How many children does M have? Statements: I. H is the only daughter of X, who…
2024
How many children does M have?
Statements:
I. H is the only daughter of X, who is the wife of M.
II. K and J are brothers of M.
Answer: D. Neither I nor II is sufficient — ConceptA data-sufficiency question asks whether the given facts determine one unique answer; it does not ask whether they provide some related information.…
- A.
I alone is sufficient while II alone is not sufficient
- B.
II alone is sufficient while I alone is not sufficient
- C.
Both I and II are sufficient
- D.
Neither I nor II is sufficient
Attempted by 26 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
A data-sufficiency question asks whether the given facts determine one unique answer; it does not ask whether they provide some related information.
Family-relation terms must be read at the correct generation. “Only daughter” limits female children, whereas “brother of M” describes M’s siblings.
Application
From Statement I, H is a daughter of X, and X is M’s wife. The statement fixes one daughter but gives no information about the number of sons, so M’s total number of children is not fixed.
From Statement II, K and J are M’s brothers. This tells us about M’s siblings and gives no count of M’s children.
Combining the statements adds the sibling facts to the one-daughter fact, but still leaves the number of sons unknown. Therefore the total cannot be uniquely calculated.
Cross-check and contrast
“I alone is sufficient while II alone is not sufficient” conflicts with the unbounded number of sons in Statement I.
“II alone is sufficient while I alone is not sufficient” uses sibling information that does not count children.
“Both I and II are sufficient” still lacks a bound on sons after combination.
“Neither I nor II is sufficient” reflects that neither statement determines a unique total.
Result: Neither I nor II is sufficient.