Bunuel
6 students in a group study different languages as specified:
Russian: 4
Ukrainian: 3
Hebrew: 2
Each student studies at least 1 language. If it is also known that exactly 3 students study exactly 2 languages, how many students are studying all three languages?
A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. 3
E. 4
An
alternative approach--This one might prove useful to anyone considering taking the in-home version of the exam, the one without a physical noteboard to write on. I, for one, would not want to be drawing digital Venn diagrams or even scribbling out digital algebraic expressions with multiple variables. Consider a mental
keep-away method instead, aiming to preserve the slot in question within the context of the given information. If
exactly 3 students study
exactly 2 languages, then both Hebrew slots cannot be filled in this manner, since that would exhaust the 2 and leave no one able to fill another slot in Hebrew. It makes sense to try to fit these three students into the category with the most students, Russian. Consider:
Student 1: Russian + Ukrainian
Student 2: Russian + Ukrainian
Student 3: Russian + Hebrew (since we cannot take up the third Ukrainian slot)
That is 6 slots filled. With 3 students to go, we have just 3 more slots in which to put them. Game over. If any one of these students could take 3 classes, it would mean the other 2 students would have nothing left to take, since the overall enrollment stands at 9.
The question is easily solved in a minute or less using nothing more than simple logic.
- Andrew