gold depreciated at a rate of x%per yr between 2000 and 2005.

if 1 kg gold cost s$ in
2001 and t$ in 2003 how much did it cost in 2002

48. In June 1989, what was the ratio of the number of

sales transactions made by Salesperson X to the
number of sales transactions made by Salesperson Y?
(1) In June 1989, Salesperson X made 50 percent
more sales transactions than Salesperson Y did
in May 1989.
(2) In June 1989, Salesperson Y made 25 percent
more sales transactions than in May 1989.

Let XJ be the number of sales transactions made

by Salesperson X in June 1989 and let 1] be
the number of sales transactions made by
X
Salesperson Y in June 1989. Find yJ .
J
(1) Salesperson X made 50 percent more sales
transactions in June 1989 than Salesperson
Y made in May 1989, but no information is
given about how many sales transactions
Salesperson Y made in June 1989. Therefore,
it is impossible to determine the value of
X J • y; NOT suffiCIent.
J
(2) Salesperson Y made 25 percent more sales
transactions in June 1989 than in May 1989,
but no information is given about how many
sales transactions Salesperson Y made in
May 1989. Therefore, it is impossible to
determine the value of Y. and also impossible J X
to determine the value of _ J ; NOT
sufficient. YJ
Taking (1) and (2) together, if XMis the number
of sales transactions made by Salesperson x:
in May 1989 and Y M is the number of sales
transactions made by Salesperson Y in May 1989,
(1) gives XJ = 1.5Y M and (2) gives 1] = 1.25Y M·
Combining these two equations gives
X; _ 1.5YM 1.5 6
Y; - 1.25Y
M

= 1.25 = 5".
The correct answer is C;
both statements together are sufficient
A pharmaceutical company received $3 million in
royalties on the first $20 million in sales of the generic
equivalent of one of its products and then $9 million
in royalties on the next $108 million in sales. By
approximately what percent did the ratio of royalties
to sales decrease from the first $20 million in sales to
the next $108 million in sales?
(A) 8%
(B) 15%
(e) 45%
(0) 52%
(E) 56%
Arithmetic Percents
The ratio of royalties to sales for the first

$20 million in sales is Jo' and the ratio of

royalties to sales for the next $108 million in sales
.91 Th d ' h IS 108 = 12 . e percent ecrease m t e
royalties to sales ratios is 100 times the quotient
of the difference in the ratios divided by the ratio
of royalties to sales for the first $20 million in
sales or
13
12-20 x 100 = (l_~) x 20 x 100
~ 12 20 3
20
(
= -1 X -20- 1) x 100
12 3
= (~-1) x 100
4 = -- x 100
9
:::: -0.44 x 100
:::: 45% decrease

In a certain game, a large container is filled with red,

yellow, green, and blue beads worth, respectively, 7,
258
5, 3, and 2 points each. A number of beads are then
removed from the container. If the product of the point
values of the removed beads is 147,000, how many
red beads were removed?
(A) 5
(B) 4
(e) 3
(D) 2
(E) 0

From this, the red beads represent factors of7 in

the total point value of 147,000. Since 147,000 =
147(1,000), and 1,000 = 103, then 147 is all that
needs to be factored to determine the factors of 7.
Factoring 147 yields 147 = (3)(49) = (3)(72
). This
means there are 2 factors of 7, or 2 red beads.

If m, p, and t are positive integers and m < p < t, is

the product mpt an even integer?
(1) t-p=p-m
(2) t- m = 16
Arithmetic Properties of numbers
Given integers m, p, and t, for which m < p < t,
determine if mpt is even.

(1) Given that t - p = p - m, then t + m = 21.

This means that t + m is even, so both m
and t are odd or both are even and therefore
mt is either odd or even. If mt is even, then
mpt is even, regardless of the value of p.
However, if mt is odd, the evenness or
oddness of mpt depends on whether p is
even or odd; NOT sufficient.
313
The Official Guide for GMAf® Review 12th Edition
(2) Given that t - m = 16, then m and tare
either both odd or both even. This is the
same situation as in (1); NOT sufficient.
Taking (1) and (2) together, m and t are both even
or both odd, but no information is given about
the evenness or oddness of p. Therefore, mpt could
be even or odd.
The correct answer is E;

If positive integer x is a multiple of 6 and positive

integer y is a multiple of 14, is xya multiple of 105 ?
316
(1) x is a multiple of 9.
(2) y is a multiple of 25.
Arithmetic Properties of numbers
Given that x is a multiple of 6, x has at least 1
factor of 2 and at least 1 factor of 3. Given that y
is a multiple of 14, y has at least 1 factor of 2 and
at least 1 factor of 7. So, xy has at least 1 factor
of 2, at least 1 factor of 3, and at least 1 factor of
7 and can be expressed as xy = (2)(3)(7)r = 42r,
where r is a positive integer. Determine if xy is a
multiple of 105 = (3)(5)(7).
(1) If x = (2)(3)(3), then x is a multiple of both 6
and 9. If Y = (2)(7) then y is a multiple of 14.
In this case, xy = (2)(3)(3)(2)(7) = (22)(32)(7)
and is not a multiple of 105. However, if x =
(2)(3)(3)(5), then x is a multiple of both 6
and 9. If Y = (2)(7), then y is a multiple of 14.
In this case, xy = (2)(3)(3)(5)(14) =
(22)(32)(5)(7) and is a multiple of 105;
NOT sufficient.

If y = (2)(5)(5)(7), then y is a multiple of

14 and 25. If x is a multiple of 6,
x = (2)(3)q for some positive integer q.
Then xy = (2)(2)(3)(5)(5)(7)q and xy is a
multiple of 105; SUFFICIENT.

The product of the units digit, the tens digit, and the
hundreds digit of the positive integer m is 96. What is
the units digit of m ?
(1) m is odd.
(2) The hundreds digit of m is 8.
Arithmetic Decimals
Let the hundreds, tens, and units digits of m be a,
b, and c, respectively. Given that abc = 96,
determine the value of c.
(1) Since m is odd, then c = 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9. Also,
because c is a factor of 96 and 96 = (25)(3),
then c = 1 or c = 3. If c = 1, then ab = 96, but
96 cannot be expressed as a product of two
I-digit integers. Hence, C'l- 1, and thus, c = 3;
SUFFICIENT.
(2) Given that a = 8, it is possible for c to be 3
(for example, m = 843) and it is possible for
c to be 6 (for example, m = 826); NOT
sufficient.

A school administrator will assign each student in

a group of n students to one of m classrooms. If
3 < m < 13 < n, is it possible to assign each of the
n students to one of the m classrooms so that each
classroom has the same number of students assigned
to it?
(1) It is possible to assign each of 3n students to
one of m classrooms so that each classroom
has the same number of students assigned to it.
(2) It is possible to assign each of 13n students to
one of m classrooms so that each classroom
has the same number of students assigned to it.
Arithmetic Properties of numbers

Determine if n is divisible by m.
(1) Given that 3n is divisible by m, then n is
divisible by m if m = n = 9 (note that 3n = 27
and m = 9, so 3n is divisible by m) and n is
not divisible by m if m = 9 and n = 12 (note
that 3n = 36 and m = 9, so 3n is divisible by
m); NOT sufficient.
(2) Given that 13n is divisible by m, then 13n =
qm, or mn = 1q3 ' lco r some m. teger q. S'm ce '13
is a prime number that divides qm (because
13n = qm) and 13 does not divide m
(because m < 13), it follows that 13 divides q.
Th erelcO re, 1q3 . . d . 1S an mteger, an smce
n q .!!:... .. .
m 13' then m 1S an mteger. Thus, n IS
divisible by m; SUFFICIENT.
The correct answer is B;
statement 2 alone is sufficient

The value of 2-14 + 2-15 + 2-16 + Z-17 is how many

5
times the value of 2-17 ?

Q n. 148

123. Joanna bought only $0.l5 stamps and $0.29 stamps.

How many $0.l5 stamps did she buy?
(1) She bought $4.40 worth of stamps.
(2) She bought an equal number of $0.l5 stamps
and $0.29 stamps.
Determine the value of x if x is the number of
$0.15 stamps and y is the number of $0.29
stamps.

(1) Given that 15x + 29y = 440, then

29y = 440 - 15x. Because x is an integer,
440 - 15x = 5(88 - 3x) is a multiple of 5.
Therefore, 29y must be a multiple of 5, from
which it follows that y must be a multiple of
5. Hence, the value of y must be among the
numbers 0, 5, 10, 15, etc. To more efficiently
test these values of y, note that
15x = 440 - 29y, and hence 440;; 29y
must be a multiple of 15, or equivalently,
440 - 29y must be a multiple of both 3 and
5. By computation, the values of 440 - 29y
for y equal to 0, 5, 10, and 15 are 440, 295,
150, and 5. Of these, only 150, which
corresponds to y = 10, is divisible by 3.
From 15x = 440 - 29y it follows that x = 10
when y = 10. Therefore, x = 10 and y = 10;
SUFFICIENT

Mary persuaded n friends to donate $500 each to her

election campaign, and then each of these n friends
persuaded n more people to donate $500 each to
Mary's campaign. If no one donated more than once
and if there were no other donations, what was the
value of n?
312
1
n people donated 16 of the total
(1) The first
amount donated.
(2) The total amount donated was $120,000.

If n is the number of friends who each contributed

$500 to Mary's campaign and each persuaded n
more people to contribute $500 each to the
campaign, then the amount contributed to the
campaign was $500(n2 + n). Assuming n > 0,
determine the value of n.
1
(1) If the first n people contributed 16 of the
total amount, then
1
500n = 16 (500)(n2 + n)
1
500n = 16 (500)(n)(n + 1)
16 = n + 1
15 = n; SUFFICIENT.
(2) If the total amount contributed was
$120,000, then
500(n2 + n) = 120,000
n2 + n = 240
n2 + n - 240 = 0
(n + 16)(n - 15) = 0
n = 15; SUFFICIENT.
Note that n2 + n = 240 can be solved by inspection
since n2 + n = n(n + 1) and the only consecutive
positive integers whose product is 240 are 15 and
16, so n = 15

To mail a package, the rate is x cents for the first

pound and y cents for each additional pound, where
x > y. Two packages weighing 3 pounds and 5 pounds,
respectively, can be mailed separately or combined as
one package. Which method is cheaper, and how
much money is saved?
(A) Combined, with a savings of x - y cents
(B) Combined, with a savings of y - x cents
(C) Combined, with a savings of x cents
(D) Separately, with a savings of x - y cents
(E) Separately, with a savings of y cents

Shipping the two packages separately would cost

Ix + 2y for the 3-pound package and Ix + 4y for
the 5-pound package. Shipping them together
(as a single 8-pound package) would cost Ix + 7y.
By calculating the sum of the costs for shipping
the two packages separately minus the cost for
shipping the one combined package, it is possible
to determine the difference in cost, as shown.
((Ix + 2y) + (Ix + 4y)) - (Ix + 7 y) (cost for 3 lb.
= (2x + 6y) - (Ix + 7 y)
= 2x + 6y - Ix - 7 Y
=x-y
+ cost for 5 lb.)
- cost for 8 lb.
combine like
terms
distribute the
negative
combine like
terms
Since x > y, this value is positive, which means it
costs more to ship two packages separately. Thus
it is cheaper to mail one combined package at a
cost savings of x - y cents.

A set of positive integers contains twice as many even integers as odd integers. How
many integers are in the set?

1. If two integers are chosen at random from the set, the probability that their sum will be
even is 26/75 less than the probability that their product will be even.
2. The number of integers in the set has fewer than six factors, and one of these factors is
17.

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.
(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is
sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

Let n be the no. of odd integar.

As no. of even integars is twice as much as odd integers, the no. of even integars would
be 2n

we have to find total integer = n+2n = 3n

Satement #1: SUFFICIENT

Probability of picking up two numbers such that their sum is even (i.e., either both the
numbers are even or both the numbers are odd) = probability of picking two even
numbers + prob. of picking two odd numbers
= [(2n/3n)* (2n-1)/(3n-1)] + [(n/3n)* (n-1)/(3n-1)]
= (5n-3)/(9n-3)

Now, Probability of picking up two numbers such that their product is even (i.e., either
both the numbers are even or one number is even and another is odd) = probability of
picking two even numbers + prob. of picking one even and one odd number
= [(2n/3n)* (2n-1)/(3n-1)] + [(2n/3n)* (n)/(3n-1)]
= (8n-2)/(9n-3)

Putting them as per stmt. # 1 =>

(8n-2)/(9n-3) = (5n-3)/(9n-3) + 26/75

On simplifying it, we get n =17

Hence total no. of integers in the list = 3n = 51 - SUFFICIENT

[Note: we need solve this equation as we know that this condition is enough to get the
solutuion]

Statement # 2: NOT SUFFICIENT

There are less than 6 factors -> we have can factors as 3 and 17 or 2 and 3 and 17. Both
of these will give us different total no. of integers (51 and 102).

For any positive integer n, the sum of the first

n( n+ 1)
n positive integers equals 2 . What is the sum
of all the even integers between 99 and 301 ?

The given formula translates into 1 + 2 + . .. + n =

f~t n(n+1) . k = 2 . The sum of the even mtegers
between 99 and 301 is the sum of the even
integers from 100 through 300, or the sum of the
50th even integer through the 150th even integer.
To get this sum, find the sum of the first 150 even
integers and subtract the sum of the first 49 even
integers. In symbols,

= f50(1~O+ 1 )) _ 2( 49( ~+1 ))

= 150(151) - 49(50)
= 50[3(151) - 49]
= 50(453 - 49)
= 50(404)
= 20,200