Problem Solving

Expert replies

mbaonly: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 5; Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:54 am

by mbaonly » Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:05 pm

If 30 percent of the members of a certain organization are women and 3/8 of the members of the organization are married men, which of the following statements concerning the membership must be true?

I. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of married men in the organization.

II. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.

III. The number of married men in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.

a. None
b. I only
c. II only
d. III only
e. I and III

Like this post

Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:05 pm

theCEO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 363; Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:24 pmFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 115 times

by theCEO » Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:24 pm

30% * members = women ------------- (3/10)x = w = (12/40)x
(3/8) * members = married men------ (3/8)x = mm = (15/40)x

1. no of women in organization is not greater than the number of married men in the organization.

2. missing group = (40/40)x - ((12/40)x + (15/40)x ) = (13/40)x.
Number of unmarried men can be anywhere from 0 to (13/40)x. The answer may or may not be greater than (12/40)x.

3) missing group = (40/40)x - ((12/40)x + (15/40)x ) = (13/40)x.
Number of unmarried men can be anywhere from 0 to (13/40)x which is always less than (15/40)x.
Therefore this is correct.

answer = d

Last edited by theCEO on Sat Jul 07, 2012 9:14 am, edited 3 times in total.

Like this post

mbaonly: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 5; Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:54 am

by mbaonly » Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:31 pm

The OA is not 'A'.

Like this post

eagleeye: Legendary Member; Posts: 520; Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:12 pmFollowed by: 49 members; Thanked: 339 times; GMAT Score:770

by eagleeye » Fri Jul 06, 2012 8:56 pm

mbaonly wrote:If 30 percent of the members of a certain organization are women and 3/8 of the members of the organization are married men, which of the following statements concerning the membership must be true?

I. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of married men in the organization.

II. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.

III. The number of married men in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.

a. None
b. I only
c. II only
d. III only
e. I and III

Let there be 1000 members.

Now 30% are women = 300 women (30% of 1000 = 300)
So the rest are men , so no. of men = 700 (70% of 1000 = 700)
3/8 are married men = 375 (3/8 of 1000= 3/8*1000 = 375)
So unmarried men = 700-375 = 325.

Now let's look at the options:
I. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of married men in the organization.
300 is not greater than 375. NO.

II. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.
300 is not greater than 325 either. NO.

III. The number of married men in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.
375 is greater than 325. CORRECT.

[spoiler]Answer is III only (D)[/spoiler]

By the way, theCEO wrote the OA as D as well.

Like this post

theCEO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 363; Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:24 pmFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 115 times

by theCEO » Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:40 am

eagleeye wrote:
mbaonly wrote:If 30 percent of the members of a certain organization are women and 3/8 of the members of the organization are married men, which of the following statements concerning the membership must be true?

I. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of married men in the organization.

II. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.

III. The number of married men in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.

a. None
b. I only
c. II only
d. III only
e. I and III
Let there be 1000 members.

Now 30% are women = 300 women (30% of 1000 = 300)
So the rest are men , so no. of men = 700 (70% of 1000 = 700)
3/8 are married men = 375 (3/8 of 1000= 3/8*1000 = 375)
So unmarried men = 700-375 = 325.

Now let's look at the options:
I. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of married men in the organization.
300 is not greater than 375. NO.

II. The number of women in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.
300 is not greater than 325 either. NO.

III. The number of married men in the organization is greater than the number of unmarried men in the organization.
375 is greater than 325. CORRECT.

[spoiler]Answer is III only (D)[/spoiler]

By the way, theCEO wrote the OA as D as well.

Hi eagleeye,

Can we really assume that 70% of the group is men?

What if the organization was divided into men, women, boys, girls

Also the same thing applies for unmarried men

Like this post

eagleeye: Legendary Member; Posts: 520; Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:12 pmFollowed by: 49 members; Thanked: 339 times; GMAT Score:770

by eagleeye » Sat Jul 07, 2012 9:54 am

theCEO wrote:
Hi eagleeye,

Can we really assume that 70% of the group is men?
What if the organization was divided into men, women, boys, girls

Also the same thing applies for unmarried men

theCEO, you bring up a really good point.

There are a couple of ways one could interpret this one:
1. Men and women are polar opposites, hence anyone who is not a woman is a man.
2. Men and women are just two entities in the larger universe of men, women, boys and girls etc.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) both interpretations lead to the same answer. I am too close to the problem to call this one in either interpretation's favor. Let's get more members/experts to chime in on the issue.

Like this post

Testluv: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1302; Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:13 pmFollowed by: 164 members; Location: Toronto; Thanked: 539 times; GMAT Score:800

by Testluv » Sun Jul 08, 2012 3:23 pm

On the GMAT, the question would have specified that the organization is comprised of only adult males and females.

Because we're working with 3/8, picking a multiple of 8 to represent the total is a good way to go here.

80 ppl.

30% are female, so that's 24 women, leaving 56 men.

3/8 of the organization is married men. 3/8 of 80 is 30.

So, of these 56 men, 30 are married, and 26 are unmarried.

So, we have:

24 women;
30 married men; and,
26 unmarried men.

From there, it's a snap

Kaplan Teacher in Toronto

Like this post

Post new topic Post Reply

• Page 1 of 1

GMAT Course Reviews

559 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