Last visit was: 16 Jul 2026, 04:17

It is currently 16 Jul 2026, 04:17

Toolkit

Practice Tests

Data Insights Questions

Data Sufficiency (DS)

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
Your Progress

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

Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.

Go to My Error Log Learn more

Request Expert Reply

Confirm Cancel

Jul 06
GMAT Club World Cup 2026 - $30,000 in Prizes
08:00 AM PDT
-
05:00 PM PDT
Compete to win some amazing Prizes such as Admissions Consulting Packages, Courses, and more. This is your Best Opportunity to improve your GMAT Score! Register to Participate
Jul 14
Serious score increases start here: OnDemand GMAT classes taught by Founder and GMAT Expert Scott Woodbury-Stewart
10:00 AM EDT
-
01:00 PM EDT
Get the score you deserve! Enroll for 6 months of access to over 400 hours of GMAT video lessons AND 715+ Score Guarantee
Jul 28
Live Teach with GMAT Expert Logan Thompson
06:00 PM EDT
-
08:00 PM EDT
Elite scores are possible when you enroll in a powerful GMAT course, taught live online + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Class starts Tue/Thurs July 28 2026 - Oct. 1 2026, 6:00pm-8:00pm EST

Back to Forum

Create Topic

GMAT Club World Cup 2026 (Day 2): At a community art festival, 54

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Bunuel

Math Expert

Joined: 02 Sep 2009

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 111,968

Own Kudos:

827,792

[1]

Given Kudos: 109,779

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 111,968

Kudos: 827,792

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:00

Kudos

Bookmarks

00:00

Start Timer

Pause Timer

Resume Timer

Show Answer

Hide

Show

History

Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

45% (medium)

Question Stats:

82% (01:49) correct

18% (02:19) wrong

based on 342 sessions

History

Date

Time

Result

Not Attempted Yet

At a community art festival, 54 participants signed up for photography, ceramics, or both. If 18 of these participants did not sign up for photography, how many participants signed up for both photography and ceramics?

(1) Of the 54 participants, 12 did not sign up for ceramics.
(2) Of the 54 participants, 42 signed up for ceramics.

This question was provided by GMAT Club
for the GMAT World Cup Competition

Win over $30,000 in prizes such as Courses, Tests, Private Tutoring, and more

⚠️ Important: GMAT Club does not allow AI-generated posts. AI-generated solutions are not eligible for kudos, and users who post them may face moderation action, including a ban.

Show Answer

Official Answer

Most Helpful Reply

Bunuel

Math Expert

Joined: 02 Sep 2009

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 111,968

Own Kudos:

827,792

[1]

Given Kudos: 109,779

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 111,968

Kudos: 827,792

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 09:00

Kudos

Bookmarks

GMAT Club Official Solution:

At a community art festival, 54 participants signed up for photography, ceramics, or both. If 18 of these participants did not sign up for photography, how many participants signed up for both photography and ceramics?

Since all 54 participants signed up for photography, ceramics, or both, any participant who did not sign up for photography must have signed up for ceramics only.

So the 18 participants who did not sign up for photography signed up for ceramics only.

The question asks for the number of participants who signed up for both photography and ceramics.

(1) Of the 54 participants, 12 did not sign up for ceramics.

Since all participants signed up for at least one of the two activities, these 12 participants signed up for photography only.

Therefore:

Both = Total - Ceramics only - Photography only = 54 - 18 - 12 = 24

Sufficient.

(2) Of the 54 participants, 42 signed up for ceramics.

Of these 42 participants, 18 signed up for ceramics only.

Therefore:

Both = 42 - 18 = 24

Sufficient.

Answer: D.

General Discussion

ankushsambare

Joined: 13 Jun 2022

Last visit: 15 Jul 2026

Posts: 280

Own Kudos:

190

[1]

Given Kudos: 192

Location: India

Schools: ISB '27 Wharton '26 INSEAD Aug '26

GPA: 2.4

Products:

Schools: ISB '27 Wharton '26 INSEAD Aug '26

Posts: 280

Kudos: 190

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:20

Kudos

Bookmarks

Given:
Total : 54
Photography = 54-18 = 36
Use: Both = Photography + Ceramics - Total
1. Ceramics = 54-12 = 42
Both = 36+42 = 24
Sufficient
2. Ceramics = 42
Sufficient
Answer: D

paragw

Joined: 17 May 2024

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 285

Own Kudos:

285

[1]

Given Kudos: 55

Products:

Posts: 285

Kudos: 285

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:21

Kudos

Bookmarks

Here's my solution for this question

Attachments

IMG_20260707_205048.jpg [ 509.5 KiB | Viewed 1379 times ]

rajdeep212003

Joined: 11 Dec 2024

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 155

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 16

Location: India

Schools: ISB '27 Kellogg INSEAD MiM '26

Products:

Schools: ISB '27 Kellogg INSEAD MiM '26

Posts: 155

Kudos: 70

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:22

Kudos

Bookmarks

I got option choice D as a correct answer
— here, 54 = p , c or both ( x ) so if 18 of them is not P, then P =54 - 18 = 36 , total = P + C - x ,, 54 = 36 + c - x ,, x = c - 18
Now ,, statement one 12 not into c ,, C an= 54 -12 = 42 so now x = 42 so here x = 42 - 18 = 24 sufficient !!

And ,, statement two say c = 42 so x = 42 ( c) -18
So this one is also sufficient!!

As both statement is sufficient, I got option choice d !!

DachauerDon

Joined: 19 Apr 2025

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 76

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 29

Location: Germany

Schools: LBS

Posts: 76

Kudos: 56

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:25

Kudos

Bookmarks

Answer: D) Each statement alone is sufficient.

The prompt gives us:
P + C + PnC = 54
C = 18, so P + PnC = 36
We need to find PnC

Statement (1): P = 12, so 12 + PnC = 26 -> PnC = 24
Statement (2): PnC = Signed up for Ceramics - Didn't sign up for Photography = 42 - 18 = 24

Barsha5

Joined: 26 Jun 2022

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 46

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 5

Posts: 46

Kudos: 39

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:31

Kudos

Bookmarks

Total = 54 who signed up for ceramics / photography / both.

18 didnt sign up for photography meaning they only signed up for ceramics ONLY. We need to find photography + ceramics, we already have only ceramics.

Statement 1: 12 didnt sign up for ceramics - so they signed up for photography only. 54-12-18 = 24, SUFFICIENT

Statement 2: 42 signed up for ceramics, we already know only ceramics is 18. 42-18 = 24. Sufficient.

vrinda6

Joined: 20 Jul 2020

Last visit: 15 Jul 2026

Posts: 55

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 16

Location: India

Schools: Booth '27 Kellogg '27 CBS '27 Duke '27 Haas '27 HBS '27 Ross '27 Stern '27 Stanford '27 Wharton '27 Anderson '27

Posts: 55

Kudos: 22

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:32

Kudos

Bookmarks

Photography | No photography| Total
Ceramics | | 18 |
No ceramics. | | 0 |
Total. | 36 | 18 | 54

Before going into the statements, this is what we already know:

1. Total participants= 54
2. Every participant either takes photography or ceramics or both. That means there are 0 participants who dont take either of them.
3. There are 18 participants who do not take photography.
4. that also gives me 36 participants who take photgraphy.
5. Which in turn tells me that there are 18 participants who take ceramics but not photography.

Statement 1:
12 did not sign up for ceramics. Sufficient (once we plug in the values in the chart above. )

Statement 2:
42 signed up for ceramics. Sufficent (once we plug in the values in the chart above)

SS990

Joined: 17 Apr 2023

Last visit: 14 Jul 2026

Posts: 95

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 197

Location: India

Products:

Posts: 95

Kudos: 78

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:33

Kudos

Bookmarks

given: Total=54=P+C+PC (none=0)
C=18

To find: both =PC

1) P=12 subtituting in equation, we can find PC..so thsi is sufficient

2) C+PC=42 we know C=18 so we can find PC this is also sufficient

Hence D is the answer

Kinshook

Major Poster

Joined: 03 Jun 2019

Last visit: 15 Jul 2026

Posts: 6,093

Own Kudos:

5,986

[1]

Given Kudos: 164

Location: India

Schools: HBS '26 CBS '26 Wharton '26

GMAT 1: 690 Q50 V34 Verified score

WE:Engineering (Transportation)

Products:

Schools: HBS '26 CBS '26 Wharton '26

GMAT 1: 690 Q50 V34 Verified score

Posts: 6,093

Kudos: 5,986

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:33

Kudos

Bookmarks

At a community art festival, 54 participants signed up for photography, ceramics or both.
If 18 of these participants did not sign up for photography, how many participants signed up for both photography and ceramics.

	Photography	~Photography	Total
Ceramics	x = ?
~Ceramics		0
Total	54-18=36	18	54

(1) Of the 54 participants, 12 did not sign up for ceramics.

	Photography	~Photography	Total
Ceramics	x = ?	42-x	54-12=42
~Ceramics	36-x	x-24=0	12
Total	54-18=36	18	54

x-24=0; x = 24
24 participants signed up for both photography and ceramics
Sufficient

(2) Of the 54 participants, 42 signed up for ceramics

	Photography	~Photography	Total
Ceramics	x	42-x	42
~Ceramics	36-x	x-24=0	54-42=12
Total	54-18=36	18	54

x-24=0; x = 24
24 participants signed up for both photography and ceramics
Sufficient

IMO D

TearTown

Joined: 21 Apr 2026

Last visit: 15 Jul 2026

Posts: 12

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 2

Posts: 12

Kudos: 6

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:34

Kudos

Bookmarks

Let only photography be a & only ceramics be b and both be c,
thus given that
eq 1: a+b+c = 54
eq 2: c = 18
statement 1:
eq 3: a= 12, thus using eq 3 & eq 2 in eq 1, we can get value of b. thus solved.
statement 2:
eq 4: b+c = 42, this using eq 2 in rq 3, we can get value of b. thus solved.

Hence both statements alone is sufficient to solve it.

kingbucky

Joined: 28 Jul 2023

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 587

Own Kudos:

677

[1]

Given Kudos: 351

Location: India

Products:

Posts: 587

Kudos: 677

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:36

Kudos

Bookmarks

Statement (1): Of the 54 participants, 12 did not sign up for ceramics.
This means 12 people signed up for only photography ($\text{Only P} = 12$).
Plugging this into our main formula:
$54 = 12 + 18 + \text{Both}$
$54 = 30 + \text{Both}$
$\text{Both} = 24$
Since we can find a single definitive value, Statement (1) is Sufficient.

Statement (2): Of the 54 participants, 42 signed up for ceramics.
The total number of people taking ceramics includes both those taking only ceramics and those taking both classes.
$\text{Total C} = \text{Only C} + \text{Both}$
$42 = 18 + \text{Both}$
$\text{Both} = 24$
Since we can find a single definitive value, Statement (2) is Sufficient.

Hence (D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.

Attachments

statement 1.png [ 9.09 KiB | Viewed 1053 times ]

statement 2.png [ 9.3 KiB | Viewed 1049 times ]

BrownBearBR

Joined: 22 May 2023

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 45

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 390

Location: India

GMAT 1: 600 Q50 V24 Verified score

Products:

GMAT 1: 600 Q50 V24 Verified score

Posts: 45

Kudos: 20

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:37

Kudos

Bookmarks

Answer here is D.
We can use Venn Diagrams here for easier calculation.

Since the statement clearly says that 55 people wither signed for P or C or both, none = 0. (That is there are no participants who signed for neither).

Statement 1 says out of 54 participants, 12 did not sign up for ceramics. Which means 12 only signed up for photography. In our original statement we have 18 people who did not sign up for photography. Which means these 18 people only signed up for ceramics. Hence if x is people who signed for both P and C, then 12 + x + 18 = 54. x = 24. This is sufficient.

In Statement 2, we are given 42 people signed up for ceramics. Which is only ceramics + both (ceramics + photography). Since from the original statement we know, only ceramics is 18, we can calculate the value for both P& C. This is sufficient.

Hence each statement alone is sufficient. Answer is D.

nuwaaanda

Joined: 15 Dec 2025

Last visit: 16 Jul 2026

Posts: 46

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 31

Posts: 46

Kudos: 31

07 Jul 2026, 08:38

Kudos

Bookmarks

I tried using the 2x2 matrix method for this:

The matrix was as follows (the info given in question stem is in bold):

Photography. Not Photography. Total
Ceramics

Not Ceramics _12_

Total _36_ _18_ _54_

Statement 1: 12 did not sign up for ceramics (highlighted in italics in the above matrix):
This helps us with Also the number of people who signed up for the Ceramics class as 54-12 = 42
However, this still leaves us with a lot of possibilities for people who signed up for both classes. Hence, statement one is not enough. cross out A and D

Statement 2: 42 signed up for ceramics.
This statement pretty much gives us the same information as the Statement 1. Hence, it is not enough as well. Cross out B

Both statements combined still give us no additional information. Hence cross out C as well.

Answer is (E)

sarveshkhonde

Joined: 11 Jan 2023

Last visit: 15 Jul 2026

Posts: 9

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 242

Location: India

WE:Investment Banking (Finance: Investment Banking)

Products:

Posts: 9

Kudos: 7

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:38

Kudos

Bookmarks

Given -
18 participants did not sign up for photography and since everyone signed up for something, these 18 must belong only to the ceramics group.

Ceramics Only = 18

Statement 1 -
Of the 54 participants, 12 did not sign up for Ceramics. If 12 people did not sign up for Ceramics, they must belong only to the Photography group.

Photography Only = 12

We know the total is 54.

Photography Only + Ceramics Only + Both = Total

12 + 18 + Both = 54

Both = 24

So statement 1 is sufficient.

Statement 2 -
Of the 54 participants, 42 signed up for Ceramics.

The total number of participants who signed up for Ceramics is the sum of those who did "Ceramics Only" and those who did "Both".

Total Ceramics = Ceramics Only + Both
42 = 18 + Both
Both = 24

So statement 2 is also sufficient.

So we can conclude that each statement alone is sufficient, so D is our answer

huynguyen0311

Joined: 17 Nov 2024

Last visit: 14 Jul 2026

Posts: 22

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 1

Products:

Posts: 22

Kudos: 13

07 Jul 2026, 08:41

Kudos

Bookmarks

Let x be participants signed up for both P & C
1.12+x+18=54 -> x=24
2. 48=x+18 -> x =30
I don't see 4 answers but I guess answer is we can get the answer with each statement alone -> D

Bunuel

This question was provided by GMAT Club
for the GMAT World Cup Competition

Win over $30,000 in prizes such as Courses, Tests, Private Tutoring, and more

⚠️ Important: GMAT Club does not allow AI-generated posts. AI-generated solutions are not eligible for kudos, and users who post them may face moderation action, including a ban.

feistygirl

Joined: 26 Apr 2026

Last visit: 15 Jul 2026

Posts: 48

Own Kudos:

[1]

Products:

Posts: 48

Kudos: 41

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:51

Kudos

Bookmarks

i am going with option d. as we are given that either they are in photography, ceramic and both and we are given that there is total 54 participants and 18 did not sign up for P so they exclusively did for C then as they can't be in both.
option A says that 12 didn't sign up for C so they exclusively did for P then as they can't be in both, so we now know the participants exclusively for both C & P hence subtracting them gives the number for both.
option b states that 42 signed up for C and we are given the exclusive no. of C that is 18 so the rest indicates participants in both hence D.

MakB

Joined: 05 May 2025

Last visit: 15 Jul 2026

Posts: 64

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 132

Products:

Posts: 64

Kudos: 20

07 Jul 2026, 08:52

Kudos

Bookmarks

Make a cross 4x4 table
Statement 1 will not give definate answer ---so cancel AD
Statement 2- will give definate answer of 24 people that signed up for both
Hence, B

indresh2152

Joined: 26 Dec 2017

Last visit: 08 Jul 2026

Posts: 5

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 1

Products:

Posts: 5

Kudos: 5

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:53

Kudos

Bookmarks

easy to solve using venn diagram, let P = only photography, C = only ceramics, B = both (count of students)

P + C + B = 54
Also, if 18 did not sign for photography means only ceramics, C = 18. Then, P + 18 + B = 56 => P + B = 36. Now, question is what is the value of B?

Option 1) 12 did not sign for ceramics, means only photographic students (P) = 12. Putting in equation above gives 12 + B = 36 => B = 24 (Sufficient)
Since option 1 is sufficient, our answer choices will be either A or D. Let's evaluate option 2 now.

Option 2) 42 signed for ceramics, it means B + C = 42. We already know that C = 18, so B = 42 -18 = 24 (Sufficient)

Our answer choice is D

CuriousThinker

Joined: 02 Sep 2025

Last visit: 15 Jul 2026

Posts: 19

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 12

Location: India

Schools: IIM ISB '27 INSEAD Aug '27 HEC Sept '27 ESADE LBS '27 Duke '27

GPA: 8

Products:

Schools: IIM ISB '27 INSEAD Aug '27 HEC Sept '27 ESADE LBS '27 Duke '27

Posts: 19

Kudos: 12

[1]

07 Jul 2026, 08:56

Kudos

Bookmarks

Bunuel

This question was provided by GMAT Club
for the GMAT World Cup Competition

Win over $30,000 in prizes such as Courses, Tests, Private Tutoring, and more

⚠️ Important: GMAT Club does not allow AI-generated posts. AI-generated solutions are not eligible for kudos, and users who post them may face moderation action, including a ban.

Analysing the question, we get
Only ceramics = 18 ---- (*)
Only Ceramics + Both + Only Photography = 54
Further, 18 did not sign up for photography, so only ceramics is 18 (as they did not sign up for photography, we will remove both and only photography) ----- (1)

Now we know that: Both + Only Photography = 54 - 18 = 36 (From 1) ---- (2)

Statement 1
12 did not sign up for ceramics are only photography folks; same logic as (1)
So we now know only photography and inputting the value in (2) will give us the value for both
Both + 12 = 36
Both = 24; hence, Sufficient

Statement 2
42 signed up for ceramics means the ones who signed up only for ceramics and who signed up for both
Inputting this into the (*) equation, we get
Only ceramics + Both = 42
18 + Both = 42
Both = 24; Sufficient

Therefore, (D) Both individually sufficient