Official Guide Explanation:
Data Sufficiency #80

 

 

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.

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: 80
Page: 158
Difficulty: 5 (Moderate)
Category 1: Algebra > Linear Equations-Two Unk >

Explanation: Statement (1) is insufficient: there are several possible values for x and y, so there are several possible results for xy. Statement (2) is also insufficient, for the same reason.

Taken together, the statements are sufficient. Each statement has one linear equation with two variables; put them together, you have two variables and two distinct linear equations. There's no need to figure out the exact values of x and y; recognize that you can, and select choice (C).

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