The weights of four packages are 1, 3, 5, and 7 pounds, resp

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BTGmoderatorDC: Moderator; Posts: 7187; Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:43 pm; Followed by:23 members

The weights of four packages are 1, 3, 5, and 7 pounds, resp

by BTGmoderatorDC » Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:36 pm

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The weights of four packages are 1, 3, 5, and 7 pounds, respectively. Which of the following CANNOT be the total weight, in pounds, of any combination of the packages?

a) 9

b) 10

c) 12

d) 13

e) 14

OA E

Source: Official Guide

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:36 pm

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; Followed by:1268 members; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Nov 27, 2018 6:51 am

BTGmoderatorDC wrote:The weights of four packages are 1, 3, 5, and 7 pounds, respectively. Which of the following CANNOT be the total weight, in pounds, of any combination of the packages?

a) 9
b) 10
c) 12
d) 13
e) 14

For each answer choice, if we CAN create the total given weight, then we can ELIMINATE that answer choice.
a) 9 = 1 + 3 + 5 ELIMINATE
b) 10 = 3 + 7 ELIMINATE
c) 12 = 5 + 7 ELIMINATE
d) 13 = 1 + 5 + 7 ELIMINATE
By the process of elimination, the correct answer is E

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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swerve: Legendary Member; Posts: 2499; Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:04 pm; Followed by:6 members

by swerve » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:51 am

The total weight of the four packages = 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16 pounds. To get 14 pounds, we should remove a package of 2 pounds or two packages of 1 pound each. Neither is possible, thus the correct answer is 14 pounds, option E.

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GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; Followed by:1268 members; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:16 am

swerve wrote:The total weight of the four packages = 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16 pounds. To get 14 pounds, we should remove a package of 2 pounds or two packages of 1 pound each. Neither is possible, thus the correct answer is 14 pounds, option E.

That's MUCH better than my solution!!

Cheers,
Brent<i class="em em---1"></i>

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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Scott@TargetTestPrep: 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 Mar 27, 2019 6:07 pm

BTGmoderatorDC wrote:The weights of four packages are 1, 3, 5, and 7 pounds, respectively. Which of the following CANNOT be the total weight, in pounds, of any combination of the packages?

a) 9

b) 10

c) 12

d) 13

e) 14

OA E

Source: Official Guide

Let's examine each answer choice:

A) 9

1 + 3 + 5 = 9

B) 10

3 + 7 = 10

C) 12

5 + 7 = 12

D) 13

1 + 5 + 7 = 13

Since we eliminated every other choice, we know at this point that the answer is E. However, let's evaluate answer choice E for practice:

E) 14

We can see that 1 + 5 + 7 = 13 and 3 + 5 + 7 = 15, so it can't be 14.

Answer: E

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