If 2s > 8 and 3t < 9, which of the following could be the value of s-t?

[BTGModeratorVI]

If 2s > 8 and 3t < 9, which of the following could be the value of s-t?

I. -1
II. 0
III. 1

A. None
B. I only
C. II only
D. III only
E. II and III

Answer: A
Source: GMATPrep test

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

If 2s > 8 and 3t < 9, which of the following could be the value of s-t?

I. -1
II. 0
III. 1

A. None
B. I only
C. II only
D. III only
E. II and III

Answer: A
Source: GMATPrep test

Given: 2s > 8
Divide both sides by 2 to get: s > 4

Given: 3t < 9
Divide both sides by 3 to get: t < 3

NOTE: If we have two inequalities with the inequality symbols facing in the same direction, we can add the inequalities to learn something new.

So, take t < 3 and multiply both sides by -1 to get: -t > -3 [aside: when we divide or multiply both sides of an inequality by a NEGATIVE value, we mist REVERSE the symbol]

We now have:
s > 4
-t > -3

When we ADD these two inequalities, we get:
s - t > 1

If s - t > 1, then:
I) s - t CANNOT equal -1
II) s - t CANNOT equal 0
III) s - t CANNOT equal 1

Answer: A

[Scott@TargetTestPrep]

If 2s > 8 and 3t < 9, which of the following could be the value of s-t?

I. -1
II. 0
III. 1

A. None
B. I only
C. II only
D. III only
E. II and III

Answer: A
Source: GMATPrep test

Solution:

We see that s > 4 and that t < 3. Since s is always greater than t, the difference cannot be -1 or zero.

Furthermore, since s > 4 and t < 3, we see that s and t are more than 1 unit apart, so the difference cannot be 1.

Alternate Solution:

Let’s divide each side of 2s > 8 by 2: s > 4

Let’s divide each side of 3t < 9 by -3, being sure to change the direction of the inequality since we are dividing by a negative number: -t > -3

Let’s add the two inequalities together: s - t > 1

We see that none of the provided numbers are greater than 1.

Answer: A