Practice GMAT Data Sufficiency Question
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x is a positive integer; what is the value of x?
- The sum of any two positive factors of x is even
- x is a prime number and x < 4
Correct Answer: C
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Evaluate Statement (1) alone.
- Statement (1) says that the sum of any two factors is even. The sum of two integers is even under two circumstances:
odd + odd = even
even + even = even
- Since the sum of any two factors is even, all the factors must have the same parity. If x had both even and odd factors, then it would be possible for two factors to add together and be odd (remember that an odd number + an even number = an odd number and, in Statement 1, the sum of any two positive factors must be even).
- Since the problem says "the sum of any two positive factors of x is even" and the number 1 is a factor of any number, x must only contain odd factors. If x contained one even factor, it would be possible to add that even factor with the number one and the result would be an odd number. Since the number 2 is a factor of every even number, x cannot be even. Otherwise, it would be possible to add the factors 1 and 2 together and their sum would not be even.
- Statement (1), when inspected carefully, says that x is an odd number that only contains odd factors. Since there are many possibilities (x = 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, ...), Statement (1) is NOT SUFFICIENT.
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Evaluate Statement (2) alone.
- Statement (2) says that x is a prime number less than 4. Remember that x must also be a positive integer (as per the original question). Although this narrows the possibilities for x, because there are still two possibilities (x = 2 or x = 3; both these values are prime, less than 4, and positive integers), Statement (2) is NOT SUFFICIENT. Please remember that the number one is not prime.
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Evaluate Statements (1) and (2) together.
- Statements (1) and (2), when taken together, definitively show that x = 3. Statements (1) and (2), when taken together, are SUFFICIENT. Answer choice C is correct.
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