Hi Ron,

I have a small question here, it has made me puzzle for a long time, if the result we calulated is: shirts more than sweaters,
do we still choose A as a answer? Since the question is asked about whether sweaters sell more than shirts.
Thank you so much for your answer.

Paddy

yes, that would still be sufficient. that would be a "no" answer to the yes/no question.

if you get a definite “yes” to a yes/no question, then that's sufficient.
if you get a definite “no” to a yes/no question, then that's also sufficient (although it very rarely happens in practice).

Thanks for your confirmation, Ron.

sure thing.

Hello fellas:

After all is said and done, more is said and done. So here are my two cents:

(All mathematical philosophy and smugness aside)

Let the shirts be S
Let the sweaters be W.

When I read the question (during the test that is), the only thing that I scribble on my note pad is 15S + 25W. That's what the question "tells" me.

1-Now I look at statement 1. It says something about averages. More precisely it helps me add something to what I had already written. This is what I write:

15S + 25W/(S+W) = 21

I ponder further. Without knowing the values, can I "solve" it? I try.

It gets to a stage where I have 15S + 25W = 21S + 21W. Further solving it I get 4W = 6S. I divide the whole by 4. I look back at the question-"Did the store sell more sweaters than shirts". I look back at my deduction, and realise that what I've found is sufficient to answer the question. I move on.


2- Now I consider statement 2. I "modify" my original equation to get 15S + 25W = 420. I put my thinking cap on (which I'd never removed by the way).

I ask myself-"Is there anything that I can deduce?". A voice tells me "No". But that's my heart-saying "You've got this right". I use my head-Is it possible to "pick" some values. I think. (The clock is ticking by the way). And I say-no. The heart and head concur. Statement 2 is not sufficient.

I mark the answer as A.

Nice, pratik!

_________________
Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor