GMAT Question of the Day - Daily to your Mailbox; hard ones only

 It is currently 17 Oct 2018, 08:01

### GMAT Club Daily Prep

#### Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

# A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military

Author Message
TAGS:

### Hide Tags

Intern
Joined: 24 Feb 2011
Posts: 28
A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military  [#permalink]

### Show Tags

20 Dec 2011, 08:05
4
13
00:00

Difficulty:

85% (hard)

Question Stats:

61% (02:39) correct 39% (03:09) wrong based on 589 sessions

### HideShow timer Statistics

A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military hospital; the number of beds available for patients at the hospital is now 3 times the number available before the new tower was built. Currently, 1/3 of the hospital's original beds, as well as 1/5 of the beds in the new tower, are occupied. For the purposes of renovating the hospital's original wing, all of the patients in the hospital's original beds must be transferred to beds in the new tower. If patients are neither admitted nor discharged during the transfer, what fraction of the beds in the new tower will be unoccupied once the transfer is complete?

A. 11/30
B. 29/60
C. 17/30
D. 19/30
E. 11/15

I don't understand how can you infer from the sentence "the number of beds available for patients at the hospital is now 3 times the number available before the new tower was built" that the "The new tower is not itself three times the size of the old wing; the problem states that the capacity of the entire hospital is three times its original value, so the new tower has twice as many beds as the old wing"
I keep re-reading the sentece and still see that the new hospital is 3 times bigger than the old one.
HELP
Manager
Status: Employed
Joined: 17 Nov 2011
Posts: 82
Location: Pakistan
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.2
WE: Business Development (Internet and New Media)

### Show Tags

05 Jan 2012, 11:09
7
1
I think D - 19/30 is the correct answer.

Here goes:

Lets assume originally the number of beds = x

After the new tower, the total combined no of beds = 3x

So old = x, New = 2x

Now 1/3 of x are occupied and 1/5 of 2x are occupied which simplifies to (2/5)x

We are shifting 1/3 of x to the new ward so there will now be:

1/3 of x plus 2/5 of x occupied in the new ward. Add them up to get 11/15 of x

There are 2x beds in New Tower so ratio is:

(11/15)x / 2x = 11/30 of x

Subtract that from 30/30 of x and you get the number of un-occupied beds to total capacity of New Tower.

_________________

"Nowadays, people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing." Oscar Wilde

##### General Discussion
Magoosh GMAT Instructor
Joined: 28 Nov 2011
Posts: 301

### Show Tags

20 Dec 2011, 12:01
2
The wording is definitely tricky!

So think of it this way: If the hospital currently has 10 beds and it is to triple the number of beds, there will now be 30 total beds: 10 for the original tower and 20 for the new tower. The number of beds in the new tower will therefore be double that of the old tower.

Had the new tower contained three times (e.g. 10 x 3 = 30 + 10 = 40) then there would be four times as many beds.

I think you may have conflated the term “new tower” with new hospital. “New hospital,” which is never explicitly stated, is a combination of the new tower and the old hospital.

Hope that resolves any ambiguity!
_________________

Christopher Lele
Magoosh Test Prep

Manager
Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Posts: 203

### Show Tags

05 Jan 2012, 07:49
_________________

Consider KUDOS if you feel the effort's worth it

Manager
Joined: 29 Jul 2011
Posts: 92
Location: United States

### Show Tags

05 Jan 2012, 14:45
1
Let logically split this problem.

Old: number of beds = x. x/3 occupied
New: number of beds = 2x (overall 3x). 2x/5 occupied. So, 8x/5 unoccupied.

x/3 now moved from old to new -> unoccupied beds in new will be = 8x/5 - x/3 = 19x/15

So, fraction of unoccupied in new -> # of unoccupied / total in new = (19x/15) / 2x = 19/30 -> D
_________________

I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.
Please consider giving +1 Kudos if deserved!

DS - If negative answer only, still sufficient. No need to find exact solution.
PS - Always look at the answers first
CR - Read the question stem first, hunt for conclusion
SC - Meaning first, Grammar second
RC - Mentally connect paragraphs as you proceed. Short = 2min, Long = 3-4 min

Manager
Status: MBA Aspirant
Joined: 12 Jun 2010
Posts: 140
Location: India
WE: Information Technology (Investment Banking)

### Show Tags

05 Jan 2012, 21:24
Ans is D

let x be the no of beds in the original hospital
so 2x is the no of beds in the new hospital

now x/3 and 2x/5 are occupied. so total is 11x/15

so no of unoccupied beds = 2x-11x/15 = 19x/15

so the fraction is 19x/15/2 = 19x/30

definitely a wordy question.
Manager
Joined: 27 Oct 2011
Posts: 142
Location: United States
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GPA: 3.7
WE: Account Management (Consumer Products)

### Show Tags

11 Feb 2012, 16:39
remember that the now the in total it can hold 3times as many people including the old building. Then set your own number of beds for simplicity 15 (old) 30 (new)
1/3 of 15 is 5 and 1/5 of 30 is 6.... 5+6 / 30 is your fraction of beds filled... you must subtract 11 from 30 to get the answer of how many are not filled. 19/30.
_________________

DETERMINED TO BREAK 700!!!

SVP
Status: The Best Or Nothing
Joined: 27 Dec 2012
Posts: 1829
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Technology
WE: Information Technology (Computer Software)
Re: A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military  [#permalink]

### Show Tags

07 Apr 2014, 00:30
2
Old Hospital = x

New Hospital = 2x (After addition of new hospital, capacity = 3x which is thrice of the old hospital)

Old Hospital Occupancy $$= \frac{x}{3}$$

New Hospital Occupancy$$= \frac{2x}{5}$$

After transfer from old to new hospital,

New Hospital Occupancy$$= \frac{2x}{5} + \frac{x}{3} = \frac{11x}{15}$$

Vacancy in New Hospital $$= 2x - \frac{11x}{15} = \frac{19x}{15}$$

Fraction $$= \frac{19x}{15}* \frac{1}{2} = \frac{19x}{30}$$

_________________

Kindly press "+1 Kudos" to appreciate

CEO
Joined: 08 Jul 2010
Posts: 2537
Location: India
GMAT: INSIGHT
WE: Education (Education)
Re: A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military  [#permalink]

### Show Tags

17 Jul 2015, 23:58
2
olivite wrote:
A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military hospital; the number of beds available for patients at the hospital is now 3 times the number available before the new tower was built. Currently, 1/3 of the hospital's original beds, as well as 1/5 of the beds in the new tower, are occupied. For the purposes of renovating the hospital's original wing, all of the patients in the hospital's original beds must be transferred to beds in the new tower. If patients are neither admitted nor discharged during the transfer, what fraction of the beds in the new tower will be unoccupied once the transfer is complete?

A. 11/30
B. 29/60
C. 17/30
D. 19/30
E. 11/15

Check the working in figure.

Attachments

File comment: www.GMATinsight.com

Sol 10.jpg [ 241.75 KiB | Viewed 8765 times ]

_________________

Prosper!!!
GMATinsight
Bhoopendra Singh and Dr.Sushma Jha
e-mail: info@GMATinsight.com I Call us : +91-9999687183 / 9891333772
Online One-on-One Skype based classes and Classroom Coaching in South and West Delhi
http://www.GMATinsight.com/testimonials.html

ACCESS FREE GMAT TESTS HERE:22 ONLINE FREE (FULL LENGTH) GMAT CAT (PRACTICE TESTS) LINK COLLECTION

Director
Joined: 10 Mar 2013
Posts: 518
Location: Germany
Concentration: Finance, Entrepreneurship
GMAT 1: 580 Q46 V24
GPA: 3.88
WE: Information Technology (Consulting)
A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military  [#permalink]

### Show Tags

18 Dec 2015, 16:41
3
olivite wrote:
A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military hospital; the number of beds available for patients at the hospital is now 3 times the number available before the new tower was built. Currently, 1/3 of the hospital's original beds, as well as 1/5 of the beds in the new tower, are occupied. For the purposes of renovating the hospital's original wing, all of the patients in the hospital's original beds must be transferred to beds in the new tower. If patients are neither admitted nor discharged during the transfer, what fraction of the beds in the new tower will be unoccupied once the transfer is complete?

A. 11/30
B. 29/60
C. 17/30
D. 19/30
E. 11/15

I don't understand how can you infer from the sentence "the number of beds available for patients at the hospital is now 3 times the number available before the new tower was built" that the "The new tower is not itself three times the size of the old wing; the problem states that the capacity of the entire hospital is three times its original value, so the new tower has twice as many beds as the old wing"
I keep re-reading the sentece and still see that the new hospital is 3 times bigger than the old one.
HELP

Forget variables and formulas, try to pick some smart numbers:
Before new tower: 15
After new tower: 15*3=45 (OVERALL ! means new tower + old wing)

New tower: 30 and 20% are occupied = 6
Old wing: 15 (as before renovation) and $$\frac{1}{3}$$are occupied = 5 and then this amount is transfered to the new tower -> 6+5=11 as of now there are 11 beds occupied in the new tower and 30-11=19 beds free, what brings us to our solution$$\frac{19}{30}$$ are unoccupied
_________________

When you’re up, your friends know who you are. When you’re down, you know who your friends are.

800Score ONLY QUANT CAT1 51, CAT2 50, CAT3 50
GMAT PREP 670
MGMAT CAT 630
KAPLAN CAT 660

VP
Joined: 07 Dec 2014
Posts: 1103
A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military  [#permalink]

### Show Tags

30 Jan 2017, 10:55
A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military hospital; the number of beds available for patients at the hospital is now 3 times the number available before the new tower was built. Currently, 1/3 of the hospital's original beds, as well as 1/5 of the beds in the new tower, are occupied. For the purposes of renovating the hospital's original wing, all of the patients in the hospital's original beds must be transferred to beds in the new tower. If patients are neither admitted nor discharged during the transfer, what fraction of the beds in the new tower will be unoccupied once the transfer is complete?

A. 11/30
B. 29/60
C. 17/30
D. 19/30
E. 11/15

let x=original beds
2x=new tower beds
(x/3)+(2x/5)=11x/15 occupied beds in new tower after transfer
2x-(11x/15)=19/15*x unoccupied beds in new tower after transfer
(19/15*x)/2x=19/30
D
EMPOWERgmat Instructor
Status: GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Posts: 12660
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Re: A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military  [#permalink]

### Show Tags

04 Mar 2018, 16:16
Hi All,

I'm a big fan of TESTing Values (BrainLab's explanation), but this question can also be solved with algebra….

We're told that adding a new tower to an existing hospital allows fore 3 times the number of available beds that were there before the tower was built:

Just the hospital = X beds
Hospital + new tower = 3X beds

Just the tower = 3X - X = 2X beds

We're told that 1/3 of the original hospital beds and 1/5 of the tower beds are occupied:

1/3 of X beds + 1/5 of 2X beds = X/3 + 2X/5 = 5X/15 + 6X/15 = 11X/15 occupied beds

Next, we're told that all of the patients in the original hospital must be transferred to the tower. Since the tower has 2X beds in it, the tower is now…..

[11X/15]/2X full = 11/30 full

The question asks for the fraction of the beds in the tower that are UNOCCUPIED:

30/30 - 11/30 = 19/30 UNOCCUPIED

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

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

# Rich Cohen

Co-Founder & GMAT Assassin

Special Offer: Save \$75 + GMAT Club Tests Free
Official GMAT Exam Packs + 70 Pt. Improvement Guarantee
www.empowergmat.com/

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

Manager
Joined: 31 Aug 2016
Posts: 140
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, General Management
GMAT 1: 680 Q49 V33
GPA: 2.81
Re: A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military  [#permalink]

### Show Tags

21 Aug 2018, 18:36
olivite wrote:
A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military hospital; the number of beds available for patients at the hospital is now 3 times the number available before the new tower was built. Currently, 1/3 of the hospital's original beds, as well as 1/5 of the beds in the new tower, are occupied. For the purposes of renovating the hospital's original wing, all of the patients in the hospital's original beds must be transferred to beds in the new tower. If patients are neither admitted nor discharged during the transfer, what fraction of the beds in the new tower will be unoccupied once the transfer is complete?

A. 11/30
B. 29/60
C. 17/30
D. 19/30
E. 11/15

I don't understand how can you infer from the sentence "the number of beds available for patients at the hospital is now 3 times the number available before the new tower was built" that the "The new tower is not itself three times the size of the old wing; the problem states that the capacity of the entire hospital is three times its original value, so the new tower has twice as many beds as the old wing"
I keep re-reading the sentece and still see that the new hospital is 3 times bigger than the old one.
HELP

Let total number of beds in the hospital before the new tower =$$x$$
Now , the total number of beds available after the new tower was built = $$3x$$
therefore the total number of beds in the new tower = $$3x - x = 2x$$

now total number of occupied beds from the original beds(Before the new tower was built)
= $$\frac{1}{3}x$$

now total number of occupied beds from the new tower
= $$\frac{1}{5}2x$$

number of beds unoccupied from the new tower
= $$2x$$- $$\frac{2}{5}x$$ = $$\frac{8}{5}x$$

now, numbers of beds left unoccupied in new tower after we shift the patients from old building to new tower
= $$\frac{8}{5}x$$ -$$\frac{1}{3}x$$
= $$\frac{19}{15}x$$

Now, we have total number of unoccupied beds in the new tower($$\frac{19}{15}x$$), as well as the total number of beds(occupied and unoccupied) in the new tower($$2x)$$

therefore the answer is = $$\frac{19x}{15 *2x}$$ = $$\frac{19}{30}$$
Option D
_________________

Resources
GMATNinja Webinars
GMATNinja Chats

Quant
Mixtures

Re: A new tower has just been built at the Verbico military &nbs [#permalink] 21 Aug 2018, 18:36
Display posts from previous: Sort by