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Register now and save up to $200 Available with Beat the GMAT members only code • Free Veritas GMAT Class Experience Lesson 1 Live Free Available with Beat the GMAT members only code ## PS: Pat and savings tagged by: ikaplan This topic has 2 member replies ikaplan Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts Joined 04 Sep 2009 Posted: 181 messages Followed by: 1 members Upvotes: 17 Target GMAT Score: 740 #### PS: Pat and savings Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:51 am If Pat saved$600 of his earnings last month, how much did Pat earn last month?

(1) Pat spent 1/2 of his earnings last month for living expenses and saved 1/3 of the remainder
(2) Of his earnings last month, Pat paid twice as much in taxes as he saved.

Source: OG12

OA is A

I know that this is quite easy DS questions, but Statement (2) boggles my mind.
Pat saved $600, and paid$1200 for taxes. If Earnings= Taxes + Savings, then Earnings= $1800 My question is: Why B is incorrect? How do we know that Pat did not spend money on something else apart from taxes? Do we have to look at the information in Statement (1) to realize that the equation consists of living expenses as well? (I know that this is against the main DS rule- "avoid using information from one statement when considering another", but sometimes looking at the other statement helps). _________________ "Commitment is more than just wishing for the right conditions. Commitment is working with what you have." ollapodrida Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts Joined 06 Oct 2011 Posted: 37 messages Upvotes: 4 Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:09 pm ikaplan wrote: If Pat saved$600 of his earnings last month, how much did Pat earn last month?

(1) Pat spent 1/2 of his earnings last month for living expenses and saved 1/3 of the remainder
(2) Of his earnings last month, Pat paid twice as much in taxes as he saved.

Source: OG12

OA is A

I know that this is quite easy DS questions, but Statement (2) boggles my mind.
Pat saved $600, and paid$1200 for taxes. If Earnings= Taxes + Savings, then Earnings= \$1800

My question is: Why B is incorrect? How do we know that Pat did not spend money on something else apart from taxes? Do we have to look at the information in Statement (1) to realize that the equation consists of living expenses as well? (I know that this is against the main DS rule- "avoid using information from one statement when considering another", but sometimes looking at the other statement helps).
(1) Savings = 1/3*(1-1/2)*Earnings = 600: Sufficient -> We can solve for earnings

(2) Taxes = 2*Savings = 2*600 = 1200. We are not told how taxes or savings relate to earnings: Insufficient -> There's no way to solve for earnings without a relationship.

Earnings does not necessarily have to equal taxes + savings, so you cannot apply that formula here.

user123321 Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Joined
23 Sep 2011
Posted:
385 messages
Followed by:
6 members
62
Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:16 pm
IMO A

using A you can get A's earnings.
using B not much info is present to get his earnings.

user123321

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Want to do it right the first time.

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