GreenlightTestPrep wrote:
In the figure above, triangle XYZ is a right triangle.
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
b |
12 |
A) The quantity in Column A is greater.
B) The quantity in Column B is greater.
C) The two quantities are equal.
D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
I created this question to illustrate the point that the diagrams on the GRE are not necessarily drawn to scale.
So, even though we're told triangle XYZ is a RIGHT triangle, there's no way to be certain which of the three angles is 90° (even though ∠X certainly APPEARS to be 90°
Consider the following two cases:Case a: If ∠X = 90°, then applying the Pythagorean theorem gives us 5² + b² = 13². Solve to get
b = 12, in which case
Quantity A = Quantity B.
Case b: If ∠Y = 90°, then applying the Pythagorean theorem gives us 5² + 13² = c². Solve to get
b = √194, in which case
Quantity A > Quantity B.
Answer: D
Cheers,
Brent