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If 0 < a < b, is c < 0?

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Source: — Data Sufficiency |

Re: If 0 < a < b, is c < 0?

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Mar 17, 2020 6:31 am
BTGModeratorVI wrote:
Sun Mar 15, 2020 12:42 pm
If 0 < a < b, is c < 0?
1) cb < ca
2) |c| > 1

Answer: A
Source: Veritas Prep
Target question: Is c < 0?

Given: 0 < a < b

Statement 1: cb < ca
Subtract ca from both sides to get: cb - ca < 0
Factor: c(b - a) < 0
IMPORTANT: if a < b, we can be certain that (b - a) is POSITIVE.
So, we can divide both sides of the inequality by (b - a) to get: c < 0
PERFECT!
Since we can answer the target question with certainty, statement 1 is SUFFICIENT

Statement 2: |c| > 1
There are several values of c that satisfy statement 2. Here are two:
Case a: c = -2, in which case c < 0
Case b: c = 2, in which case c > 0
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer = A

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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