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mehtaro
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Bunuel
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Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
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Does anyone have advice on how to tackle these problems faster? I always end up resorting to plugging in numbers and various conditions and even though that helps me ensure more accuracy, it usually takes me about 3 min. per such problem (inequalities with only variables).
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x>y and Is zx>yx? Y/N question

The question: Is z>x and x,y,z>0?

St.1 z>0. INSUFF (we do not know whether x,y>0)
St.2 y<0. INSUFF (we do not need other variables because if one is negative we cannot answer definitely)
St.1+St.2. Still y<0, so INSUFF

E
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just to make sure i understood it:
zx > yx --> we cannot simplify to z > y because we don't know if x is positive or negative, right?
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nicksson
just to make sure i understood it:
zx > yx --> we cannot simplify to z > y because we don't know if x is positive or negative, right?

Yes exactly. In inequalities be very careful with cancelling variables without knowing for sure what signs are they.

In the current question, zx>xy --> x(z-y)>0

After combining the 2 statements, you do know that -y>0 and z>0 ---> z-y>0 but without knowing the sign of 'x', you will not be able to answer yes or no for the question asked.

Hope this helps.
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Use to your advantage that the equation changes depending on the sign of x; that tells you: You must know the sign of x, otherwise you cannot answer the question.
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