Two teams are distributing information booklets. Team A distributes 60% more boxes of booklets than Team B, but each box of Team A's has 60% fewer booklets than each box of Team B's. Which of the following could be the total number of booklets distributed by the two groups?

A)2,000
B)3,200
C)4,100
D)4,800
E)4,900

To determine what COULD be the total number of booklets, test the SMALLEST POSSIBLE CASE.
Since 60% = 3/5, plug in the SMALLEST POSSIBLE VALUE -- 5 -- for the unknowns attributed to team B.

Team B:
Let the number of boxes = 5.
Let the booklets per box = 5.
Total booklets = 5*5 = 25.

Team A:
Since team A distributes 60% more boxes, the number of boxes = 5 + 0.6(5) = 8.
Since each box contains 60% fewer booklets, booklets per box = 5 - 0.6(5) = 2.
Total booklets = 8*2 = 16.

Total booklets for the two teams = 25+16 = 41.
Since 41 is the least possible value for the total number of booklets, the correct answer choice must be a multiple of 41.

The correct answer is C.

GMATGuruNY: Thank you for your reply. At first, it looks like a percentage question but after review I suppose its more of a ratio question. I looked back at my "work" to see what I did and made some silly math errors. Additionally, I spent way too much time 4:29 on this question. I just tried to brute force it because it shouldn't have been that difficult to solve. Thank you for your explanation.

Rich.C: Thank you for your reply. As stated above to GMATGuruNY, I took too much time on the question. I attempted to solve it a few different ways including trying to test values, which for whatever reason, I goofed up the math--maybe trying do some work in my head to save time---Obviously, not the best way to do this. Thank you for your explanation--it totally makes sense now. I have to get these questions correct!

Cheers!

We could also opt for algebra with a touch of number theory thrown in.

Let's say team B has x boxes, each with y booklets.

That means team A has (1.6)x boxes, each with (.4)y booklets.

Hence the total number of booklets = xy + (1.6x)(.4y) = 1.64xy

So we want an answer that's a multiple of 164. 164 = 4 * 41, so 41,000 works. (41,000 = 41 * 4 * 250).

This way seems very quick - I think I'd be done before I was even thinking of which numbers to try or how to backsolve.