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A T-shirt and a pair of jeans cost a total of $72.96.

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by Vincen » Tue Oct 03, 2017 5:27 pm
A T-shirt and a pair of jeans cost a total of $72.96. How much does the T-shirt cost?

(1) The pair of jeans costs five times as much as the T-shirt
(2) The pair of jeans costs $60.80

The OA is D.

Clearly, statement (2) alone is sufficient but, why statement (1) alone is sufficient?
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Source: — Data Sufficiency |

by Jay@ManhattanReview » Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:36 pm
Vincen wrote:A T-shirt and a pair of jeans cost a total of $72.96. How much does the T-shirt cost?

(1) The pair of jeans costs five times as much as the T-shirt
(2) The pair of jeans costs $60.80

The OA is D.

Clearly, statement (2) alone is sufficient but, why statement (1) alone is sufficient?
Statement (1) alone is sufficient. See how.

Say the cost of a T-shirt = $x, then the cost of a pair of jeans = 5x

=> x + 5x = 72.96 => 6x = 72.96. You get the unque value of x. Sufficient.

The correct answer: D

Hope this helps!

-Jay

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by [email protected] » Fri Oct 06, 2017 10:33 am
Hi Vincen,

We're told that a T-shirt and a pair of jeans costs a total of $72.96. We're asked for the cost of the T-shirt. This question is actually designed around a 'system shortcut' (two variables and two unique equations). From the prompt, we can create the following equation:

T + J = $72.96

If we have another simple equation (based on simple arithmetic - not exponents, absolute values, etc.) with one or both of those variables, then we CAN solve for both variables - and ultimately answer the question.

1) The pair of jeans costs five times as much as the T-shirt

With this Fact, we can create the equation:
J = 5T

Combined with the initial equation, we now have a 'system' of equations, so we CAN solve for T (and there would be just one answer). While we don't technically have perform that calculation, it would look like this:
5T + T = $72.96
6T = $72.96
T = 12.16
Fact 1 is SUFFICIENT

2) The pair of jeans costs $60.80

With this information, we can plug in the value for J and solve for T.
Fact 2 is SUFFICIENT

Final Answer: D

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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