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.
Thank you for using the timer!
We noticed you are actually not timing your practice. Click the START button first next time you use the timer.
There are many benefits to timing your practice, including:
(1) n /m < 1 It's important to remember that as we don't know if m is positive or negative, we can't multiply by it in an inequality. e.g. is you multiply, then n < m, but if n = 2, m = -2, then we get 2 < -2, which is incorrect, when you multiply by a negative the sign should be flipped, but we don't know if we should flip it if we don't have any info on the sign of denominator m. So, let's plug values: n = 1, m =2, then m>n. (1/2 = 0,5 < 1) But, if we plug n=1, m = -2, then n>m. (1/-2 = -0,5 <1) Not sufficient.
(2) n > 0 No info on m. Not sufficient.
(1) & (2) Together The second statement does not help to resolve the problem we encountered in Statement 1. Not sufficient.
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
1: if m > 0, n < m. If m < 0, n > m. So insufficient. 2: Insufficient, tells nothing about m.
Together: insufficient. m can still be negative or positive. For example, n = 4, m = 8, m > n. But if n = 4, m = -8, n/m < 1 and n > m. Answer is E.
aardvark wrote:
\(\frac{n}{m} < 1 means \frac{m}{n}> 1\)
That assumes that m and n have the same sign (since you are multiplying both sides by m/n). If they have opposite signs (so m/n < 0), you have to change the inequality.
Originally posted by bluesquare on 19 Jun 2015, 00:05.
Last edited by bluesquare on 19 Jun 2015, 00:07, edited 1 time in total.
You can't take reciprocal if you don't know the sign. If m = 2 and n = 1, then \(\frac{1}{2}<1\), and \(\frac{2}{1}> 1\), but if m=-2 and n = 1, then \(\frac{1}{-2} < 1\), and \(\frac{-2}{1} < 1\). Sign changes only if both are either negative or positive.
_________________
(1) INSUFFICIENT. It is tempting to cross multiply to get n < m. However, we don't know whether m is positive, so we don't know whether to flip the sign.
(2) INSUFFICIENT. This statement tells us nothing about m.
(1) & (2) INSUFFICIENT. The fact that n is positive does not tell us whether m is positive. For example, it is possible than n = 2 and m = –1. It is also possible that n = 2 and m = 3. Either of these scenarios would fit Statements (1) and (2) but yield different answers to the question.
Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).
Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
_________________
close
57% (00:59) correct 
