In a certain code language, ‘23’ means ‘No More’ and ‘79’ means ‘harmful…
2023
In a certain code language, ‘23’ means ‘No More’ and ‘79’ means ‘harmful thing’. What is the meaning of ‘9’ and ‘7’ respectively in that code?
I. ‘274’ means ‘no bad thing’
II. ‘839’ means ‘more is harmful’.
- A.
If the data in statement I alone are sufficient to answer the question
- B.
If the data in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question
- C.
If the data in either statement I or II alone are sufficient to answer the question
- D.
If the data in both the statements together are needed to answer the question
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: In a coding-decoding data-sufficiency question, if the same digit occurs in two coded phrases, the word common to those two phrases is the meaning of that digit — so the digit shared between the base code and just ONE extra statement can decode a digit without needing the other statement at all.
Applying statement I (‘274’ = ‘no bad thing’):
Digit 2 is common to ‘23’ and ‘274’; the word common to ‘No More’ and ‘no bad thing’ is ‘No’. So 2 = ‘No’.
Digit 7 is common to ‘79’ and ‘274’; the word common to ‘harmful thing’ and ‘no bad thing’ is ‘thing’. So 7 = ‘thing’.
In ‘79’, since 7 = ‘thing’, the remaining digit 9 = ‘harmful’.
Applying statement II (‘839’ = ‘more is harmful’):
Digit 3 is common to ‘23’ and ‘839’; the word common to ‘No More’ and ‘more is harmful’ is ‘more’. So 3 = ‘more’.
Digit 9 is common to ‘79’ and ‘839’; the word common to ‘harmful thing’ and ‘more is harmful’ is ‘harmful’. So 9 = ‘harmful’.
In ‘79’, since 9 = ‘harmful’, the remaining digit 7 = ‘thing’.
Cross-check: Both routes — using the base code plus only ONE extra statement each time — land on the identical decoding (7 = ‘thing’, 9 = ‘harmful’). Since either statement alone is enough to pin down both digits, sufficiency is not confined to one of them; it is ‘either statement I or II alone’.