Peter went to the store to buy paint

Expert replies

Vincen: Legendary Member; Posts: 2898; Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:49 pmFollowed by: 5 members; Thanked: 6 times

by Vincen » Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:50 am

Peter went to the store to buy paint. Small cans cost $30 and larger cans cost $80. How many small cans of paint did he buy?

Statement #1: Peter spent $220 on paint.
Statement #2: Peter bought four cans of paint in total.

The OA is A.

Can any expert give me some help here? I don't know how to solve this PS question. Thanks in advanced.

Like this post

Source: Beat The GMAT — Data Sufficiency | Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:50 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:04 am

Hi Vincen,

We're told that Peter went to the store to buy paint. Small cans cost $30 and larger cans cost $80. We're asked for the number of small cans of paint he bought.

1) Peter spent $220 on paint.

Since $220 is a relatively small total, we can 'brute force' the possible solutions by TESTing VALUES.
Could there be....
0 large cans... $220 is NOT divisible by $30, so 0 large cans is NOT possible.
1 large can... $140 is NOT divisible by $30, so 1 large can is NOT possible.
2 large cans... $60 IS divisible by $30 - and the answer to the question would be 2.
3 large cans would cost $240 - which is higher than the $220 total, so 3 large cans is NOT possible.

Thus, there is only 1 answer (2 small cans).
Fact 1 is SUFFICIENT

2) Peter bought four cans of paint in total.

With the information in Fact 2, Peter could have bought from 0 - 4 small cans (inclusive) of paint.
Fact 2 is INSUFFICIENT

Final Answer: A

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

Like this post

Post new topic Post Reply

• Page 1 of 1

GMAT Course Reviews

560 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (560 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review