Data sufficiency is an
important part of quantitative aptitude section of every competitive exam including
IBPS, LIC, Civil services, CAT and GMAT. In almost every exam there are several
questions from data sufficiency.
Most of the candidates
try to solve data sufficiency questions by guess work. As every question
carries same marks, questions in this part also deserve some time. Instead of
guess work use a simple strategy as give below and avoid guessing the
answer.
Steps in solving Data Sufficiency questions
1) Read the given
problem. Don't assume anything except universal facts.
2) Take the first
statement and combine it with main statement. Try to find the answer.
3) If you are unable to
find the answer using 2nd step then combine second statement and combine it
with main statement and try to find answer.
4) If you are unable to
find an answer using second statement then add both statements with main
statement and try to find answer
5) If even now you can't
find answer, simply tick both statements are insufficient.
Directions :-
Marks A as answer if
statement I alone is sufficient to answer the question
Marks B as answer if
statement II alone is sufficient to answer the question
Marks C as answer if
statement I and II together are sufficient to answer the question but neither statement
aloneis sufficient to answer the question
Data Sufficiency questions and answers
Question 1. How many people are there in the plain ?
Statement I : 25%
passengers are women and 35% are children.
Statement II : There are
24 men in the plain
Answer
From Statement I we can
conclude that there are 40% men in the plain but we can't find the exact number
of passengers
From Statement two
: Number of men passengers = 24
By combining both the
statements we get, total number of passengers = 24 * 100/40 = ( you don’t need
to calculate the answer )
Hence answer is C
Question 2. What is the difference between monthly income of
Ram and Chaaru
Statement I : Ram earns
Rs 6000 less than Shaam
Statement II : Chaaru
earns Rs 6000 more than Shaam.
Answer : In this question we don't need to in depth.
Simply there is difference of Rs 12000
Question 3. Is x divisible by 28 ?
Statement I : x is
divisible by 20
Statement II : x is
divisible by 84
Answer. Using statement I - x is divisible by 4 and 5
Using statement II - x
is divisible by 3,4, and 7.
By using both statements
we can conclude that x is divisible by 28 ( 4*7), hence answer is C.
Question 4. P,Q,R,S and T are five friends. Their mean age
is 18. What is the age of R ?
Statement I : P's age is
18
Statement II : Q's age
is 2 years less than T and T's age is 6 years less than S.
Statement III : R's age
is 6 years more than B's age and 4 years more than T's age.
Answer : P+Q+R+S+T = 90
From Statement I :
Q+R+S+T = 72
From Statement II : Q =
T - 2 and T=S - 6
So S = T + 6
Statement III : R = Q+6
and R = T + 4
Age of every friend can
be defined in terms of T's age by using all three statements. So we can
reach the answer using all three statements. Hence answer is C.
Tips to solve Data Sufficiency questions
- Never try to reach final answer as it is not asked. You need to find whether the information provided is enough to solve the given problem or not.
- Never make any assumption. Use only universal rules { eg. a + b = a + b - (a U b) }
- Try to solve questions by using above strategies
- Solve question step by step. First try to find answer using first statement then second and finally with both. Then mark the answer
- Even if you find answer with only one statement, then try to find answer with remaining statement as sometimes there is an option that answer can be find with both statements separately.
- Move on quickly and mark answer can't be found in case you are unable to reach any conclusion with information provided.
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