It is currently 14 Sep 2026, 16:20
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
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
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
Asifpirlo
avatar
Joined: 10 Jul 2013
Last visit: 26 Jan 2014
Posts: 219
Posts: 219
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
 Updated on: 25 Aug 2013, 04:48
Originally posted by Asifpirlo on 24 Aug 2013, 14:43.
Last edited by Bunuel on 25 Aug 2013, 04:48, edited 1 time in total.
Edited the question.
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
Official Answer and Stats are available only to registered users. Register/Login.
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

25% (medium)

Question Stats:

75% (01:35) correct 25% (02:01) wrong based on 362 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Attachment:
manager.png
manager.png [ 17.04 KiB | Viewed 7431 times ]
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
Official Answer and Stats are available only to registered users. Register/Login.
Kudos
Add Kudos
7
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 14 Sep 2026
Posts: 113,508
Products:
GMAT Club Tests
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 113,508
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
25 Aug 2013, 04:50
Asifpirlo


The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35
Show more

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 28.

Answer: D.

_________________
New to the GMAT Club?
Signature Read More
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
Asifpirlo
avatar
Joined: 10 Jul 2013
Last visit: 26 Jan 2014
Posts: 219
Posts: 219
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
25 Aug 2013, 16:25
Bunuel
Asifpirlo
Attachment:
manager.png
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 28.

Answer: D.
Show more

now got it.
different one.
need to check the answers just...
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
chanakya84
User avatar
Joined: 08 Sep 2010
Last visit: 08 Feb 2026
Posts: 44
GMAT 1: 630 Q46 V30
Posts: 44
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
17 Apr 2014, 09:17
Bunuel
Asifpirlo
Attachment:
manager.png
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 28.

Answer: D.
Show more

@bunuel - Can you please explain the above logic?

Thanks.
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
KarishmaB
User avatar
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Last visit: 13 Sep 2026
Posts: 16,652
Location: Pune, India
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 16,652
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
17 Apr 2014, 17:32
Asifpirlo
Attachment:
manager.png
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35
Show more

An organization built on such a pattern is shown in the diagram. Every little circle is a person. If it has only two levels, number of people in it will be 1+2.
If it has 3 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3. If it has 4 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3+4.

In the diagram, they show 5 levels so it has 1+2+3+4+5 people in it and so on...

Now either add a few more numbers:
1+2+3+4+5 = 15
15+6 = 21
21 + 7 = 28
(You got one of the numbers on the list). 28 is your answer.

Or look for the option which can be written as n(n+1)/2.
28 = 7*4.
When we multiply it by 2, we get 7*8 which is n(n+1).

Answer (D)

_________________
-
Start FREE with selected GMAT/EA Content upon registration at anaprep.com

YouTube Channel: karishma.anaprep
Signature Read More
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
chanakya84
User avatar
Joined: 08 Sep 2010
Last visit: 08 Feb 2026
Posts: 44
GMAT 1: 630 Q46 V30
Posts: 44
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
17 Apr 2014, 18:37
VeritasPrepKarishma
Asifpirlo
Attachment:
manager.png
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35

An organization built on such a pattern is shown in the diagram. Every little circle is a person. If it has only two levels, number of people in it will be 1+2.
If it has 3 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3. If it has 4 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3+4.

In the diagram, they show 5 levels so it has 1+2+3+4+5 people in it and so on...

Now either add a few more numbers:
1+2+3+4+5 = 15
15+6 = 21
21 + 7 = 28
(You got one of the numbers on the list). 28 is your answer.

Or look for the option which can be written as n(n+1)/2.
28 = 7*4.
When we multiply it by 2, we get 7*8 which is n(n+1).

Answer (D)
Show more


Thanks Karishma for the explanation. Actually I was misled by the question stem. I was trying to add one more person in each lower level (excluding the top most level person) and thus got confused.
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
AkshdeepS
User avatar
Joined: 13 Apr 2013
Last visit: 08 Aug 2026
Posts: 1,420
Status:It's near - I can see.
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, Operations
GPA: 3.01
WE:Engineering (Real Estate)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,420
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
05 Jun 2015, 06:54
VeritasPrepKarishma
Asifpirlo
Attachment:
manager.png
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35

An organization built on such a pattern is shown in the diagram. Every little circle is a person. If it has only two levels, number of people in it will be 1+2.
If it has 3 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3. If it has 4 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3+4.

In the diagram, they show 5 levels so it has 1+2+3+4+5 people in it and so on...

Now either add a few more numbers:
1+2+3+4+5 = 15
15+6 = 21
21 + 7 = 28
(You got one of the numbers on the list). 28 is your answer.

Or look for the option which can be written as n(n+1)/2.
28 = 7*4.
When we multiply it by 2, we get 7*8 which is n(n+1).

Answer (D)
Show more


Hi Karishma,

I am confused. If we have two persons in the second level and three in the next level, then one person will be left in the 3rd level. As question says each person from the higher level supervises exactly two persons of the next lower level. Can we count the single person from the third level.

_________________
"Do not watch clock; Do what it does. KEEP GOING."
Signature Read More
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
GMATinsight
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 08 Jul 2010
Last visit: 14 Sep 2026
Posts: 7,335
Status:GMAT/GRE Tutor l Admission Consultant l On-Demand Course creator
Location: India
GMAT: QUANT+DI EXPERT
Schools: IIM (A) ISB '24
GMAT 1: 750 Q51 V41
WE:Education (Education)
Products:
My Reviews
Expert
Expert reply
Schools: IIM (A) ISB '24
GMAT 1: 750 Q51 V41
Posts: 7,335
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
05 Jun 2015, 07:03
akshdeep28
Attachment:
manager.png
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35

An organization built on such a pattern is shown in the diagram. Every little circle is a person. If it has only two levels, number of people in it will be 1+2.
If it has 3 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3. If it has 4 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3+4.

In the diagram, they show 5 levels so it has 1+2+3+4+5 people in it and so on...

Now either add a few more numbers:
1+2+3+4+5 = 15
15+6 = 21
21 + 7 = 28
(You got one of the numbers on the list). 28 is your answer.

Or look for the option which can be written as n(n+1)/2.
28 = 7*4.
When we multiply it by 2, we get 7*8 which is n(n+1).

Answer (D)


Hi Karishma,

I am confused. If we have two persons in the second level and three in the next level, then one person will be left in the 3rd level. As question says each person from the higher level supervises exactly two persons of the next lower level. Can we count the single person from the third level.
Show more

Hi Akshdeep,

Since every lower level has only 1 person more than the next higher level therefore if the second level has two individual then the third level must have 3 individuals

however you need to understand that one individual can be and will be supervised by more than one supervisors in that case

so the three individuals will be supervised by two supervisors and one of the three individuals on level three will be supervised by both supervisors at just higher level. and this process will continue for the next lower levels as well.

I hope it answers your question!!!

_________________
GMATinsight (Tutor & Admission Consultant) | Contact for a FREE trial session
Our Recent scores: 735 | 715(3) | 705(2) | 695 (>5)
FREE Resources (Recommended BOOKMARKS):
8 FREE Focus Tests | Dynamic Focus Calculator | Data Insight (DI): Guide/Analysis/20+Video solution of Official Qns.
Signature Read More
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
AkshdeepS
User avatar
Joined: 13 Apr 2013
Last visit: 08 Aug 2026
Posts: 1,420
Status:It's near - I can see.
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, Operations
GPA: 3.01
WE:Engineering (Real Estate)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,420
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
05 Jun 2015, 07:11
GMATinsight
akshdeep28
Attachment:
manager.png
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organization in which each person, except those on the lowest level, supervises exactly two persons on the next lower level. If each lower level contains exactly one person more than the next higher level, which of the following could be the total number of persons in an organization built on such a pattern?

(A) 7
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 28
(E) 35

An organization built on such a pattern is shown in the diagram. Every little circle is a person. If it has only two levels, number of people in it will be 1+2.
If it has 3 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3. If it has 4 levels, number of people in it will be 1+2+3+4.

In the diagram, they show 5 levels so it has 1+2+3+4+5 people in it and so on...

Now either add a few more numbers:
1+2+3+4+5 = 15
15+6 = 21
21 + 7 = 28
(You got one of the numbers on the list). 28 is your answer.

Or look for the option which can be written as n(n+1)/2.
28 = 7*4.
When we multiply it by 2, we get 7*8 which is n(n+1).

Answer (D)


Hi Karishma,

I am confused. If we have two persons in the second level and three in the next level, then one person will be left in the 3rd level. As question says each person from the higher level supervises exactly two persons of the next lower level. Can we count the single person from the third level.

Hi Akshdeep,

Since every lower level has only 1 person more than the next higher level therefore if the second level has two individual then the third level must have 3 individuals

however you need to understand that one individual can be and will be supervised by more than one supervisors in that case

so the three individuals will be supervised by two supervisors and one of the three individuals on level three will be supervised by both supervisors at just higher level. and this process will continue for the next lower levels as well.

I hope it answers your question!!!
Show more

Yes, I got it perfectly...Thanks for the instant reply to my query...I was really confused as I was not counting the single person left in each row. Thanks.

_________________
"Do not watch clock; Do what it does. KEEP GOING."
Signature Read More
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
hdwnkr
User avatar
Joined: 17 Jun 2015
Last visit: 29 Jul 2021
Posts: 160
GMAT 1: 540 Q39 V26
GMAT 2: 680 Q50 V31
GMAT 2: 680 Q50 V31
Posts: 160
The figure above illustrates a managerial table of organizat
Post URL
10 Aug 2015, 22:46
2 approaches:

1. Just add the numbers and match the options. According to the question, the structure has 1,2,3,4,5 - these are not in option. Add 6 and you get 15, which is not in option. Add 6 and 7 and you get 28.

2. it is an AP problem. Common difference is 1. Although, not needed in this case as the numbers are small enough for calculations
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
NEW TOPIC
POST REPLY
Downloads
My Bookmarks
Reviews
Moderator:
Bunuel
Math Expert
113508 posts