Given Information:
Over two consecutive days, items were sold and shipped on the same day.
Clearance items were shipped with standard shipping only.
Rush shipping was used only for non-clearance items.
Question:
Did Cory purchase his item on the first day?
Statement (1):
Standard shipping was the only method of shipping used for items purchased on the first day.
Analysis:
If standard shipping was the only method used on the first day, it implies:
All items sold on the first day could be either clearance or non-clearance but were shipped only with standard shipping.
However, this does not give us any information about whether Cory purchased his item on the first day or the second day. We do not know the type of item (clearance or non-clearance) Cory purchased or whether it was shipped with standard or rush shipping.
Statement (1) is insufficient.
Statement (2):
The item Cory purchased was a clearance item.
Analysis:
If Cory’s item was a clearance item, it must have been shipped with standard shipping (per the given information). However, this does not tell us whether the item was purchased on the first day or the second day, as both days could have involved standard shipping.
Statement (2) is insufficient.
Combining Statements (1) and (2):
From Statement (1), we know that only standard shipping was used on the first day.
From Statement (2), we know Cory’s item was a clearance item, which means it was shipped with standard shipping.
If Cory’s item was shipped with standard shipping, it could have been purchased on either day, as standard shipping applies to clearance items on both days. There is no additional information linking Cory’s purchase specifically to the first day.
Even together, the statements are insufficient.
Final Answer:
The statements together are not sufficient to answer the question.
Answer: E.