If the population of a certain country is 120,256,000 and its land area is 2,998,000 square kilometers, then the

[BTGmoderatorDC]

If the population of a certain country is 120,256,000 and its land area is 2,998,000 square kilometers, then the population per square kilometer is closest to which of the following?

A. 4
B. 6
C. 20
D. 40
E. 60


OA D

Source: GMAT Prep

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

If the population of a certain country is 120,256,000 and its land area is 2,998,000 square kilometers, then the population per square kilometer is closest to which of the following?

A. 4
B. 6
C. 20
D. 40
E. 60


OA D

Source: GMAT Prep

STRATEGY: This question is a great example of why we should always check the answer choices before committing to a specific solution method (see the video below for more on this).
When we check the answers choices, we see that they are quite spread apart (relatively speaking), which means we can use approximate values to determine the correct answer.

Population per square kilometer = (total population)/(total area in square kilometers)
= 120,256,000/2,998,000
≈ 120,000,000/3,000,000
≈ 120/3
≈ 40

Answer: D

RELATED VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GqcJGUVIk4