Was the number of Gold subscribers at a streaming service at the end

Question

Was the number of Gold subscribers at a streaming service at the end of 2025 greater than it was at the end of 2024?

(1) At the end of 2025, the service had more Gold subscribers per Silver subscriber than it had at the end of 2024.

(2) At the end of 2025, the service had at least as many Gold subscribers as it had at the end of 2024.

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

GMAT Club Official Solution:

Was the number of Gold subscribers at a streaming service at the end of 2025 greater than it was at the end of 2024?

(1) At the end of 2025, the service had more Gold subscribers per Silver subscriber than it had at the end of 2024.

This implies that the Gold to Silver ratio increased in 2025 compared with 2024. The Gold to Silver ratio can increase if the number of Gold subscribers increases, but it can also increase if the number of Silver subscribers decreases. So (1) alone does not tell us whether Gold increased. Not sufficient.

(2) At the end of 2025, the service had at least as many Gold subscribers as it had at the end of 2024.

“At least as many Gold subscribers” means Gold did not go down. Gold could have stayed the same or could have increased. So (2) alone does not tell us whether Gold increased. Not sufficient.

(1)+(2) Both statements can be true if Gold stays the same while Silver drops, and they can also be true if Gold increases and Silver drops. Thus, the number of Gold subscribers could have stayed the same or increased. Not sufficient.

Answer: E.

Adit_ · Answer

Great trap question.
Statement 1:
Hmm gold and silver relation of two diff years. No specificity.
INSUFFICIENT.

Statement:
This is interesting.
It says atleast as many subscribers of gold as 2024.
It means it could be equal OR MORE.
Again we dont know if its equal or more.
INSUFFICIENT.

Combining the two:
Like mentioned no other mention of silver and silver can act completely independent of any gold subscribers we dont know.
And adding the two adds nothing basically.
INSUFFICIENT.

Answer:  Option E

Edskore · Answer

Key Concept Being Tested: Data Sufficiency with ratios vs. absolute values — one of the most frequently tested traps on the GMAT Focus Edition.

Common Trap: Statement 2 says "at least as many Gold subscribers" — students read this as "Gold went up or stayed the same," so they think it answers YES (Gold increased). But "at least as many" includes the equal case, which means Gold might not have increased at all. And Statement 1 is a ratio trap — more Gold per Silver doesn't tell you anything about the absolute count of Gold subscribers.

Step 1 — Understand the question.
We need to know definitively: Was Gold_2025 > Gold_2024? A YES answer requires Gold_2025 to be strictly greater.

Step 2 — Test Statement 1 alone.
"More Gold subscribers per Silver subscriber in 2025 than 2024."
This is a ratio — Gold/Silver went up. But ratios can increase even when numerators shrink. Example: In 2024 Gold = 100, Silver = 200 (ratio 0.5). In 2025 Gold = 60, Silver = 80 (ratio 0.75 — ratio up, but Gold fell). So the answer could be YES or NO. Statement 1 alone: INSUFFICIENT.

Step 3 — Test Statement 2 alone.
"Gold_2025 ≥ Gold_2024."
If Gold_2025 = Gold_2024, the answer is NO (not greater). If Gold_2025 > Gold_2024, the answer is YES. Both cases satisfy the statement, so we can't determine which applies. Statement 2 alone: INSUFFICIENT.

Step 4 — Test both together.
S2 tells us Gold_2025 ≥ Gold_2024 (equal or more). S1 tells us the ratio Gold/Silver rose. Can Gold stay equal while S1 holds? Yes — if Silver dropped, Gold/Silver rises even with Gold unchanged, satisfying S1. In that case, the answer is NO. But if Silver stayed the same and Gold rose, both statements hold and the answer is YES. Still two possible outcomes. Both together: INSUFFICIENT.

Answer: E

Takeaway: Whenever a DS statement gives you a ratio or a "per unit" comparison, always test whether the numerator could have moved in the opposite direction from the ratio — this is the classic absolute-vs-ratio trap that shows up constantly in Data Sufficiency.

Was the number of Gold subscribers at a streaming service at the end

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