As I mentioned above, the question doesn't make any sense. So it is pointless to debate what the "right" answer should be, because it's like debating "what colour is the number 5?" For the question I posted, you could argue "I cannot find a unique value of x, therefore the answer is E". That is a good argument. I think most mathematicians would instead argue "no value of x exists, therefore I have answered the question using both statements, and the answer is C". That is also a good argument. That is why you can simply never see a DS question like this on the GMAT.
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Yes, that is my point. This kind of question cannot show up on the GMAT, because it is not clear what the right answer to such a question should be. And there isn't any reason for either of us to spend time discussing what the right answer is to a question that has no right answer, nor is there any reason to spend time discussing the right answer to a question that can never appear on the GMAT.
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If you ask me, that 5 looks black
QED

*drops microphone, and then smartly inserts folder bologna into tuxedo breast pocket.


Nice to see you back on the forums, Ian!!
You always provide valuable insights.

Cheers,
Brent
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Responding to a PM:

Yes, I agree that if one statement gives me a definite YES, I will ONLY look for a NO from the other to get a may be. The other statement cannot give me a definite NO.

I do understand that GMAC reps don't necessarily take a definitive stand on this but what I think is that they might be playing the "don't say anything that you could be proven wrong on" game. Since some experimental questions that do not make the cut go into the OG, GMAC reps seems to be ensuring that something like that doesn't catch them unaware.

If contradictory information were possible on two statements, option (C) would make no sense (say the two stmnts are n = 1 and n = 0) and options (A), (B) and (D) would be questionable too (so what if n = 1, apparently it could be something else too such as 0 or for that matter 100 too so stmnt 1 is not sufficient).
Hence, there is no way a valid, scored GMAT question would offer contradictory data, in my opinion.
If option (C) exists, I should be able to consider it - whether I need to or not is beside the point.
For me, every question has to be a complete logical whole. Seeing that GMAT spends a lot of time and money on every question, I am sure that that is what they want too. Also, since GMAT's scoring and item-validating algorithms are extremely data driven, I would be surprised if they let unexplainable data go through (since options (A), (B) and (D) may be chosen randomly)
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That is the whole point. We can't have an "authentic" example of this kind. It is hypothetical only.

What is n?
Stmnt 1: n = 1
Stmnt 2: n = 0

If stmnt 1 gives n is 1, and we take it at face value and say that stmnt 1 is sufficient to give the answer, then suddenly, how can stmnt 2 say that n = 0? If another value of n were possible (n = 0), how did we conclude that n is indeed 1 using stmnt 1? This just means we don't have sufficient data and hence neither statement should be enough to answer. What then stops n from being 100 or 345? We probably don't have information about that too. When we say that the value of a variable is 1, it has to be just that.
Hence, with contradictory data, options (A), (B) and (D) all become questionable.
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Those statements do contradict each other no matter what you know about n. n cannot be equal to two different numbers simultaneously; if n is a square root of 16, then n is equal either to 4 or to -4, not to both at the same time.
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But, how do you come up with 2 different values simultaneously?
Are you talking about the following example?
What is the value of n?
1) \(n=4\)
2) \(n^2=16\)
Here statement 2 gives 2 values (e.g., 4,-4). Statement 1 directly says n=4. So, Why different people takes the value of n=-4 in statement 2?
Thanks__
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Can you definitively say that something cannot have two values simultaneously ? The gist of my post was that we can have a real life situation where n can have two values at the same time and math should be able to reflect that reality.

Instructions for the DS questions do not foreclose the possibility of n with two different values simultaneously.
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Hi SravnaTestPrep,
Did you miss my question?
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