It is currently 19 Nov 2017, 00:22

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

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

Events & Promotions

Events & Promotions in June
Open Detailed Calendar

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the

Author Message
TAGS:

Hide Tags

Intern
Joined: 09 Feb 2011
Posts: 9

Kudos [?]: 35 [4], given: 0

Show Tags

20 Feb 2011, 12:44
4
KUDOS
31
This post was
BOOKMARKED
00:00

Difficulty:

55% (hard)

Question Stats:

64% (01:54) correct 36% (02:07) wrong based on 1025 sessions

HideShow timer Statistics

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

A. 15/29
B. 5/8
C. 5/16
D. 1/2
E. 13/27
[Reveal] Spoiler: OA

Last edited by Bunuel on 03 Feb 2012, 05:30, edited 1 time in total.
Edited the question

Kudos [?]: 35 [4], given: 0

Math Forum Moderator
Joined: 20 Dec 2010
Posts: 1965

Kudos [?]: 2089 [22], given: 376

Show Tags

20 Feb 2011, 12:57
22
KUDOS
11
This post was
BOOKMARKED
I usually solve it using parts;

Olive = 5/8
Vinegar = 1/4

Total = 7/8.
Remaining=1/8

Salt, Pepper, Sugar = (1/8)/3 = 1/24 each

Now consider the parts;
Olive = 5/8 = 15/24
Vinegar = 1/4 = 6/24
Salt=1/24
Sugar=1/24
Pepper=1/24

For 24 parts mixture; 15 part olive; 6 vinegar; 1 salt; 1 pepper; 1 sugar

Double the vinegar - 6*2=12 parts
Leave the sugar = 1-1=0

New mixture would be;
15 parts olive; 12 parts vinegar; 1 salt; 1 pepper

Total: 15+12+1+1=29 parts
Olive= 15 parts

Ratio(Olive/Mixture) = 15/29

Ans: "A"
_________________

Kudos [?]: 2089 [22], given: 376

Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 42249

Kudos [?]: 132643 [7], given: 12326

Show Tags

20 Feb 2011, 12:57
7
KUDOS
Expert's post
15
This post was
BOOKMARKED
Hi guys, can you have a go at this question? I'm not getting the one of the available answers.

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

a) 15/29
b) 5/8
c) 5/16
d) 1/2
e) 13/27

Olive oil $$=\frac{5}{8} = \frac{15}{24}$$ --> 15 parts out of 24;

Vinegar $$= \frac{1}{4} = \frac{6}{24}$$ --> 6 parts out of 24;

Salt + pepper + sugar $$= 1-(\frac{15}{24}+\frac{6}{24})= \frac{3}{24}$$, so each $$= \frac{1}{24}$$ --> 1 part out of 24 each.

If vinegar = 12 (instead of 6) and sugar = 0 (instead of 1) then total = 15+12+1+1+0 = 29 parts out of which 15 parts are olive oil --> proportion $$= \frac{15}{29}$$.

P.S. Took 24 as common denominator so that shares of each ingredient to be integer.

Similar questions to practice:
http://gmatclub.com/forum/m07-72458.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/a-certain-bre ... 03934.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/miguel-is-mix ... 09740.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/malik-s-recip ... 23239.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/a-certain-bre ... 29148.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/a-recipe-requ ... 52952.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/what-is-the-r ... 72081.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/papayaya-a-po ... 35672.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/a-dessert-rec ... 58248.html
http://gmatclub.com/forum/john-needs-to ... 44937.html

Hope this helps.
_________________

Kudos [?]: 132643 [7], given: 12326

GMAT Tutor
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 1339

Kudos [?]: 1997 [2], given: 6

Show Tags

20 Feb 2011, 13:01
2
KUDOS
Expert's post
Hi guys, can you have a go at this question? I'm not getting the one of the available answers.

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

a) 15/29
b) 5/8
c) 5/16
d) 1/2
e) 13/27

Since this is a pure ratio problem, I'd probably find it easiest just to choose a convenient number for the amount of salad dressing we're making. You could also work purely with fractions, though that's a bit more awkward. Here, we know that 5/8 of the dressing is oil, 2/8 is vinegar, and the remaining 1/8 is an equal mixture ('even'? they mean 'equal') of salt, pepper and sugar, so (1/3)(1/8) = 1/24 of the dressing is salt, 1/24 is sugar, and 1/24 is pepper. So we can suppose we would normally be making 24 units of the dressing. We then normally would have:

15 units of oil
6 units of vinegar
1 unit of sugar
1 unit of salt
1 unit of pepper

Now if we double the vinegar and omit the sugar we have

15 units of oil
12 units of vinegar
0 units of sugar
1 unit of salt
1 unit of pepper

for a total of 29 units, 15 of which are oil. So the answer is 15/29.
_________________

GMAT Tutor in Toronto

If you are looking for online GMAT math tutoring, or if you are interested in buying my advanced Quant books and problem sets, please contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

Kudos [?]: 1997 [2], given: 6

Intern
Joined: 09 Feb 2011
Posts: 9

Kudos [?]: 35 [0], given: 0

Show Tags

20 Feb 2011, 13:17
Thanks for the replies. I see your answers are correct, similar to what is found in the solutions.

Here is how I interpreted the problem:

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

If he finishes the dressing with 5/8 oil, you'd have:

12/24 vinegar
2/24 salt/pepper
10/24 olive oil
_____
24/24 dressing

Where in the problem does it clearly state that he portioned out the oil first, and added it to the vinegar and salt/pepper? Is it possible that "Regardless of the number of servings" means that he's not keeping track of the volume?

I see how you've all arrived at 15/29, but I would have never interpreted the problem that way.

Kudos [?]: 35 [0], given: 0

Math Forum Moderator
Joined: 20 Dec 2010
Posts: 1965

Kudos [?]: 2089 [1], given: 376

Show Tags

20 Feb 2011, 13:38
1
KUDOS
Thanks for the replies. I see your answers are correct, similar to what is found in the solutions.

Here is how I interpreted the problem:

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

If he finishes the dressing with 5/8 oil, you'd have:

12/24 vinegar
2/24 salt/pepper
10/24 olive oil
_____
24/24 dressing

Where in the problem does it clearly state that he portioned out the oil first, and added it to the vinegar and salt/pepper? Is it possible that "Regardless of the number of servings" means that he's not keeping track of the volume?

I see how you've all arrived at 15/29, but I would have never interpreted the problem that way.

It is not mentioned anywhere. You are trying to keep the volume(total number of parts) unaltered. It is not mentioned as a constraint in the problem, though. The moment Miguel doubled the quantity of the vinegar and forgot to add sugar; he goofed up both; the proportion of these ingredients in the salad dressing and the volume of the salad dressing.

"Number of servings": Guess means total volume of the entire dressing. It could be 24 parts; 48 parts; 72 parts..etc.
_________________

Kudos [?]: 2089 [1], given: 376

Veritas Prep GMAT Instructor
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Posts: 7736

Kudos [?]: 17785 [2], given: 235

Location: Pune, India

Show Tags

20 Feb 2011, 20:04
2
KUDOS
Expert's post
Thanks for the replies. I see your answers are correct, similar to what is found in the solutions.

Here is how I interpreted the problem:

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

If he finishes the dressing with 5/8 oil, you'd have:

12/24 vinegar
2/24 salt/pepper
10/24 olive oil
_____
24/24 dressing

Where in the problem does it clearly state that he portioned out the oil first, and added it to the vinegar and salt/pepper? Is it possible that "Regardless of the number of servings" means that he's not keeping track of the volume?

I see how you've all arrived at 15/29, but I would have never interpreted the problem that way.

The question mentions that he committed two mistakes in the recipe: doubled the vinegar and forgot the sugar. Had he put less olive oil than what the recipe asked for, that would have been another mistake.
Let's say he wanted to make 24 ml of dressing. Then the recipe asked for 15 ml olive oil, 6 ml vinegar, 1 ml sugar etc. His mistake was to put double the vinegar (so 12 ml) and no sugar. Had he put 10 ml of olive oil (instead of 15), that would have been yet another mistake and would have been mentioned in the question as such.
_________________

Karishma
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor
My Blog

Get started with Veritas Prep GMAT On Demand for \$199

Veritas Prep Reviews

Kudos [?]: 17785 [2], given: 235

TOEFL Forum Moderator
Joined: 16 Nov 2010
Posts: 1602

Kudos [?]: 600 [0], given: 40

Location: United States (IN)
Concentration: Strategy, Technology

Show Tags

21 Feb 2011, 19:06
Vinegar - 1/4

Olive Oil - 5/8

5/8 + 1/4 = (5 + 2)/8 = 7/8

Remainder = 1/8

salt - 1/24

pepper - 1/24

sugar - 1/24

Let total be 24 ml

12 ml - V

15 ml - OO

1 - salt

1 - P

=> OO = 15/(12 + 15 + 1 + 1) = 10/29 = 15/29

_________________

Formula of Life -> Achievement/Potential = k * Happiness (where k is a constant)

GMAT Club Premium Membership - big benefits and savings

Kudos [?]: 600 [0], given: 40

Manager
Joined: 19 Dec 2010
Posts: 135

Kudos [?]: 32 [1], given: 12

Show Tags

11 Mar 2011, 08:00
1
KUDOS
Total mixture = 5/8 X + 1/4 X + 1/24 X + 1/24 X + 1/24 X
This constitutes: Olive oil + Vinegar + Sugar/Spice/everything nice...

Twice the vinegar = 2x 1/4 = 1/2 X
5/8 + 1/2 + 1/24 + 1/24 = 29/24

Olive oil / total mixture = 5/8 divided by 29/24 = 15/29

Kudos [?]: 32 [1], given: 12

Manager
Joined: 20 Aug 2011
Posts: 144

Kudos [?]: 108 [0], given: 0

Show Tags

28 Nov 2011, 09:35
Initial Mix be x
Olive oil = 5/8x
Vinegar = 1/4x

Remainder is equally divided among salt, pepper & sugar

(1-5/8 - 1/4)x = x/8

x/8 is divided in equal quantities among salt, pepper, & sugar

x/8*(1/3) = x/24 = salt = pepper = sugar

Miguel's mistake

He doubles vinegar = 2*(x/4) = x/2
He forgets sugar = x/24 --eliminate

Total Mixture = (5/8 + 1/2 + 1/24 + 1/24)x = 29x/24

Olive Oil/ total = (5x/8) /(29x/24)= 15/29

Hence A
_________________

Hit kudos if my post helps you.
You may send me a PM if you have any doubts about my solution or GMAT problems in general.

Kudos [?]: 108 [0], given: 0

Intern
Joined: 19 Jun 2012
Posts: 2

Kudos [?]: 1 [1], given: 1

Show Tags

21 Oct 2012, 18:12
1
KUDOS
Incase anyone fell into the trap I did and tried to multiply the Vinegar ratio by two...

i.e.

2/ 8 * 2 =
4/8 =
1/2

This is incorrect, this is from the MGMAT staff...

"Doubling the AMOUNT is not the same as doubling the PERCENTAGE.

Think of it this way. Let's say you're making a sandwich. You like your sandwich to be 1/2 peanut butter and 1/2 jelly. If you double the amount of peanut butter, do you have 100% peanut butter? Of course not. You just have a higher % peanut butter than before.

The easiest route for a problem such as this is to pick some real numbers from the outset. Then double the real number you've picked for the AMOUNT of vinegar, and reinsert that into the total to see what new fraction results.
"

Kudos [?]: 1 [1], given: 1

Intern
Joined: 08 Mar 2013
Posts: 2

Kudos [?]: 2 [2], given: 0

Re: Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the [#permalink]

Show Tags

24 Mar 2013, 22:23
2
KUDOS
Finally .......guys if you are getting an answer of 5/12, i can help you explain why it is incorrect.

We all know:

Olive Oil-5/8
Vinegar-1/4
Salt-1/24
Pepper-1/24
Sugar-1/24

Now changes done:
Vinegar-2/4=1/2
Sugar-0

Changes not done:
Olive Oil-5/8; it is remaining same, as Manuel is not changing its quantity.
Salt-1/24
Pepper-1/24

Therefore the new quantity becomes = 1/2+0+5/8+1/24+1/24=29/24

Now the question : olive oil is what fraction of new mixture 29/24
i.e. 5/8=x.29/24; calculate x=15/29.

Vola!!!!
Hope that helps.
Please guide in case i m wrong

Kudos [?]: 2 [2], given: 0

Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 42249

Kudos [?]: 132643 [0], given: 12326

Re: Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the [#permalink]

Show Tags

13 Jun 2013, 03:09
Bumping for review and further discussion*. Get a kudos point for an alternative solution!

*New project from GMAT Club!!! Check HERE

All DS Mixture Problems to practice: search.php?search_id=tag&tag_id=43
All PS Mixture Problems to practice: search.php?search_id=tag&tag_id=114

_________________

Kudos [?]: 132643 [0], given: 12326

Intern
Joined: 29 May 2013
Posts: 7

Kudos [?]: 1 [0], given: 3

Re: Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the [#permalink]

Show Tags

30 Jun 2013, 07:39
Olive Oil=5/8
Vinger=1/4
Salt , Pepper , sugar together = 1- (5/8+1/4)=1/8
Salt, pepper, sugar each (evenly) =1/8 divided by 3=1/24 each.

Let total solution be 120. ( take a smart number, multiple of 4,8,24, 32)

Original Solution
Olive oil =5/8*120=75
Vinegar =1/4*120=30
Salt, pepper, sugar each=1/24*120=5 each
Total -75+30+15=120

New mixture
Olive Oil=75
vinegar=60 ( double)
Salt Pepper sugar=15-5=10 ( no sugar)

Total=75+60+10=145

NEW Olive oil/ NEW total=75/145=15/29

Thanks.

Kudos [?]: 1 [0], given: 3

Intern
Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 12

Kudos [?]: [0], given: 8

Re: Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the [#permalink]

Show Tags

17 Sep 2014, 02:36
Bunuel wrote:
Hi guys, can you have a go at this question? I'm not getting the one of the available answers.

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

a) 15/29
b) 5/8
c) 5/16
d) 1/2
e) 13/27

Olive oil = 5/8 = 15/24 --> 15 parts out of 24;
Vinegar = 1/4 = 6/24 --> 6 parts out of 24;
Salt + pepper + sugar = 1-(15/24+6/24)= 3/24, so each = 1/24 --> 1 part out of 24 each;

If vinegar = 12 (instead of 6) and sugar = 0 (instead of 1) then total = 15+12+1+1+0 = 29 parts out of which 15 parts are olive oil --> proportion = 15/29.

P.S. Took 24 as common denominator so that share of each ingredient to be integer.

Similar questions to practice:
m07-72458.html
malik-s-recipe-for-4-servings-of-a-certain-dish-requires-123239.html
a-recipe-requires-2-1-2-cups-of-flour-2-3-4-cups-of-sugar-152952.html
what-is-the-ratio-of-the-number-of-cups-of-flour-to-the-72081.html
papayaya-a-popular-soft-drink-contains-only-four-ingredien-135672.html
a-dessert-recipe-calls-for-50-melted-chocolate-and-50-rasp-158248.html
john-needs-to-mix-a-solution-in-the-following-ratio-1-part-144937.html

Hope this helps.

Hi Bunuel,

I still dint get it.

5/8-Oil
1/4-Vinegar
Sugar,Salt and Peppar- 1-7/8(total of oil +vinegar)= 1/8 now this is evenly divided so 1/24 is each.

New formation
Vinegar- 2*1/4=1/2
Sugar is not there so 1/24 each of salt and peppar= 1/24+1/24=2/24=1/12
So now Oil will be according to me 1-(1/12+1/2)= 1-7/12=5/12

Please tell me where am i going wrong.. Thanks

Kudos [?]: [0], given: 8

Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 42249

Kudos [?]: 132643 [0], given: 12326

Show Tags

17 Sep 2014, 05:49
snehamd1309 wrote:
Bunuel wrote:
Hi guys, can you have a go at this question? I'm not getting the one of the available answers.

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

a) 15/29
b) 5/8
c) 5/16
d) 1/2
e) 13/27

Olive oil = 5/8 = 15/24 --> 15 parts out of 24;
Vinegar = 1/4 = 6/24 --> 6 parts out of 24;
Salt + pepper + sugar = 1-(15/24+6/24)= 3/24, so each = 1/24 --> 1 part out of 24 each;

If vinegar = 12 (instead of 6) and sugar = 0 (instead of 1) then total = 15+12+1+1+0 = 29 parts out of which 15 parts are olive oil --> proportion = 15/29.

P.S. Took 24 as common denominator so that share of each ingredient to be integer.

Similar questions to practice:
m07-72458.html
malik-s-recipe-for-4-servings-of-a-certain-dish-requires-123239.html
a-recipe-requires-2-1-2-cups-of-flour-2-3-4-cups-of-sugar-152952.html
what-is-the-ratio-of-the-number-of-cups-of-flour-to-the-72081.html
papayaya-a-popular-soft-drink-contains-only-four-ingredien-135672.html
a-dessert-recipe-calls-for-50-melted-chocolate-and-50-rasp-158248.html
john-needs-to-mix-a-solution-in-the-following-ratio-1-part-144937.html

Hope this helps.

Hi Bunuel,

I still dint get it.

5/8-Oil
1/4-Vinegar
Sugar,Salt and Peppar- 1-7/8(total of oil +vinegar)= 1/8 now this is evenly divided so 1/24 is each.

New formation
Vinegar- 2*1/4=1/2
Sugar is not there so 1/24 each of salt and peppar= 1/24+1/24=2/24=1/12
So now Oil will be according to me 1-(1/12+1/2)= 1-7/12=5/12

Please tell me where am i going wrong.. Thanks

WHY are you saying that oil will be 1-(1/12+1/2)??? With this logic why is not salt 1-(1/24+5/8+1/2)???

Consider this: to make a salad dressing we need 15 grams of oil, 6 grams of vinegar, 1 gram of salt, 1 gram of pepper and 1 gram of sugar.

Vinegar is doubled and sugar is omitted, so we have 15 grams of oil, 6*2=12 grams of vinegar, 1 gram of salt, and 1 gram of pepper --> oil/total = 15/(15+12+1+1) = 15/29.

Hope it's clear.
_________________

Kudos [?]: 132643 [0], given: 12326

Intern
Joined: 21 Apr 2014
Posts: 40

Kudos [?]: 27 [1], given: 0

Re: Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the [#permalink]

Show Tags

13 Nov 2014, 16:06
1
KUDOS
Let's start by looking at the recipe it calls for 5/8 olive oil and 1/4 (2/8) vinegar, with the remaining 1/8 split evenly between salt pepper and sugar. which means 1/24 is salt, 1/24 is sugar and 1/24 is pepper.

So if we put it all together, it is 15 parts olive oil, 6 parts vinegar, 1 part salt, 1 part sugar and 1 part pepper as a total recipe

If we double the vinegar and forget the sugar we get 12 parts vinegar, 15 parts olive oil, 1 part salt and 1 part pepper and 0 parts sugar

so the total for the olive oil is 15/(12+15+1+1) or 15/29 (A)
_________________

Eliza
GMAT Tutor
bestgmatprepcourse.com

Kudos [?]: 27 [1], given: 0

Director
Joined: 17 Dec 2012
Posts: 623

Kudos [?]: 534 [0], given: 16

Location: India

Show Tags

10 Jun 2017, 19:38
Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the number of servings, the recipe requires that 5/8 of the finished dressing mix be olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, and the remainder an even mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. If Miguel accidentally doubles the vinegar and forgets the sugar altogether, what proportion of the botched dressing will be olive oil?

A. 15/29
B. 5/8
C. 5/16
D. 1/2
E. 13/27

1. The proportion is 5/8 olive oil, 1/4 vinegar, 1/24 salt, 1/24 pepper and 1/24 sugar
2. Let there be 24 units of the mixture. That would mean 15 units olive oil, 6 units vinegar 1 unit each of salt, sugar and pepper.
3. Doubling the vinegar and forgetting sugar would give 15 units olive oil, 12 units vinegar, 1 unit each of pepper and salt.
4. In the botched up dressing proportion of olive oil is 15/29
_________________

Srinivasan Vaidyaraman
Sravna
http://www.sravnatestprep.com/regularcourse.php

Standardized Approaches

Kudos [?]: 534 [0], given: 16

Miguel is mixing up a salad dressing. Regardless of the   [#permalink] 10 Jun 2017, 19:38
Display posts from previous: Sort by