Is integer x odd?
(1) 2x + 1 is odd
(2) \(\frac{x}{2}\) is even
[spoiler]OA=B[/spoiler]
Source: Manhattan GMAT
Is integer x odd?
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Hi Gmat_mission.
The question we need to answer is if x is odd or not.
Statement 1:
Statement 2:
Therefore, this statement is SUFFICIENT.
Therefore, the correct answer is the option _B_.
I hope it helps you. <i class="em em-wink"></i>
The question we need to answer is if x is odd or not.
Statement 1:
This doesn't tell us anything. Since 2x+1 is odd for all integers x. No matter if x is even or odd. So, NOT SUFFICIENT.(1) 2x + 1 is odd
Statement 2:
Here we have that \(\frac{x}{2} = 2k\) for some integer \(k\). Then \(x = 2\cdot (2k)\) and so, x is even. Hence, the answer to the initial question is NO.(2) \(\frac{x}{2}\) is even
Therefore, this statement is SUFFICIENT.
Therefore, the correct answer is the option _B_.
I hope it helps you. <i class="em em-wink"></i>
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Target question: Is integer x odd?Gmat_mission wrote:Is integer x odd?
(1) 2x + 1 is odd
(2) \(\frac{x}{2}\) is even
Statement 1: 2x + 1 is odd
There are several values of x that satisfy statement 1. Here are two:
Case a: x = 1. Notice that 2x + 1 = 2(1) + 1 = 3, which is odd. In this case, the answer to the target question is YES, x IS odd
Case b: x = 2. Notice that 2x + 1 = 2(2) + 1 = 5, which is odd. In this case, the answer to the target question is NO, x is NOT odd
ASIDE: The fact of the matter is that 2x+1 is odd for ALL integer values of x.
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT
Statement 2: x/2 is even
If a number is even, we can rewrite that number as 2k, where k is some integer.
So, for this statement, we can write: x/2 = 2k for some integer k
Multiply both sides by 2 to get: x = 4k
Since k is an integer, x MUST be EVEN
So, the answer to the target question is NO, x is definitely NOT odd
Since we can answer the target question with certainty, statement 2 is SUFFICIENT
Answer: B
Cheers,
Brent