Anonymous Wrote:Hi,
I cannot follow the explanation given above, even though the language above is very easy. I am too weak with coordinate geometry..
Especially "when x is a really big negative number, -1/6x is a really big positive number. hence y will also be positive, and the answer to the question is YES. therefore statement 1 is sufficient"
I do not understand a word of the above statement..
Can someone please explain this sum in a more simple way ? Thanks and appreciate your patience..
if the slope of the line is -1/6, then the line's equation can be written as y = (-1/6)x + b, where b is the y-intercept.
to ensure the existence of a point in the second quadrant, choose x to be a ginormous negative number, like, say, -600,000,000,000,000.
then y = +100,000,000,000,000 + b, which should definitely be positive. if "b" is such a huge negative number that even
this is still negative, then just make x even
more negative until that doesn't happen anymore.
eventually, you'll be able to find a point with negative x and positive y, meaning it's in the second quadrant.
--
in any case, ALGEBRA IS NOT AN EFFICIENT WAY TO SOLVE MOST GMAT PROBLEMS ABOUT SLOPES AND QUADRANTS. YOU SHOULD LEARN TO
CONCEPTUALIZE SLOPES. in other words, you should internalize the idea of positive slope vs. negative slope vs. zero slope vs. undefined slope, and you should be able to think about what those slopes LOOK like.
if you realize that a slope of -1/6 goes up to the left and down to the right, then it's easy to see that it eventually has to go into the upper left quadrant. compared to that, why would anyone want to bother with all that algebra?