Official Guide Explanation:
Data Sufficiency #131

 

 

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.

These are the same explanations that are featured in my "Guides to the Official Guide" PDF booklets. However, because of the limitations of HTML and cross-browser compatibility, some mathematical concepts, such as fractions and roots, do not display as clearly online.

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Solution and Metadata

Question: 131
Page: 284
Difficulty: 5 (Moderate)
Category 1: Algebra > Linear Equations-Two Unk >
Category 2: Word Problems > Mixture Problems >

Explanation: The information in the question tells us that h = t + 4, where h is the number of heads that resulted from a certain number of coin flips, and t is the number of tails that resulted. To find the value of h, we'd need another linear equation to go along with the first one.

Statement (1) is sufficient: it says that h + t = 24. Combined with h = t + 4, that's two linear equations and two variables, so we can solve for h. Statement (2) is more convoluted, but also sufficient. Setting up an equation for total points looks like this: 3h + t = 52, another linear equation with two variables that we can pair with the initial equation. The correct choice is (D).

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