q: Joey is planning to throw a small party and for that he needs to do the following tasks:
I. Decide guest list
II. Send invites
III. Arrange catering
IV. Decide the venue
V. Rent a music system
The tasks can be done in any order as long as the invites are sent after the guest list is decided. In how many ways can Joey do the five tasks listed above?
Options:
(A) 24
(B) 48
(C) 60
(D) 120
(E) 240
a: Stream of consciousness: These 5 tasks can be arranged in 5! = 120 ways. In half of them invites are sentafterthe guest list is decided and in half of them before. So, there are total of 120/2 = 60 ways to arrange the task so that the invites are sent after the guest list is decided. The answer is (C).

question: The average age of 8 men increases by 2 years when two women are included in place of two men of ages 20 and 24 years. Find the average age of the women?
Options:
(A) 5
(B) 10
(C) 50
(D) 40
(E) 30
answer: Stream of consciousness: 20 + 24 + 8 * 2 = 60/2 = 30 The answer is (E).

q: What is the % change in the area of a rectangle when its length increases by 20% and its width decreases by 20%?
Options:
(A) 0%
(B) 20% increase
(C) 20% decrease
(D) 4% decrease
(E) Insufficient data
a: Stream of consciousness: (12/10)*(8/10) = 96/100 of original area
96/100 is a 4% decrease from 100/100 -> The answer is (D).

question: The number of people at Ovations Bar in the hour from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. was 30% greater than the number of people there from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The number of the people at the bar from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. was 20% less than the number there from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. If 92 people were at the bar from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., which of the following is the number of people in the bar from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.?
Options:
(A) 10
(B) 20
(C) 30
(D) 40
(E) 50
answer: Stream of consciousness: No of people from 10 - 11 is x
No of people from 11 - 12 is 4x/5
No of people from 12 to 1 is (13/10)(4x/5)
Given that 4x/5 + (13/10)(4x/5) = 92x/50 = 92
Then x = 50 The answer is (E).

q: (x +1 )(2x - 2)(3x + 3) = ax3+bx2+cx+dax3+bx2+cx+d What are the values of a, b, c and d?
Options:
(A) 2
(B) 7
(C) 6
(D) 1
(E) 9
a: Stream of consciousness: (x + 1)(2x - 2)(3x + 3) = ax3+bx2+cx+dax3+bx2+cx+d
6(x + 1)(x - 1)(x + 1) = ax3+bx2+cx+dax3+bx2+cx+d
6(x2x2 - 1)(x + 1) = ax3+bx2+cx+dax3+bx2+cx+d
6(x3+x2x1)6(x3+x2x1) = ax3+bx2+cx+dax3+bx2+cx+d
6x3+6x26x66x3+6x26x6 = ax3+bx2+cx+dax3+bx2+cx+d
Equating the coefficients of like learns on both the sides, a = 6, b = 6, c = -6 and d = -6. The answer is (C).

q: The average of seven numbers is 18. The average of first three numbers is 14 and the average of last three numbers is 19. What is the middle number?
Options:
(A) 26
(B) 27
(C) 29
(D) 32
(E) 36
a:
Stream of consciousness: The total of seven numbers = 7X18 = 126
The total of first 3 and last 3 numbers is = 3 X 14+3 X 19 = 99
So, the middle number is (126 - 99 ) = 27 The answer is (B).