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ruturaj
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Actually you can solve the problem pretty fast by using following approach:

1. one shorter inside strip with width of 20 ft takes 20/2000 = 1% of field
2. There is 2 short strips, 2 long strips (twice as long as shorts ones) and one short but wider strip that equals 30/20 = 1.5 short strips.
3. Approximately we have 2 + 2*2 + 1.5 = 7.5 short strips --> ~ 7.5% or 92.5%
4. As we didn't take into account overlaps between strips it will be slightly higher than 92.5%.

Or you can use calculations but I think it will take more time:

\(%=100%*\frac{2*(1000-2*20)*(1000-20-\frac{30}{2})}{1000*2000} = 0.9264\)

Good method ...fast and quick
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can u please explain the same with the help of diagram..
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960*965*2/(1000*2000) = 93.04%
B.
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okai .. its C

rectangle of 1000*2000

1000-2*20 = 960
(2000-2*20-30)/2 = 965
2 squares = 2*965*960/(1000*2000) = 93% approx.
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ruturaj
A farmer has a field that measures 1000 ft wide by 2000 ft long. There is an untillable strip 20 ft wide on the inside edge of the field, and a 30 ft wide untillable strip bisects the field into two squares (approximate). Approximately what percentage of the field is tillable?

A) 98%

B) 93%

C) 91%

D) 90%

E) 88%

Total Area = 1000*2000
Tillable Square's side horizontally = (2000-20-30-20)/2 = 1930/2 = 965
Tillable Square's side vertically = (1000-20-20) = 960 = 960

Consider it as 960:
\(% = \frac{2*960*960}{1000*2000}*100=\frac{2*0.96*0.96*1}{2}*100=(0.96)^2*100=92.16 \approx 93%\)

Why approximated to 93 and not 91 because we shortened one side from 965 to 960. Thus, in reality the squares are bigger.

Ans: "B"

By the way, I looked up tillable after solving.

tillable: arable, cultivable, cultivatable

Attachment:
tillable_field.PNG
tillable_field.PNG [ 5.2 KiB | Viewed 13712 times ]
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fluke
ruturaj
A farmer has a field that measures 1000 ft wide by 2000 ft long. There is an untillable strip 20 ft wide on the inside edge of the field, and a 30 ft wide untillable strip bisects the field into two squares (approximate). Approximately what percentage of the field is tillable?

A) 98%

B) 93%

C) 91%

D) 90%

E) 88%

Total Area = 1000*2000
Tillable Square's side horizontally = (2000-20-30-20)/2 = 1930/2 = 965
Tillable Square's side vertically = (1000-20-20) = 960 = 960

Consider it as 960:
\(% = \frac{2*960*960}{1000*2000}*100=\frac{2*0.96*0.96*1}{2}*100=(0.96)^2*100=92.16 \approx 93%\)

Why approximated to 93 and not 91 because we shortened one side from 965 to 960. Thus, in reality the squares are bigger.

Ans: "B"

By the way, I looked up tillable after solving.

tillable: arable, cultivable, cultivatable

Attachment:
tillable_field.PNG

this was quite smart fluke

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Guys, seriously.. If I would get this question on the actual exam I would seriously start crying or something.. Pfff it took me 30minutes to friggin understand what the question is about... Sigh..
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i just summed the differences:

20*1000+20*1980+20*980+20*1960 will be the frame. the bisector will be 30* 960 (which can be considered as 20*960 for approximation, remembering that the rounding can cost only 1/2 %)

20*(1980+1960+1000+980+2*960)/2000*1000=the rest is simple and got 7%(+-)which must be substracted from 100

must admit it took me 2 minutes+ to solve
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Shalom!
Please tell me that this type of question is not in the 600 to 700 level question range on the GMAT.
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Lol, I was REALLY thinking the same thing! I'm afraid it is :(
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Shalom!
I have a question. If I can expect to see this type of question in the 600 to 700 range then how do I prepare to calculate the answer without the use of a calculator?
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­I had a slightly different approach to this question which helped me solve it in less than 1min.
So the question clearly says "bisects the field into two squares (approximate)". So we can skip calculating the length.

Width = 1000-20-20 = 960

Area of half tillable field (which is a square) = 960*960
Area of whole tillable field (2 squares) = 960*960*2

Percentage of tillable field = [(960*960*2)/(1000*2000)] * 100 = 92.16 = 93 percent (approx)

Hence the answer is B.
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GudduMishra
­I had a slightly different approach to this question which helped me solve it in less than 1min.
So the question clearly says "bisects the field into two squares (approximate)". So we can skip calculating the length.

Width = 1000-20-20 = 960

Area of half tillable field (which is a square) = 960*960
Area of whole tillable field (2 squares) = 960*960*2

Percentage of tillable field = [(960*960*2)/(1000*2000)] * 100 = 92.16 = 93 percent (approx)

Hence the answer is B.

this is just perfect! An ideal way to look at the problem statement.
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