The total cost was 38 from which we subtract $6 fixed fee
That leaves us with 32 which is the amount paid per pound
@$2 per pound, the weight is 16 pounds

Hi All,

This question can be solved by TESTing THE ANSWERS.

We're told that a certain company charges $6 per package to ship packages weighing less than 2 pounds each. However, for a package weighing 2 pounds or more, the company charges an initial fee of $6 plus $2 per pound. We're told that a certain package cost $38 to ship. We're asked for the weight, in pounds, of that package.

Let's TEST Answer B: 17 pounds

According to the pricing 'rules' a 17 pound package would cost $6 + 17($2) = $40. This is TOO EXPENSIVE. Thus, the package must weigh LESS than 17 pounds. There's only one answer that fits...

Final Answer:

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
_________________

760+: Learn What GMAT Assassins Do to Score at the Highest Levels
Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

***********************Select EMPOWERgmat Courses now include ALL 6 Official GMAC CATs!***********************

Forget conventional ways of solving math questions. In PS, IVY approach is the easiest and quickest way to find the answer.


A certain company charges $6 per package to ship packages weighing less than 2 pounds each. For a package weighing 2 pounds or more, the company charges an initial fee of $6 plus $2 per pound. If the company charged $38 to ship a certain package, which of the following was the weight of the package, in pounds?

(A) 16
(B) 17
(C) 19
(D) 20
(E) 22


Let the weight of the package be X. Then the cost is 2*X + 6= 38 ---> 2X=32 ---> X=16.

So the answer is (A).
_________________

MathRevolution: Finish GMAT Quant Section with 10 minutes to spare
The one-and-only World’s First Variable Approach for DS and IVY Approach for PS with ease, speed and accuracy.
"Only $99 for 3 month Online Course"
"Free Resources-30 day online access & Diagnostic Test"
"Unlimited Access to over 120 free video lessons - try it yourself"

Just another thought:
Good tricky question.Important thing to realize is that the package cannot be less than 2 pounds as then for a cost of $38 there would be more than one package.

Since there is only a single package whose cost is $38 hence the package must be over 2 pounds.
In this case only the second equation i.e. 6 + 2(y) = 38 is applicable
where Y is the weight of the package and Y>2 , now we can easily get the weight of the package.
_________________

- Stne

Letting n = the weight of the package, we can create the equation:

38 = 6 + 2n

32 = 2n

16 = n

Answer: A
_________________