Rita's monthly salary is 2/3 Juanita's monthly salary. What is their combined monthly salary?
(1) Rita's monthly salary is $ 4,000.
(2) Either Rita's monthly salary or Juanita's monthly salary is $ 6,000.
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Easy one. (1) gives Rita's salary directly, so you can find Juanita's and sum them. (2) is tricky because it says 'either' but doesn't specify which one is $6,000. If Rita is $6,000, then Juanita is $9,000, total $15,000. If Juanita is $6,000, then Rita is $4,000, total $10,000. Two different totals, so (2) is not sufficient. Answer is A.
Thanks for breaking that down. I almost picked D because I thought 'either' meant both possibilities give the same total. Sneaky!
Wait, for statement (2), if Juanita's salary is $6,000, then Rita's is 2/3 of that, which is $4,000. But if Rita's salary is $6,000, then Juanita's is $9,000. So two different combined salaries. So (2) is not sufficient. But (1) alone is sufficient. So A.
Is this really sub-505? The 'either' in statement (2) tripped me up. I thought it was sufficient because you could figure out which one is which from the ratio, but you can't. So (2) is no good. (1) is straightforward. Answer A.
Yeah, the 'either' is the trap. I fell for it too.
Thanks, this was helpful. I initially thought both statements together might be needed, but (1) alone is enough. Good to know for DS: sometimes one statement gives you a direct value.
What it tests
Your ability to manipulate linear and quadratic expressions, substitute unknowns, and solve equations under time pressure.
Common trap
Losing a sign when moving terms across the equals sign, or dividing both sides by a variable that could equal zero.