BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:20 am
If 9 marbles were added to a jar of marbles, the number of marbles would be greater than 3 times the original number of marbles. What is the greatest possible number of marbles that were in the jar originally?
A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5
E. 6
Answer:
C
Source: GMAT prep
If 9 marbles were added to a jar of marbles....
Let
x = the ORIGINAL number of marbles in the jar
So,
x + 9 = the NEW number of marbles in the jar
..., the number of marbles would be greater than 3 times the original number of marbles
In other words: (the NEW number of marbles in the jar) > 3(the ORIGINAL number of marbles in the jar)
In other words:
x + 9 > 3
x
Subtract x from both sides of the inequality to get: 9 > 2x
Divide both sides by 2 to get:
4.5 > x
In other words,
the ORIGINAL number of marbles is less than 4.5
What is the greatest possible number of marbles that were in the jar originally?
4 is the biggest integer value that's less than 4.5
Answer: C
Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
