GMAT OFFICIAL GUIDE PS

Solution:

We are given a diagram of a patio and a house. Let’s first sketch that diagram.

A flat patio was built alongside a house...

We must determine the area of the patio. In referencing our diagram, we see that the area of the patio is not quite a full rectangle. Thus, in order to determine the area of the patio, we must first determine the area of patio as if it were a complete rectangle, and then subtract the area of portion of the house that is covering the patio. Let’s display this in the diagram below, in which the black dotted line represents the portion of the house that is covering the patio.

Notice that the dimensions of the portion of the house that is covering the patio are 20 feet by 20 feet.

Now we are ready to determine the area of the patio.

Area of the patio without the house covering = 40 x 35 = 1,400 square feet

Area of the portion of the house covering the patio = 20 x 20 = 400 square feet

Area of patio = 1,400 – 400 = 1,000 square feet

Answer: C

About The Author

Jeffrey Miller is the head GMAT instructor for Target Test Prep. Jeff has more than fourteen years of experience in the business of helping students with low GMAT scores hurdle the seemingly impossible and achieve the scores they need to get into the top 20 business school programs in the world, including HBS, Stanford, Wharton, and Columbia. Jeff has cultivated many successful business school graduates through his GMAT instruction, and will be a pivotal resource for many more to follow.