/4(X/2) so only then will the condition 1/4th of the distance remaining will hold true. I am attching a diagram ... Please help me understand

S-------------X/2-----------X
Attachments
maria.jpg
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 2:55 pm

by siddhans » Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:50 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
dnkcdnguy wrote:Q: During a car trip, Maria stopped to rest after she traveled 1/2 of the total distance of her destination.

She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination. What was the total distance, in miles, from Maria's starting point to her destination?

A) 280
B) 320
C) 360
D) 420
E) 480

Source: GMAT Prep
Answer: B

Can someone please help with the above question.

Thanks
We can plug in the answers, which represent the total distance.

Answer choice C: 360 miles.
First stop = 1/2 * 360 = 180.
Remaining distance = 360-180 = 180.
Second stop = 1/4 * 180 = 45.
Remaining distance = 180-45 = 135.
Remaining distance is supposed to be 120, just a bit less.
The correct answer must be just a bit smaller.

The correct answer is B.

Answer choice B: 320 miles.
First stop = 1/2 * 320 = 160.
Remaining distance = 320-160 = 160.
Second stop = 1/4 * 160 = 40.
Remaining distance = 160-40 = 120. Success!

Note that plugging in the answers required no special insight and allowed me to determine the correct answer very quickly. I had to try only one answer choice to see that the correct answer is B.
Hi Gmatguru,

I understand your explanation until Remaining distance = 160 miles
but not after that
The question says " She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her fist stop and her destination. Doesnt that mean the 1/4th of the distance is from the final destination and not from her first stop ??? Can you please explain ?
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 8086
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 43 times
Followed by:29 members

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:26 pm
dnkcdnguy wrote:Q: During a car trip, Maria stopped to rest after she traveled 1/2 of the total distance of her destination.

She stopped again after she traveled 1/4 of the distance remaining between her stop and her destination, and then she drove the remaining 120 miles to her destination. What was the total distance, in miles, from Maria's starting point to her destination?

A) 280
B) 320
C) 360
D) 420
E) 480
We can let n = total distance and create the equation:

n/2 + 1/4(n/2) + 120 = n

n/2 + n/8 + 120 = n

Multiplying by 8 we have:

4n + n + 960 = 8n

960 = 3n

320 = n

Answer: B

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

Image

See why Target Test Prep is rated 5 out of 5 stars on BEAT the GMAT. Read our reviews

ImageImage
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1