Greg buys bananas and apples for a total price of $2.45. How many poun

Question

Greg buys bananas and apples for a total price of $2.45. How many pounds of fruit did Greg buy?

(1) The price of each pound of bananas is $0.49

(2) The price of each pound of apples is $0.98

chetan2u · Answer

value of both things given, so statement combined can be sufficient

But when you look at the similar type of values, look for a trap..
 combined..
 0.49b+0.98a = 2.45....................
0.49b+2*0.49a = 5*0.49....................
b+2a=5 
two possiblities
b=3,a=1
b=1, a=2

insuff

E

exc4libur · Answer

(1) b = 49 $/lbs: not suf.
(2) a = 98 $/lbs: not suf.
(3) total price is 245 cents which can be   1 pound of banana + 2 pounds of apples = 49 + 2*98 = 245 cents. Or,   3 pounds of bananas + 1 pound of apples = 3*49 + 98 = 245 cents; We have two solutions   3 pounds of fruit and   4 pounds of fruit. not suf.
(E) is the answer.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

We can let b = the number of pounds of bananas he bought and a = the number of pounds of apples he bought, and we know the total spent is $2.45.

Statement One Alone:

The price of each pound of bananas is $0.49.

Since we do not know anything about the price of apples, statement one alone is not sufficient to answer the question.

Statement Two Alone:

The price of each pound of apples is $0.98.

Since we do not know anything about the price of bananas, statement two alone is not sufficient to answer the question.

Statements One and Two Together:

Using statements one and two, we can create the equation:

0.49b + 0.98a = 2.45

49b + 98a = 245

49(b + 2a) = 245

b + 2a = 5

Since we cannot determine a unique value of a or b (for example, a could be 2 and b could be 1 OR a could be 1 and b could be 3), the statements together are not sufficient.

Answer: E

MathRevolution · Answer

Forget conventional ways of solving math questions. For DS problems, the VA (Variable Approach) method is the quickest and easiest way to find the answer without actually solving the problem. Remember that equal numbers of variables and independent equations ensure a solution.

Since we have 2 variables and 0 equations,C is most likely to be the answer. So, we should consider 1) & 2) first, since we can save time by first checking whether conditions 1) and 2) are sufficient, when taken together.

Let  a  and  b  be the numbers of apples and bananas Greg bought.

0.98 a + 0.49 b = 2.45 
 98 a + 49 b = 245 
 2 a + b = 5

Since we have two solutions  a = 1, b = 4  or  a = 2, b = 1 , both conditions together are not sufficient.

Therefore, the answer is E.

Normally, in problems which require 2 equations, such as those in which the original conditions include 2 variables, or 3 variables and 1 equation, or 4 variables and 2 equations, each of conditions 1) and 2) provide an additional equation. In these problems, the two key possibilities are that C is the answer (with probability 70%), and E is the answer (with probability 25%). Thus, there is only a 5% chance that A, B or D is the answer. This occurs in common mistake types 3 and 4. Since C (both conditions together are sufficient) is the most likely answer, we save time by first checking whether conditions 1) and 2) are sufficient, when taken together. Obviously, there may be cases in which the answer is A, B, D or E, but if conditions 1) and 2) are NOT sufficient when taken together, the answer must be E.

MBAB123 · Answer

Hey  ScottTargetTestPrep   chetan2u   MathRevolution   Bunuel , for this particular question we don't really need to check for a and b to be integers right. As pounds is a unit of weight, it might very well be in decimals.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Response:

In this question, a and b need not be integers, so if you found examples satisfying both statements where a and b were decimals or fractions, that is fine. If the question wanted us to only consider integer values of a and b, the question would read “If the weight (in pounds) of each kind of fruit purchased by Greg was an integer, how many pounds of fruit did Greg buy?”.

bumpbot · Answer

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Greg buys bananas and apples for a total price of $2.45. How many poun

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