All GMAT Math Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #35 : Dsq: Calculating Discrete Probability
A bag contains red, yellow and green marbles. There are marbles total.
I) There are green marbles.
II) The number of yellow marbles is half of one less than the number of green marbles.
What are the odds of picking a red followed by a green followed by a yellow? Assume no replacement.
Both statements are needed to answer the question.
Statement II is sufficient to answer the question, but statement I is not sufficient to answer the question.
Neither statement is sufficient to answer the question. More information is needed.
Statement I is sufficient to answer the question, but statement II is not sufficient to answer the question.
Either statement is sufficient to answer the question.
Both statements are needed to answer the question.
In order to calculate the probability the question asks for, we need to know the number of each color of marble.
I) Gives us the number of greens.
II) Gives us clues which will allow us to find the number of reds and yellows.
We need both statements to answer this question.
Example Question #36 : Dsq: Calculating Discrete Probability
In a standard deck of cards (4 suits, 13 cards of each suit) 3 cards have been removed. What are the odds of choosing one red card followed by 2 black cards? Assume replacement.
I) Two of the cards that were removed were black.
II) One of the removed cards was red.
Statement II is sufficient to answer the question, but statement I is not sufficient to answer the question.
Statement I is sufficient to answer the question, but statement II is not sufficient to answer the question.
Both statements are needed to answer the question.
Neither statement is sufficient to answer the question. More information is needed.
Either statement is sufficient to answer the question.
Either statement is sufficient to answer the question.
To find the desired probability we need to know which color cards were removed.
I) Tells us the number of black cards removed.
II) Tells us the number of red cards removed.
At first glance, we need both statements, but if we think for a minute, if we know the total number of cards removed and the number of one color removed, we can find the number of the color... So either statement works.
Example Question #41 : Discrete Probability
Holly took nine cards out of a standard 52-card deck. Did she take out more red cards than black, or vice versa?
Statement 1: Holly ran 100 experiments using the modified deck, each involving a shuffle and a draw; she drew a red card 45 times.
Statement 2: Susan ran 100 experiments using the modified deck, each involving a shuffle and a draw; she drew a red card 44 times.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
The statements together do not provide a definitive answer. The question addresses theoretical probability, but the two statements together provide empirical results. While the two experiments strongly suggest that Holly removed mostly red cards, it is entirely possible for these results to happen with an evenly distributed deck, or even one which has all of its red cards left.
Example Question #91 : Arithmetic
Julie altered a coin. Did the probability of a toss of the coin coming up heads increase or decrease?
Statement 1: The probability that, if the coin is tossed five times, all five tosses will result in heads increased.
Statement 2: The probability that, if the coin is tossed five times, all five tosses will result in tails decreased.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
The probability of a single toss of a fair coin coming up heads (or tails) is ; the probability of five such outcomes in a row is .
Assume Statement 1 alone. Let be the probability that a single toss of the coin will come up heads. The probability of five such outcomes in a row will be , which is greater than by Statement 1. Therefore,
,
The probability of one toss of the coin coming up heads increased.
If Statement 2 alone is assumed, a similar argument shows that the probability of one toss of the coin coming up tails decreased - which, of course, is the equivalent outcome.
Example Question #91 : Arithmetic
Nelson altered a six-sided die. Did the probability that it would come up a 6 increase, decrease, or stay the same?
Statement 1: The probability that the altered die will come up an odd number is .
Statement 2: The probability that the altered die will come up a "2" or a "4" is .
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 alone only gives the probability that any of three rolls, "1", "3", or "5", comes up, but it does not give us the probability of a "2" or a "4". The reverse holds for Statement 2. Neither alone gives us the complete picture.
From the two statements together, it can be deduced that the probability of the die not coming up a "6" is the sum , so the probability of the die coming up a "6" is . Since the probability of the die coming up "6" was before it was altered, the alteration increased this probability.
Example Question #93 : Arithmetic
Note: Figure NOT drawn to scale.
The prism in the above figure is a cube. Give the surface area of the tetrahedron with vertices , shown in red.
Statement 1: The cube has surface area 150.
Statement 2: The cube has volume 125.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
From either statement, the length of one edge of a cube can be determined:
If the surface area is 150, then
If the volume is 125, then
Either way, since the length of each edge is known to be 5, the area of each of , , and can be calculated by multiplying one half by the product of the legs - that is, one half by the square of 5.
Also, since the three triangles are all right triangles with the same leg lengths, by the Side-Angle-Side Theorem, they are congruent, and their diagonals are as well - this makes equilateral. Also, since each triangle is a right isosceles triangle, by the 45-45-90 Theorem, each hypotenuse can be calculated by multiplying 5 by . Therefore, the sidelength of can be calculated, and its area can be determined.
Therefore, each statement alone is enough to yield the area of each face - and the total surface area.
Example Question #3184 : Gmat Quantitative Reasoning
A box contains both red and white marbles. More red and white marbles are put in. Did the probability that a randomly drawn marble is red increase, decrease, or stay the same?
Statement 1: The box originally had an equal number of red and white marbles.
Statement 2: Half the marbles added were white.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
From Statement 1 alone, the probability of drawing a red number from the box before the addition of more marbles can be calculated - it is - but no clue as to the number of red or white marbles in the box after the addition is provided. Statement 2 alone gives no clue about the numbers of marbles before or after the addition.
The two statements together provide sufficient information. If half the marbles in the box before the addition are red, as given in Statement 1, and half the marbles added are red - half the marbles are white, from Statement 2, and no other colors were added - then half the marbles in the box after the addition are red, and the probability remains .
Example Question #94 : Arithmetic
Andrea altered a six-sided die. Did the probability that it would come up an odd number increase, decrease, or stay the same?
Statement 1: The probability of a roll of the die coming up a "2" or "4" increased.
Statement 2: The probability of a roll of the die coming up a "4" or a "6" increased.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
We show that the two statements together provide insufficient information by looking at two scenarios.
Case 1: Andrea's alterations increased the probability of each individual even outcome.
As a result of this, the total probability of any even outcome happening must increase, so that of an odd outcome must decrease.
Case 2: Andrea's alterations make the probabilities of the even outcomes as follows:
In an unaltered die, the probability of a roll resulting in a "2" or a "4" is . In this scenario, Andrea's alteration results in the probability if this event being
.
This scenario satisfies the conditions of Statement 1. By a similar argument, it satisfies the conditions of Statement 2 also.
The probability that the roll will come up even is the sum of these probabilities:
The total probability of any even outcome happening must decrease, so that of an odd outcome must increase.
Example Question #95 : Arithmetic
Violet altered a six-sided die. Did the probability that it would come up a "6" increase, decrease, or stay the same?
Statement 1: If this altered die and a fair die are rolled, the probability of a sum of "12" coming up is .
Statement 2: If this altered die and a fair die are rolled, the probability of a sum of "11" coming up is .
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
Let and the probabilities of rolling a "5" or a "6", respectively, on the altered die.
Assume Statement 1 alone. There is only one way to roll a die so that its sum comes up a "12" - a double "6". Since the probability of rolling a "6" on the fair die is , by the multiplication principle, the probability of rolling a double six with the fair die and the die that Violet altered is . Since this is equal to , we solve for :
This is the probability of an unaltered die coming up a "6", so Violet's alterations did not affect the probability of a "6" coming up.
Assume Statement 2 alone. The only way to roll an "11" with two dice is to roll a "5" and a "6" - however, either number can be rolled on the altered die. The probability that a "5" is rolled in the altered die and a "6" is rolled on the fair die is ; the probability of the reverse outcome is . The total probability of rolling an "11" is , so the equation is
and
Since the probability of rolling either a "5" or a "6" on a fair die is , this probability has decreased, but without further information, we cannot determine which probability has decreased - that of rolling a "5", a "6", or both.
Example Question #96 : Arithmetic
A box contains both green and blue marbles. More green and blue marbles are put in. Did the probability that a randomly drawn marble is green increase, decrease, or stay the same?
Statement 1: After the marbles were added, there were twice as many blue marbles as green.
Statement 2: Six of the marbles added were green.
Statement 1 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 2 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
Statement 2 ALONE is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 ALONE is NOT sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
EITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are insufficient to answer the question.
Assume both statements are true. Let and be the number of green and total marbles added, and and be the number of green and total marbles in the box after the addition.
From Statement 1, there were twice as many blue marbles as green after the addition, so green marbles comprised one-third of the marbles; therefore, the probability of drawing a green marble after the addition was .
The probability of drawing a green marble from the box before the addition is
.
From Statement 1, , and from Statement 2, , so the probability of drawing a green marble before the addition was
.
However, since no clue is given as to how many blue marbles were added - that is, the value of - it cannot be determined whether this is greater than, equal to, or less than . Consequently, whether the addition of the marbles increased, decreased, or left unchanged the probability of drawing a green one cannot be determined.