Four friends, Saul, Peter, Quirinal, and Roderick, are pooling their

Hi Correct solution is

P= 2S
Q = P+60
R=1.20 Q
R=1.20(P+60)

P+Q+R+S =1000+20
P+P+60+1.20(P+60)+P/2 = 1020
3.70P = 1020-60-72=888
P = 240

E)

Four friends, Saul, Peter, Quirinal, and Roderick, are pooling their money to buy a $1000 item. Peter has twice as much money as Saul. Quirinal has $60 more than Peter. Roderick has 20% more than Quirinal. If they put all their money together and spend the $1000, they will have $20 left. How much money does Peter have?

(A) $120
(B) $160
(C) $180
(D) $200
(E) $240

Word problems can be tricky. For a discussion of these issues, as well as the OE for this particular problem, see:
Intro to GMAT Word Problems, Part 2: Assigning Variables

I got stuck on the calculation and gaveup. Now i realize that we don't need to do the calculation.
Just because 888 divided by 4.44 is 200 and 3.7 is less than 4.44, the result of 888 divided by 3.7 must be greater than 200.
The only answer choice greater than 200 is 240.

Hi All,

Working through a 4-variable algebra question might take awhile. Thus, you might find TESTING THE ANSWERS to be an easier/faster approach.

While this question has a lot of details, the individual pieces of information aren't too tough to deal with. After reading the prompt, you should note two things:

1) We're asked to figure out how much money PETER has?
2) Peter has TWICE as much money as Saul

Looking at the Answer choices, I'm going to start with the 'easiest' answer for Peter - Let's TEST Answer D

Answer D: $200

IF....
Peter has $200
Saul has $100
Quirinal has $60 more than Peter = $200 + $60 = $260
Roderick has 20% more than Quirinal = $260 + $52 = $312
Total = $200 + $100 + $260 + $312 = 872

However, we're told that the group would end up having $1020, so Answer D is TOO SMALL. Thus, we need everyone in the group to have MORE money - and there's only one answer in which that would happen...

Final Answer:
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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