From new GMATprep Qn - Experts help please

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From new GMATprep Qn - Experts help please

by kaps786 » Sat May 26, 2012 8:41 pm
Both Betty and Wilma earn annual salaries of more than 50,000. Is Wilma's annual salary greater than 50,000?

1. Betty annual salary is closer to 50,000 than Wilma's is.

2. Betty's annual salary is closer to 35,000 than it is to WIlma's annual salary.

Can anyone help solve, using the modulus distance approach would be even better.

OA is D

Thanks
Kaps[spoiler][/spoiler]
Last edited by kaps786 on Sun May 27, 2012 2:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Sat May 26, 2012 10:18 pm
Hi!

There's a problem with the question - it doesn't make sense as written (at least if the answer is supposed to be D).

You have Betty and William earning more than 50000, but then we never hear about William again. Then the question asks whether Wilma's annual salary is greater than 50000.

Have you mixed up Wilma and William somewhere?

As written, the answer is E - there isn't enough information to answer the question.

(Picking numbers shows we can get both a yes and a no:

if Betty's salary = $50001 and Wilma's is $1, then both statements hold true and Wilma earns less than $50000; if Betty's salary is $50001 and Wilma's is $1000000 then both statements still hold true and Wilma earns more than $50000.)

Here's my guess at the real question:

Both Betty and Wilma earn annual salaries of more than $50000. Is Wilma's annual salary greater than Betty's?

(1) Betty's annual salary is closer to 50,000 than is Wilma's.

Well, if they're both greater than $50k and Betty's is closer to $50k than is Wilma's, then Wilma must earn more. Plotting them on the number line, we'd have:

-----$50k------Betty's salary------Wilma's salary

Sufficient!

(2) Betty's annual salary is closer to 35,000 than it is to Wilma's annual salary.

Again, plotting their salaries on the number line is informative:

35000------50000-----Betty------Wilma

If we try to put Wilma lower than Betty, then Betty will end up further from 35000 than from Wilma, violating statement (2). Accordingly, Wilma's salary must be higher than Betty's.

Sufficient!

Each statement is sufficient alone: choose (D).

kaps786 wrote:Both Betty and william earn annual salaries of more than 50,000. Is Wilma's annual salary greater than 50,000

1. Betty annual salary is closer to 50,000 than Wilma's is.

2. Betty's annual salary is closer to 35,000 than it is to WIlma's annual salary.

Can anyone help solve, using the modulus distance approach would be even better.

OA is D

Thanks
Kaps[spoiler][/spoiler]
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by GmatKiss » Sun May 27, 2012 12:19 am
Question is indeed ambiguous.

Something is missing :(
What is the source?

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by kaps786 » Sun May 27, 2012 2:16 am
Hi Stuart - Thanks for pointing the typo error in the original post, I have corrected it , it should be Wilma not william.

Thanks for the solution also.

Kaps

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by lazarogb » Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:57 am
Source is from the extension package for the gmat prep software

i got confused and thought b+w>50000, but it should be b>50000 and w>50000

now i get it! thx!