Lesson: Data Sufficiency Basic - 14
Value Questions
[Page 14 of 22]
The previous problem was a
special type of Data Sufficiency known as a Value Question. In the previous
problem, each statement provided two possible values for x. So,
why wasn’t each statement sufficient? Each statement was insufficient,
individually, because it could not provide a single value for x.
When a question states "What
is the value of x?" take the words "the value"
literally. A statement will only be sufficient only if it allows you
to find one, and only one, value for x.
So, what if in the
previous example if we had determined that:
Statement (1) revealed
that x could be 71, 73, or 79.
Statement (2) revealed
that x could be 71 or 73.
Statements (1) and (2) combined revealed that x could
be 71 or 73.
Then the answer would have
been Choice (E) instead of (C) because we would have had more than one
possible value for x.
And note that not all Value
Questions contain the word "value." For example:
- What is yx?
- How many nickels does Emily
have?
- What is the area of
ABC?
- How old is James?
Each of the questions above
is actually a Value Question and a Statement will be sufficient only if
it leads you to a single value answering each question.
Next to display next topic in the chapter.
Test Prep Lessons With Video Lessons and Explained MCQ