If the 1st term of a sequence is 0 and the 2nd term is 1, is the 5th term 2?
(1) Each odd-numbered term is either 0 or 2.
(2) The 3rd term is 2.
Answer: E
Source: Official Guide
If the 1st term of a sequence is 0 and the 2nd term is 1, is the 5th term 2?
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Given: term1 = 0 and term2 = 1Gmat_mission wrote: ↑Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:16 amIf the 1st term of a sequence is 0 and the 2nd term is 1, is the 5th term 2?
(1) Each odd-numbered term is either 0 or 2.
(2) The 3rd term is 2.
Answer: E
Source: Official Guide
Target question: Does term5 equal 2?
Once we scan the two statements, we can probably jump straight to
.
.
.
Statements 1 and 2 combined
There are several possible sequences that satisfy BOTH statements. Here are two:
Case a: {0, 1, 2, 0, 2,...}. In this case, the answer to the target question is YES, term5 IS 2
Case b: {0, 1, 2, 0, 0,...}. In this case, the answer to the target question is NO, term5 is NOT 2
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, the combined statements are NOT SUFFICIENT
Answer: E
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1st term = 0, an 2nd term = 1
Target question => Is the 5th term 2?
Statement 1: Each odd-numbered term is either 0 or 2.
The fifth term is an odd-numbered term, so, the 5th term is either 0 or 1. Since the answer is not definite, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT.
Statement 2: The 3rd term is 2.
The information provided does tell anything about the 5th term, hence, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT.
Combining both statements together:
From the information in statement 1 and 2, the 3rd term is 2 and the 5th term is either 0 or 2. Since the answer is not definite, then combining both statements together do not answer the target question.
Therefore, both statements combined together are NOT SUFFICIENT. Hence, option E is the correct answer.
Target question => Is the 5th term 2?
Statement 1: Each odd-numbered term is either 0 or 2.
The fifth term is an odd-numbered term, so, the 5th term is either 0 or 1. Since the answer is not definite, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT.
Statement 2: The 3rd term is 2.
The information provided does tell anything about the 5th term, hence, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT.
Combining both statements together:
From the information in statement 1 and 2, the 3rd term is 2 and the 5th term is either 0 or 2. Since the answer is not definite, then combining both statements together do not answer the target question.
Therefore, both statements combined together are NOT SUFFICIENT. Hence, option E is the correct answer.