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Question 16

Important vocabulary:

integer = positive and negative whole number plus the number 0.

Examples: -2, -1, 0, 1, 2

consecutive integers = integers that are adjacent to each other on a number line.

Examples: -1, 0, 1

3, 4, 5

Statement (1) alone: The fact that the sum of the three integers is 15 does not tell us anything about the integers. Here are examples that would satisfy this.

Examples: 4 + 5 + 6 = 15 (Note that these are consecutive integers.)

1 + 4 + 10 = 15 (Note that these are not consecutive integers.)

Hence, the answer cannot be determined from statement (1) alone.

(A) and (D) must be eliminated.

Statement (2) alone: If r is 1 greater than q and q is 1 greater than p, then the integers must be consecutive. In fact the integers look like this:

p, q (which is p + 1), r (which is q + 1)

By the way, if any of you while considering statement (2) alone proceeded on the basis that the sum of p, q and r is 15 then you were pulling the information from statement (1) down into your reading of statement (2). This is a very common mistake.

Statement (2) alone allows one to determine that p, q and r are consecutive.

Since, the question is answerable from (2) alone and not from (1) alone, the answer is (B).


Back to the tutorial. Go to question 17.

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