Official Guide Explanation:
Data Sufficiency #55

 

 

Background

This is just one of hundreds of free explanations I've created to the quantitative questions in The Official Guide for GMAT Review (12th ed.). Click the links on the question number, difficulty level, and categories to find explanations for other problems.

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Solution and Metadata

Question: 55
Page: 277
Difficulty: 5 (Moderate)
Category 1: Word Problems > Other >
Category 2: Arithmetic > Percents > other

Explanation: The question gives us a formula:

n = g - d

We want to know how much n changes (in percentage terms) when g and d increase.

Statement (1) is insufficient: it only tells us of a change in g.

Statement (2) is also insufficient, only mentioning d.

Taken together, the statements are still insufficient. The result of the two changes is 1.04g - 1.15d. We don't know how that compares, in percentage terms, to g - d, because we don't know how the values of g and d themselves compare. If g and d are the same, we'd know how the 4 percent and 15 percent relate, but the relationship changes if g and d differ. Choice (E) is correct.

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