Hi All,

This question actually has a fantastic shortcut built into it that allows you to avoid almost all the long-winded math:

Associates bring 2 pencils and 1 chart; a total of 3 items
Assistants bring 1 pencil and 2 charts; a total of 3 items

There are 10 pencils and 11 charts; a total of 21 items

Since each person (regardless of his/her title) brings 3 items and there are 21 items total....

21/3 = 7

There must be 7 people in the meeting.

Final Answer: B

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

AAPL wrote:GMAT Prep

At a certain committee meeting only associate professors and assistant professors are present. Each associate professor has brought 2 pencils and 1 chart to the meeting, while each assistant professor has brought 1 pencil and 2 charts. If a total of 10 pencils and 11 charts have been brought to the meeting, how many people are present?

A. 6
B. 7
C. 8
D. 9
E. 10

We can let the number of associate professors = a and the number of assistant professors = n, and create two equations:

Pencil equation:

2a + n = 10

Chart equation:

a + 2n = 11

Let's add the two equations together:

3a + 3n = 21

a + n = 7

Thus, there were 7 people in the meeting.

Answer: B