Ayushiiitm you are right, plugging in can take time. But you must do it intelligently. I typically try to plug in values that will force the statement to give me conflicting answers if possible. We know that the product pq is negative (less than -4) so the variables have opposite signs. Remember that whatever you plug-in must agree with both the statements and the prompt (question stem)
(1) If (p,q)=(-5,1) then q will be less than 5. On the other hand, if (p,q)=(-5,5) then q will not be less than 5. NOT SUFFICIENT
(2) First check whether something you have already used can be used again. Nothing, so we should plug in new values. If (p,q)=(-6,1) then q will be less than 5. On the other hand, if (p,q)=(-6,5) then q will not be less than 5. NOT SUFFICIENT
MERGE STATEMENTS
Again check whether you can recycle what you have already used. What you plug in at this point must agree with both statements. Both sets of values that we used to check statement 2 coul be used to check the statements merged, so there is no need to do any more work. We know we can get conflicting answers. Pick E
If you struggle with and want to practice advanced inequalities, set topic='Inequalities & Absolute Values' and difficulty='600-700 & 700+' in the Drill Generator.
Good luck,
-Patrick
