Bunuel wrote:
Line M has a y-intercept of –4, and its slope must be an integer-multiple of 1/7. Given that Line M passes below (4, –1) and above (5, –6), how many possible slopes could Line M have?
(A) 6
(B) 7
(C) 8
(D) 9
(E) 10
Kudos for a correct solution.
MAGOOSH OFFICIAL SOLUTION:Well, for starters, zero is a multiple of every number, and a line with slope zero, the horizontal line y = –4 passes below (4, –1) and above (5, –6). That’s horizontal line is our starting point.
The point (4, –1) is over 4, up 3 from the y-intercept (0, –4). A line with a slope of +3/4 would go straight from (0, –4) to (4, –1). Thus, we need a slope that is less than +3/4. Notice that 3/4 = 21/28. Notice that 5/7 = 20/28, so this would be less than 3/4. Therefore, +1/7 through +5/7 will all slope up, obviously above (5, –6), and all will pass below (4, –1). That’s five upward sloping lines.
The point (5, –6) is over 5, down 2, from the y-intercept (0, –4). A line with a slope of –2/5 would go straight from (0, –4) to (5, –6). Thus, we need a slope that is more than –2/5; another way to say that is, we need a negative slope whose absolute value is less than +2/5. Well, 2/5 = 14/35, while 2/7 = 10/35 and 3/7 = 15/35, so (2/7) < (2/5) < (3, 7). The negatively sloping lines obviously pass below (4, –1), but only two of them, –1/7 and –2/7, pass above (5, –6).
That’s one horizontal line, five upward sloping lines, and two downward sloping lines, for a total of eight.
Answer = (C).
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