Question: Which Quadrant?

Comment on Which Quadrant?

What about x= -2 and y=-3?
gmat-admin's picture

Are you trying to show that the combined statements are not sufficient? If so, I should point out that x= -2 and y= -3 does not meet the condition in statement 1 (xy < 0), because (-2)(-3) = 6, and 6 is not less than zero.

I think he's suggesting according to 2) the point could also be in quadrant 3, which seems true to me.
gmat-admin's picture

Ahh, good point/interpretation!
So, statement 2 is not sufficient because the point could lie in THREE possible quadrants.

Hi Brent,

In statement 2, X-Y>0, if we picked up a negative number for Y, would not the inequality X-(-Y), which would result in a positive number to rely on quadrant 1? Thank you!
gmat-admin's picture

Not quite.

If y is negative, then there are many possible cases that satisfy the inequality x - y > 0:
CASE A) x = 3 and y = -1. In this case, (x,y) is in quadrant IV.
CASE B) x = -1 and y = -3. In this case, (x,y) is in quadrant III.

Also note that there's nothing in statement 1 to suggest that y is negative. So, we must also consider positive values for y such as:
CASE C) x = 3 and y = 1. In this case, (x,y) is in quadrant I.

Does that help?

Cheers,
Brent

It does, thank you Brent for the clear explanation!.

Hi Brent. Would statement 2 not suffice? Since we can say for sure that X>y always since y is always negative and X is always positive in quadrant 4?
gmat-admin's picture

You're correct to say that, in Quadrant IV, x-y is always positive.
So, the point COULD be in Quadrant IV.

However, there are points in other quadrants where x-y is also positive.

For example, the point (3,2) lies in Quadrant I, and here x - y = 3 - 2 = 1, which is positive.
So, the point COULD be in Quadrant I.

Likewise, the point (-1,-5) lies in Quadrant III, and here x - y = (-1) - (-5) = 4, which is positive.
So, the point COULD be in Quadrant III.

Since we can't be certain which quadrant the point lies, statement 2 is not sufficient.

Does that help?

Cheers,
Brent

Office Hours

On December 20, 2023, Brent will stop offering office hours. 

Change Playback Speed

You have the option of watching the videos at various speeds (25% faster, 50% faster, etc). To change the playback speed, click the settings icon on the right side of the video status bar.

Have a question about this video?

Post your question in the Comment section below, and a GMAT expert will answer it as fast as humanly possible.

Free “Question of the Day” emails!