Adam, Bart, and Carol started working together to complete a task in

Question

Adam, Bart, and Carol started working together to complete a task in a certain number of days. In the course of work, they remained absent for a few days and therefore the work was completed 3 days later than planned. If Adam and Bart remained absent for 2 and 4 days more than Carol, then Carol remained absent for how many days?

A. 1 day
B. 2 days
C. 3 days
C. 4 days
E. 5 days

Are You Up For the Challenge: 700 Level Questions

A. 1 day
B. 2 days
C. 3 days
C. 4 days
E. 5 days

Are You Up For the Challenge: 700 Level Questions

GMATGuruNY · Answer

The prompt should indicate that A, B and C each produce units at the same uniform rate.

Let the rate for each worker = 1 unit per day.
Implication:
Each worker absence represents a loss of 1 unit.
The greatest number of units that can be produced in a day = 3.

We can PLUG IN THE ANSWERS, which represent the number of units lost because of Carol.
When the correct answer is plugged in, 3 days are required to compensate for the total number of lost units.

B: 2 units lost because of Carol
Since Adam was absent for 2 more days than Carol and Bart for 4 more days than Carol, the total number of units lost because of absences = 2 + 4 + 6 = 12.
Since the greatest number of units that can be produced in a day = 3, at least 4 extra days would be required to account for a loss of 12 units.
Not viable.
Since the prompt indicates that only 3 extra days were required, the correct answer must be SMALLER THAN B.

A

chetan2u · Answer

I am not very comfortable with the question.

If you talk of three different names, it would seem obvious their speed is different.

But if you are to take the speed of all three to be same, either it should be mentioned clearly or the different names should be replaced by ‘three men working at constant speed’.

The question stat shows many have gone wrong but the question involves very simple calculations.

The work gets delayed by 3 days, so we can take that on average each was absent for 3 days. Thus, total absent days = Average *number of person = 3*3 =9 days . 
But we are given that all have different days of absence, 2 and 4 more than the third person.
If the third person is absent for t days, other two are absent for t+2 and t+4 days. But total has to be 9 => t+(t+2)+(t+4)=9......3t+6=9 or t=1 day.

A

Elonmusk1857 · Answer

sometimes we make simples things tough by thinking ,How can such easy question come in GMAT ? ....haha

FrozenDragon · Answer

The question has been updated for better clarity. I hope this is more helpful.

Thanks.

Vivek1707 · Answer

Alternative approach:

Assume work done by each person was  1 unit per day

So 3 people do 3 units of work in 1 day

Say if the  total work  was  36 units

3 of them working together would take  12 days to complete

Now if the work got  delayed  by  3 days  that means a total of 3 x 3 i.e.  9 units  of work were  not done  on time

If carol was absent on x number of days then

x + 2 + x + 4 + x = 9

Hence 3x + 6 = 9 i.e x = 3/3 = 1  Answer A

Adam, Bart, and Carol started working together to complete a task in

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