Hi,
Stat 1 says that x = 3, so its sufficient to say NO x is not less than 2.
Stat 2 says that |(x-2)(x-1)| < 5
x = 3 as well as x = 1 satisfy above equation, hence its insufficient.
The correct answer should be A
Value of x
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bblast
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Quant 47-Striving for 50
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saketk
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Statement 1 is sufficient x= 3GmatKiss wrote:Is x<2?
1.5x=15
2.|x^2-3x+2|<5
OA after some discussion
Statement 2. plugged values
Put x= 3 in the equation ; 2<5 OK
Put x=1 in the equation; 0<5 OK.
Clearly x can be greater or less than 2. So insufficient.
Correct answer: A
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Brian@VeritasPrep
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Nice thread here, everyone!
You've all done really well on this question but since I did it slightly differently before reading everyone else's responses I figured I'd chime in anyway.
My fear on one of these questions is that "x = 3" is probably (and our limited sample size suggests so) the most likely "No" answer you'd try once you realized that x = 0 works in the quadratic and therefore gives the answer "Yes", x can be less than 2. So what if x = 3 did not work in the quadratic? You'd probably then think in terms of even bigger numbers (say, x = 100) and realize that there's no way that they'd work in the quadratic, and think that statement 2 is sufficient.
So I'd suggest first trying the smallest possible number for which x is NOT less than 2: 2 itself. The GMAT knows that your first inclination when trying for "is x less than 2" is to try 3, the next number up. So it may very well make 3 just a bit too high to be considered, knowing full well that a fairly high percentage of examinees won't ever consider 2...they see 2 as the dividing line, but not as the "No" answer that you'd need.
Let me show a quick example. Say that statement 2 were instead:
x^2 - 3x + 6 < 5
3 doesn't work (3^2 - 3(3) + 6 is greater than 5), but 2 still does (2^2 - 3(2) + 6 is less than 5), and 2 still provides the answer "No" and therefore "Not Sufficient". So just note that your first inclination is likely to start with 3, but that's a full integer above the the smallest number that would give the answer "No" to the question.
You've all done really well on this question but since I did it slightly differently before reading everyone else's responses I figured I'd chime in anyway.
My fear on one of these questions is that "x = 3" is probably (and our limited sample size suggests so) the most likely "No" answer you'd try once you realized that x = 0 works in the quadratic and therefore gives the answer "Yes", x can be less than 2. So what if x = 3 did not work in the quadratic? You'd probably then think in terms of even bigger numbers (say, x = 100) and realize that there's no way that they'd work in the quadratic, and think that statement 2 is sufficient.
So I'd suggest first trying the smallest possible number for which x is NOT less than 2: 2 itself. The GMAT knows that your first inclination when trying for "is x less than 2" is to try 3, the next number up. So it may very well make 3 just a bit too high to be considered, knowing full well that a fairly high percentage of examinees won't ever consider 2...they see 2 as the dividing line, but not as the "No" answer that you'd need.
Let me show a quick example. Say that statement 2 were instead:
x^2 - 3x + 6 < 5
3 doesn't work (3^2 - 3(3) + 6 is greater than 5), but 2 still does (2^2 - 3(2) + 6 is less than 5), and 2 still provides the answer "No" and therefore "Not Sufficient". So just note that your first inclination is likely to start with 3, but that's a full integer above the the smallest number that would give the answer "No" to the question.
Brian Galvin
GMAT Instructor
Chief Academic Officer
Veritas Prep
Looking for GMAT practice questions? Try out the Veritas Prep Question Bank. Learn More.
GMAT Instructor
Chief Academic Officer
Veritas Prep
Looking for GMAT practice questions? Try out the Veritas Prep Question Bank. Learn More.
