Official Guide Explanation:
Data Sufficiency #5

 

 

Background

This is just one of hundreds of free explanations I've created to the quantitative questions in The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review (2nd 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: 5
Page: 153
Difficulty: 4 (Moderately Easy)
Category 1: Word Problems > Other >
Category 2: Arithmetic > Percents > Percent Change
Category 3: Algebra > Equations >

Explanation: To find the price of the television set, we not only may need the percents represented by x and y, we'll need some dollar amount. Statement (1) is insufficient: it provides the discount (x) at which the retailer purchased it, but no dollar amount. Statement (2) is also insufficient: it indicates that the retailer made 5 percent of the price of the television on his transactions, but still no dollar amount.

Taken together, the statements are insufficient. Without a dollar amount for the purchase price, the sale price, or anything else, it's impossible to know the list price of the television set. Choice (E) is correct.

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