Hello,

I have a couple of questions regarding the Lab 1 – “Data Sufficiency – Quick Elimination”.
In the slide #16 it reads: “Use your easy statement to eliminate either AD or BD” – Why should we eliminate AD or BD? We do that only in case a statement is insufficient. Does being “easy” for the statement guarantee its insufficiency?
The second part of the same slide reads: “If you find that both are easy statements, eliminate AD and B“– Same question here, plus the reason of elimination of the choice B is also unclear.
In addition, according to the instructor’s comment: “You need to implement this strategy ONLY IF there is no or very little info in a question” – Why is that?
Overall, the whole purpose of the technique, as well as the last statement, is confusing.

Please advise.
Thanks very much in advance,
Teymuraz

I'd have to review the slide to be sure (i.e. is there a specific problem that these comments referred to?), but it sounds like these generalizations assume that the easy statement is insufficient.

In practice, clear insufficiency is often the reason a statement is considered "the easy one." Flip through the OG, and you will find statements that mention 1 variable when clearly 2 are needed to solve. You'll even find problems that ask about some variable(s), and a statement that ignores those and instead mentions completely new variable(s)!

So, all easy statements are not insufficient.
But, if the statement(s) are easy because they are insufficient, start there and cross AD/BD or ABD, as the case may be.


I would not say you "need" to implement this strategy when the question stem contains minimal info, but rather that you should NOT implement this strategy if there is SOME info in the question stem.

The info in the question stem might combine with the info in an apparently insufficient statement, in a way that is not immediately obvious, to allow you to answer the question. To eliminate A,B, or D too fast would be dangerous in such a case.

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Emily Sledge
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT

Emily,

Thanks very much for the thorough response. Your answers make absolute clear sense.

TB

Thank you Emily.

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Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor