sandy wrote:
If x, y, and z are integers, y + z = 13, and xz = 9, which of the following must be true?
(A) x is even
(B) x = 3
(C) y is odd
(D) y > 3
(E) z < x
The most limiting fact is that x, y, and z are
INTEGERSSo, if xz = 9, there are only 6 possible cases:
CASE A: x = 1 and z = 9
CASE B: x = -1 and z = -9
CASE C: x = 9 and z = 1
CASE D: x = -9 and z = -1
CASE E: x = 3 and z = 3
CASE F: x = -3 and z = -3
Since we also know that y + z = 13, we can add the corresponding
y-value to each of the 6 possible CASES to get:
CASE A: x = 1, z = 9, and y =
4CASE B: x = -1, z = -9, and y =
22CASE C: x = 9, z = 1, and y =
12CASE D: x = -9, z = -1, and y =
14CASE E: x = 3, z = 3, and y =
10CASE F: x = -3, z = -3, and y =
16When we scan the answer choices, we can see that D must be true since all 6 possible
y-values are greater than 3.
Answer: D
Cheers,
Brent