GRE Prep Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Between the first day of May and last day in June, the price
[#permalink]
17 Apr 2017, 09:41
17 Apr 2017, 09:41
1
Expert Reply
2
Bookmarks
00:00
Question Stats:
43% (01:56) correct
56% (02:23) wrong based on 57 sessions
Hide Show timer Statistics
Between the first day of May and last day in June, the price per kilogram of Melange, a seasoning mix, first declined by 20 percent and then increased by 50 percent. During this same period, the price per liter of Blue, a spring water, first increased by 20 percent and then declined by 50 percent. If at the end of June, the prices were the same, then, at the beginning of May, the price per kilogram for Blue was what percent of the price per liter of Melange?
A. 2
B. 30
C. 50
D. 100
E. 200
A. 2
B. 30
C. 50
D. 100
E. 200
Drill 3
Question: 11
Page: 320
Question: 11
Page: 320
Re: Between the first day of May and last day in June, the price
[#permalink]
17 Apr 2017, 09:45
17 Apr 2017, 09:45
1
Expert Reply
Explanation
Since the problem doesn’t give you prices, Plug In; since the question involves percents, use 100. If the starting price for Melange was $100, then, after the 20% decrease, the price was $80; increase that by 50%, or \(\frac{1}{2}\), and the ending price was $120. Since the ending prices for
Melange and Blue were the same, the ending price for Blue was also $120.
Now, work backwards. Declining by 50% is the same as being cut in half; if Blue was $120 after being cut in half, it must have been $240 before the decrease. Since that $240 was the result of a 20% increase, translate the question “240 is 120% of what” to get the equation \(240 = \frac{120}{100} \times x\); solve for x to get the starting price for Blue, $200. Finally, now that you have both starting prices, translate the question into \(20 = \frac{x}{100} \times 100\), and solve for x to get your answer, 200.
Hence option E is correct!
Since the problem doesn’t give you prices, Plug In; since the question involves percents, use 100. If the starting price for Melange was $100, then, after the 20% decrease, the price was $80; increase that by 50%, or \(\frac{1}{2}\), and the ending price was $120. Since the ending prices for
Melange and Blue were the same, the ending price for Blue was also $120.
Now, work backwards. Declining by 50% is the same as being cut in half; if Blue was $120 after being cut in half, it must have been $240 before the decrease. Since that $240 was the result of a 20% increase, translate the question “240 is 120% of what” to get the equation \(240 = \frac{120}{100} \times x\); solve for x to get the starting price for Blue, $200. Finally, now that you have both starting prices, translate the question into \(20 = \frac{x}{100} \times 100\), and solve for x to get your answer, 200.
Hence option E is correct!
Target Test Prep Representative
Joined: 12 Sep 2018
Status:Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
Affiliations: Target Test Prep
Posts: 1520
Given Kudos: 5
Re: Between the first day of May and last day in June, the price
[#permalink]
12 Jul 2019, 18:03
12 Jul 2019, 18:03
3
Expert Reply
sandy wrote:
Between the first day of May and last day in June, the price per kilogram of Melange, a seasoning mix, first declined by 20 percent and then increased by 50 percent. During this same period, the price per liter of Blue, a spring water, first increased by 20 percent and then declined by 50 percent. If at the end of June, the prices were the same, then, at the beginning of May, the price per kilogram for Blue was what percent of the price per liter of Melange?
A. 2
B. 30
C. 50
D. 100
E. 200
A. 2
B. 30
C. 50
D. 100
E. 200
Drill 3
Question: 11
Page: 320
Question: 11
Page: 320
We can let the price per kilogram of Melange and price per liter of Blue at the beginning of May be m and b, respectively. We can create the equation:
w x 0.8 x 1.5 = b x 1.2 x 0.5
1.2w = 0.6b
2w = b
Since b = 2w, b is 200% of w.
Answer: E
