A candy manufacturer decided to decrease the weight of each candy bar,

Forget conventional ways of solving math questions. In DS, Variable approach is the easiest and quickest way to find the answer without actually solving the problem. Remember equal number of variables and independent equations ensures a solution.

A candy manufacturer decided to decrease the weight of each candy bar, while retaining the price. By how many cents did the per kilogram cost of candy change after the reduction in weight?

(1) The weight of each piece of candy bar reduced by 9 grams.
(2) The weight of each piece of candy bar reduced by 9%

When you modify the original condition and the question, this question is frequently given on GMAT Math, which is “2 by 2” question.


On the table, there are 3 variables(p,a,b), which should match with the number of equations. So you need 3 equations. For 1) 1 equation, for 2) 1 equation, which is likely to make E the answer. When 1) & 2), b=100, a=91, but you cannot figure out the price and can’t get the answer in a unique way. It is not sufficient.
Therefore, the answer is E.


 For cases where we need 3 more equations, such as original conditions with “3 variables”, or “4 variables and 1 equation”, or “5 variables and 2 equations”, we have 1 equation each in both 1) and 2). Therefore, there is 80% chance that E is the answer (especially about 90% of 2 by 2 questions where there are more than 3 variables), while C has 15% chance. These two are the majority. In case of common mistake type 3,4, the answer may be from A, B or D but there is only 5% chance. Since E is most likely to be the answer using 1) and 2) separately according to DS definition (It saves us time). Obviously there may be cases where the answer is A, B, C or D.