BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 19, 2020 1:51 pm

What is the 1st term in sequence S ?

(1) The 3rd term in S is 2.
(2) The 2nd term in S is twice the 1st, and the 3rd term is three times the 2nd.

Answer: C
Source: Official guide

Target question: What is the 1st term in sequence S ?

Statement 1: The 3rd term in S is 2
Since we're not given any information about the NATURE of the sequence, there's no way to answer the target question with certainty.
So, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Statement 2: The 2nd term in S is twice the 1st, and the 3rd term is three times the 2nd.
Great, we're given information about the NATURE of the sequence, but we aren't given the VALUE of any terms.
For example, consider these two possible cases that satisfy statement 2:
Case a: The first 3 terms are: {1, 2, 6....}. In this case, the answer to the target question is the 1st term is 1
Case b: The first 3 terms are: {3, 6, 18....}. In this case, the answer to the target question is the 1st term is 3
Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Statements 1 and 2 combined
Statement 1 tells us that the 3rd term in S is 2
Statement 2 tells us that the 3rd term is three times the 2nd. So, if the 3rd term is 2, then the 2nd term must be 2/3
Statement 2 also tells us that the 2nd term in S is twice the 1st. So, if the 2nd term is 2/3, then the 1st term must be 1/3
Since we can answer the target question with certainty, the combined statements are SUFFICIENT

Answer: C

Cheers,
Brent