{"id":4436,"date":"2014-09-18T09:33:19","date_gmt":"2014-09-18T16:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/?p=4436"},"modified":"2014-09-18T09:44:48","modified_gmt":"2014-09-18T16:44:48","slug":"solution-to-warm-up-question-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-gmat.com\/blogs\/solution-to-warm-up-question-2\/","title":{"rendered":"SOLUTION TO WARM UP QUESTION 2"},"content":{"rendered":"A <\/span> 4<\/span> min read <\/span><\/span>

Want to test your grasp over GMAT Number Properties? Try this 700 level question!<\/p>\n

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Question<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

If P and Q are positive integers and P = 3 + 2Q, find the GCD of P and Q.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0 P = 3x, where x is a positive integer<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0 Q = 3y, where y is a positive integer<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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  1. Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked.<\/li>\n
  2. Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked.<\/li>\n
  3. BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked.<\/li>\n
  4. EACH statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked.<\/li>\n
  5. Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data specific to the problem are needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

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    Correct Answer: D<\/h1>\n

     <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Solution<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

    Did you get this question right? Good Job! You did better than most GMAT aspirants! And, if you didn\u2019t, then read on to figure where you went wrong.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    You should solve any<\/span> <\/strong>Data Sufficiency question using the 5- Step Process we delineate below. That ways, you\u2019ll never make any of the common mistakes that students commit while solving DS questions.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Steps 1 and 2: Understand the question and draw inferences<\/h2>\n

    The question statement tells us the following pieces of information:<\/p>\n

    (i)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Both P and Q are positive integers<\/p>\n

    (ii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 P = 2Q + 3<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    So, this means that:<\/p>\n

    (i)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 P is always odd (P is the sum of an odd and an even number)<\/p>\n

    (ii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 P is always greater than Q<\/p>\n

    (iii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We can also write Q = (P \u2013 3)\/2<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    We need to find the GCD of P and Q.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Step 3: Analyse Statement 1 independently<\/h2>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Statement 1 tells us that:<\/p>\n

    P = 3x, where x is a positive integer<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    This means<\/p>\n

    2Q + 3 = 3x<\/p>\n