BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

If the average (arithmetic mean) of three positive integers is 35, how many of the numbers are greater than 10 ?

Expert replies
by BTGmoderatorDC » Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:34 pm

Timer

00:00

Answers

A

B

C

D

E

Stats

Difficulty

If the average (arithmetic mean) of three positive integers is 35, how many of the numbers are greater than 10 ?

(1) The sum of two of the numbers is 75.
(2) None of the numbers is greater than 40.


OA B

Source: Princeton Review
Join the discussion
Source: — Data Sufficiency |

BTGmoderatorDC wrote:
Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:34 pm
If the average (arithmetic mean) of three positive integers is 35, how many of the numbers are greater than 10 ?

(1) The sum of two of the numbers is 75.
(2) None of the numbers is greater than 40.


OA B

Source: Princeton Review
From the given information we have, \(a+b+c = 105\)

Statement 1:
\(a+b = 75,\) this means that \(c = 30> 10\) so, we don't know whether \(a,b >10\) or one of them is less than \(10 \Longrightarrow\) Not sufficient \(\Large{\color{red}\chi}\)

Statement 2:
\(a,b,c < 40\)
If we assume that \(a<10\), then \(b+c > 95\), this assumption is rejected because the sum of any two must be \(< 80\), this forces that all \(a,b,c\) must be \(>10 \Longrightarrow\) Sufficient \(\Large{\color{green}\checkmark}\)

Therefore, B
Join the discussion

Let the positive integers = a, b and c
$$\frac{a+b+c}{3}=35;\ and\ a+b+c=105$$
Target question=> How many of the numbers are greater than 10?

Statement 1=> The sum of two of the numbers is 75.
a+b = 75; so 75+c = 105, and c = 30
If a+b = 5+70; then 2 of the numbers are >10, but if a+b=25+50, the all the numbers are > 10.
Since the is not definite, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT.

Statement 2=> None of the numbers is greater than 40.
If a<10, then b+c>95. For a+b+c=105
But since none of the numbers is > 40, the maximum possible sum of two numbers = 40+40 = 80.
So, the sum of any 2 numbers must be < 80. Hence, the third number will be > 10.
In view of this, all the 3 numbers are > 10.

Therefore, statement 2 is SUFFICIENT. Hence, option B is the correct answer.
Join the discussion