Waxing floors and getting paid

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AbeNeedsAnswers: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 394; Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 10:59 amFollowed by: 5 members; Thanked: 1 times

by AbeNeedsAnswers » Sun Jul 02, 2017 11:21 am

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What's the fastest way to answer this question?

Makoto, Nishi, and Ozuro were paid a total of $780 for waxing the floors at their school. Each was paid in proportion to the number of hours he or she worked. If Makoto worked 15 hours, Nishi worked 20 hours, and Ozuro worked 30 hours, how much was Makoto paid?

A) $52
B) $117
C) $130
D) $180
E) $234

D

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Sun Jul 02, 2017 11:21 am

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Jul 02, 2017 11:57 am

AbeNeedsAnswers wrote:What's the fastest way to answer this question?

Makoto, Nishi, and Ozuro were paid a total of $780 for waxing the floors at their school. Each was paid in proportion to the number of hours he or she worked. If Makoto worked 15 hours, Nishi worked 20 hours, and Ozuro worked 30 hours, how much was Makoto paid?

A) $52
B) $117
C) $130
D) $180
E) $234

D

TOTAL HOURS worked = 15 + 20 + 30 = 65 HOURS
TOTAL PAID = $780

RATE of pay = $780/65 hours = $12/hour

Makoto worked for 15 hours.
So, Makoto's payment = (15 hours)($12/hour) = $180

AnswerL D

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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by [email protected] » Mon Jul 03, 2017 5:18 pm

Hi AbeNeedsAnswers,

There are a variety of different ways to go about solving this problem. The question specifically uses the word "proportionally", so you could take advantage of the built-in ratios and solve it that way. In addition, the answer choices are 'spaced out' enough that we can use some estimation and avoid some of the specific calculations that you might use in other approaches.

The three people worked a total of 15+20+30 = 65 hours and Makoto worked 15 of those hours. Thus, he/she worked....

15/65 = 3/13 of the total hours

We're told that the workers are paid proportionally based on the number of hours worked. 3/12 = 1/4, so 3/13 is a little less than 1/4.

1/4 of $780 = $195

So we're looking for an answer that's a little less than $195. There's only one answer that fits....

Final Answer: D

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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Jay@ManhattanReview: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 3008; Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:19 amFollowed by: 34 members; Location: Grand Central / New York; Thanked: 470 times

by Jay@ManhattanReview » Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:49 pm

AbeNeedsAnswers wrote:What's the fastest way to answer this question?

Makoto, Nishi, and Ozuro were paid a total of $780 for waxing the floors at their school. Each was paid in proportion to the number of hours he or she worked. If Makoto worked 15 hours, Nishi worked 20 hours, and Ozuro worked 30 hours, how much was Makoto paid?

A) $52
B) $117
C) $130
D) $180
E) $234

D

This is a typical question on Ratio and Proportion.

Since each was paid in proportion to the number of hours he or she worked, $780 should be distributed in the ratio of 15 : 20 : 30, where 15 represents the share of Makoto.

On a ratio scale the total payment = 15 + 20 + 30 = 65

Thus, the share of Makoto = (15/65)*780 = $180.

The correct answer: D

Hope this helps!

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Matt@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2630; Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pmFollowed by: 119 members; Location: East Bay all the way; Thanked: 625 times; GMAT Score:780

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:24 am

Have to remark how surprised I was that this (splendidly) titled thread actually contained GMAT content.

Anyway, my approach: Makoto worked 15 of the 65 hours worked in all, so she'd be paid 15/65, or 3/13, of the total. 3/13 * $780 is $180, and we're done!

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Matt@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2630; Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pmFollowed by: 119 members; Location: East Bay all the way; Thanked: 625 times; GMAT Score:780

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:26 am

Another idea: by the Lazy Testwriter Principle, which I invoke endlessly on this forum (guess who's been a testwriter!), the amount that Makoto was paid should be divisible by 15, since a Lazy Testwriter would make her hourly wage an integer. Only D is so divisible, making it very likely the answer.

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Jeff@TargetTestPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1462; Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:34 amFollowed by: 22 members; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 39 times

by Jeff@TargetTestPrep » Thu Dec 07, 2017 5:08 pm

AbeNeedsAnswers wrote:What's the fastest way to answer this question?

Makoto, Nishi, and Ozuro were paid a total of $780 for waxing the floors at their school. Each was paid in proportion to the number of hours he or she worked. If Makoto worked 15 hours, Nishi worked 20 hours, and Ozuro worked 30 hours, how much was Makoto paid?

A) $52
B) $117
C) $130
D) $180
E) $234

We are given that Makoto, Nishi, and Ozuro were paid a total of $780 for waxing the floors at their school. Each was paid in proportion to the number of hours he or she worked. Since Makoto worked 15 hours, Nishi worked 20 hours, and Ozuro worked 30 hours, we can create the following proportion:

Makoto payment : Nishi payment : Ozuro payment = 15x : 20x : 30x

We can create the following equation to determine x:

15x + 20x + 30x = 780

65x = 780

x = 12

Since x = 12, Makoto was paid 15 x 12 = 180 dollars.

Alternate Solution:

Since we know that Makoto's payment was equivalent to 15x, we know that his payment must be a multiple of 15. Since 180 is the only multiple of 15, the correct answer must be 180.

Answer: D

Jeffrey Miller
Head of GMAT Instruction
[email protected]

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estebanmorillo: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 8; Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 4:27 am

answer

by estebanmorillo » Sat Dec 08, 2018 2:55 am

I followed an approach similar to Jay's in solving this question. But I did find it a little bit lengthy to calculate: "(15/65)*780 = $180" Since, after simplifying as (3/13)*780, I had to multiply 780*3=2,340 and then divide 2,340/13.

Is there any fast approach to calculate this number?

Thanks!

Jay@ManhattanReview wrote:
AbeNeedsAnswers wrote:What's the fastest way to answer this question?

Makoto, Nishi, and Ozuro were paid a total of $780 for waxing the floors at their school. Each was paid in proportion to the number of hours he or she worked. If Makoto worked 15 hours, Nishi worked 20 hours, and Ozuro worked 30 hours, how much was Makoto paid?

A) $52
B) $117
C) $130
D) $180
E) $234

D
This is a typical question on Ratio and Proportion.

Since each was paid in proportion to the number of hours he or she worked, $780 should be distributed in the ratio of 15 : 20 : 30, where 15 represents the share of Makoto.

On a ratio scale the total payment = 15 + 20 + 30 = 65

Thus, the share of Makoto = (15/65)*780 = $180.

The correct answer: D

Hope this helps!

Download free ebook: Manhattan Review GMAT Quantitative Question Bank Guide

-Jay
_________________
Manhattan Review GMAT Prep

Locations: New York | Vienna | Kuala Lumpur | Sydney | and many more...

Schedule your free consultation with an experienced GMAT Prep Advisor! Click here. GMAT Prep Advisor! Click here.

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ca7ch22: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 10; Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2018 10:35 am

by ca7ch22 » Mon Mar 04, 2019 3:54 pm

[1] Set Up Ratio

M : N : O
15 : 20 : 30

Total = 15 + 20 + 30 = 65

[2] Determine Unknown Multiplier (x)

65x = 780
x = 12

[3] Calculate Value Using Unknown Multiplier

15 * 12 = 180

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