AAPL wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 6:01 am

Official Guide

On a certain nonstop trip, Marta averaged x miles per hour for 2 hours and y miles per hour for the remaining 3 hours. What was her average speed, in miles per hour, for the entire trip?

1) 2x + 3y = 280
2) y = x + 10

OA A

Target question: What was Marta's average speed for the entire trip?

This is a great candidate for rephrasing the target question.
Aside: Here’s a video with tips on rephrasing the target question: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... cy?id=1100

Given: Marta averaged x miles per hour for 2 hours and y miles per hour for the remaining 3 hours
Average speed = (total distance)/(total time)
- Travelling at x miles per hour for 2 hours, Marta travels 2x miles
- Travelling at y miles per hour for 3 hours, Marta travels 3y miles
So, her average speed = (2x + 3y)/(2 hours + 3 hours)
= (2x + 3y)/5
So, we can REPHRASE our target question....
REPHRASED target question: What is the value of (2x + 3y)/5?

Statement 1: 2x + 3y = 280
This looks VERY SIMILAR to our REPHRASED target question.
If we divide both sides by 5, we get: (2x + 3y)/5 = 56
Perfect!! Since we can answer the REPHRASED target question with certainty, statement 1 is SUFFICIENT

Statement 2: y = x + 10
This information cannot help us determine the value of (2x + 3y)/5.
Here's why:
There are several values of x and y that satisfy statement 2. Here are two:
Case a: x = 5 and y = 15. In this case (2x + 3y)/5 = [2(5) + 3(15)]/5 = 11
Case b: x = 10 and y = 20. In this case (2x + 3y)/5 = [2(10) + 3(20)]/5 = 16
Since we cannot answer the REPHRASED target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer = A