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Data Sufficiency - CAT 2013
Question 4 the day:
May 3, 2002
In this question, there is a question statement which is followed by two statements. You have to decide whether the information provided in the two statements is sufficient for answering the question.
- Mark 1
- If the question can be answered by using one of the statements alone, but cannot be answered by using the other statement alone.
- Mark 2
- If the question can be answered by using either statement alone.
- Mark 3
- If the question can be answered by using both statements together, but cannot be answered by using either statement alone.
- Mark 4
- If the question cannot be answered even by using both the statements together.
- Question
- Three packages have a combined weight of 60 kgs. What is the weight of the heaviest package?
(A) One package weighs 22 kgs.
(B) One package weighs 31 kgs.
Correct Answer - (1)
Solution
Statement B alone is sufficient to answer the question. Some of you might have thought that you need both Statement A and Statement B to answer the question.
The question states that all three packages together weigh 60 kgs.
Statement A states that one of the packs weighs 22 kgs. We do not know the weight of the other two packs. One of the other two packs could be heavier than 22 kgs or both of them could be lesser than 22 kgs. e.g. one of them could be 8 kgs and the other 30 kgs or both of them could be 19 kgs each. So we will not be able to conclude which is the heaviest.
Statement B states that one of the packs is 31 kgs. The combined weight of the other two packs will have to be 29 kgs which together itself is less than 31 kgs. Hence we can infer conclusively that the heaviest pack is the one that weighs 31 kgs.
Questions of this kind are commonly known as superstatement problems. You will be able to find the answer from one of the statements itself. However, in a hurry you might be made to believe that you need both the statements.
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