The New Harmonia Orchestra has been invited to perform for two days at

Question

The New Harmonia Orchestra has been invited to perform for two days at the Brighton Festival. According to the requirements of the festival, there must be four pieces in the program for each day, and the program for each day must be completely different: no one piece can be performed both days. Furthermore, each day must include at least one concerto, no more than one chamber music piece, and no more than one piece for strings only. Finally, the program for each day should represent at least three of the following four periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern. Here are the tentative programs, with three pieces assigned to each day so far. This tentative program has already been approved by the Brighton Festival, so this will not change. https://gmatclub.com/forum/download/file.php?id=88838 The following shows other pieces in the New Harmonia Orchestra's repertoire, which they could add to one of the concerts. According to the restraints of the Brighton Festival, which piece could be added to either day? Which piece could be added to neither day? GMAT-Club-Forum-s505c3h9.png

sarkarsarbani · Answer

What does 'all instruments mean"

egmat · Answer

Hi sarkarsarbani,

Good question, because this label only matters because of one specific rule in the prompt.

Look at the festival's instrument rule:  "no more than one piece for strings only."  That's the only constraint about what instruments a piece uses. So every piece in the table is tagged in one of just two ways on that line:

-  strings only  - the piece is written for string instruments alone (like the Tchaikovsky  Serenade for Strings ).
-  all instruments  - the piece uses the full orchestra/ensemble, not just strings.

So  "all instruments" simply means "not a strings-only piece."  It's the opposite category. It is  not  a special requirement you have to satisfy - it's just telling you that piece doesn't count toward the strings-only limit.

Why this matters for the question:  Day Two already has Tchaikovsky, which is  strings only . Since the festival allows  at most one  strings-only piece per day, Day Two is maxed out on that category. That's exactly why  Mendelssohn  (also  strings only ) can't go on Day Two - it would make  two . An "all instruments" piece like Stravinsky has no such problem, because it isn't strings only at all.

So when you scan the candidates, read that third line as a simple yes/no:  is this a strings-only piece?  If yes, watch the strings-only limit; if it says  all instruments , that rule is never in danger.

Answer: Column 1 = Stravinsky Firebird Suite; Column 2 = Mendelssohn String Symphony #6

MarkGMATMentor · Answer

In rules-based questions, it's most efficient to make deductions from the rules  before  you dive into the answer choices.

Make sure also to understand the question: it's asking which piece can be added to either day, and which can be added to neither.

Some initial requirements are listed: there must be four pieces in the program for each day, and the program for each day must be completely different. These aren't "rules" per se; they just set the parameters of the question.

The actual rules follow. Let's measure each of them against the existing program to see what we can deduce:

1. Each day must include at least one concerto.

Both days already have a concerto, so we don't need to think about this rule further.

2. Each day must have no more than one chamber piece.

Day 1 already has a chamber piece, so it can have  no more chamber pieces .

3. Each day must have no more than one piece for strings only.

Day 2 already has a strings-only piece, so it can have  no more strings only .

4. Each day should represent at least three of the following four periods:  Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern.

Day 1 has only Baroque and Romantic, so it  needs Classical or Modern.  Day 2 already satisfies the requirement.

You should organize your deductions in a simple table:

Day 1   
   Day 2   
 
   no more chamber  
  no more strings only  
 
   need Classical or Modern

Now you can go through the answer choices and compare to the table:

Mendelssohn: Romantic, so it can't be added to Day 1. Strings only, so it can't be added to Day 2.  This is correct for the second column.

Schumann: Romantic, so Day 1 is out. All instruments, so it can be added to Day 2.

Shostakovitch: Chamber music, so Day 1 is out. All instruments, so Day 2 works.

Stravinsky: Modern and orchestral, so Day 1 works. All instruments, so Day 2 works.  This is correct for the first column.

Vivaldi: Baroque, so Day 1 is out. All instruments, so Day 2 works.

You can solve rules-based questions efficiently by understanding the question and making deductions from the rules up front. Only then should you go through the answer choices.

Can be added to either day of the program	Cannot be added to either day of the program
		Mendelssohn String Symphony #6 = orchestral = Romantic = strings only
		Schumann Piano Concerto = concerto = Romantic = all instruments
		Shostakovich Piano Trio in E minor = chamber music = Modern = all instruments
		Stravinsky Firebird Suite = orchestral = Modern = all instruments
		Vivaldi Spring, from the Four Seasons = concerto = Baroque = all instruments

The New Harmonia Orchestra has been invited to perform for two days at

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Day 1	Day 2
no more chamber	no more strings only
need Classical or Modern

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