Adam and Beth each Drove from Smallville to Crown City by Different Routes GMAT Problem Solving

Question: Adam and Beth each drove from Smallville to Crown City by different routes. Adam drove at an average speed of 40 miles per hour and completed the trip in 30 minutes. Beth’s route was 5 miles long, and it took her 20 minutes more than Adam to complete the trip. How many miles per hour was Beth’s average speed on this trip?

A. 24
B. 30
C. 48
D. 54
E. 75

Approach Solution 1

For answering this GMAT question, use the data provided in the question. These questions relate to various branches of mathematics. This GMAT problem-solving question falls into the topic of rates, which includes calculating the speeds or rates of two distinct entities and solving for an unknown variable. It is quite difficult to choose the correct option due to the way the choices are presented. Candidates need to employ proper strategies to get the correct answer. There is only one correct answer out of the five options provided.
It is asked in the question to find Beth’s average speed if Beth’s route was 5 miles long than Adam's and he took 20 minutes more than Adam's to complete the trip.
Well, Adam drove at a speed of 40 miles per hour and completed the trip in 30 minutes.
So, Speed = Distance/Time
Distance for Adam = Speed * Time = 40 * ½ = 20 miles
Distance for Beth = Distance for Adam + 5 = 20+5 = 25 miles
Time taken by Beth = Time taken by Adam + (1/3 hour) = 1/2+ 1/3 = 5/6
Speed of Beth = 25/(5/6) = 25*6/5 = 30 miles per hour
Therefore, B is the correct answer.
Correct Answer: B

Approach Solution 2

For answering this GMAT question, use the data provided in the question. These questions relate to various branches of mathematics. It is quite difficult to choose the correct option due to the way the choices are presented. Candidates need to employ proper strategies to get the correct answer. There is only one correct answer out of the five options provided.
It is asked in the question to find Beth’s average speed if Beth’s route was 5 miles long than Adam's and he took 20 minutes more than Adam's to complete the trip.
Adam takes 30 mins at a speed of 40 mph
Convert 30 mins to ½ hr
Consider Beth travels at “x” mph and takes 20 mins more = 50 mins
Now, convert 50 mins to 5/6 hr
Distance = Speed*Time
Mentioned that Beth travels 5 miles more than Adam
Then, S*(5/6) – 40*(1/2) = 5
S*(5/6) = 25
S = 30
Correct Answer:
B

Approach Solution 3

For answering this GMAT question, use the data provided in the question. These questions relate to various branches of mathematics. It is quite difficult to choose the correct option due to the way the choices are presented. Candidates need to employ proper strategies to get the correct answer. There is only one correct answer out of the five options provided.
This question includes a mix of arithmetic and testing the answers.
We are told that Adam drove 40 miles per hour for 30 mins. So, distance = (40mph*1/2 hour) = 20 miles
Then it is said that Beth’s trip was 5 miles long and more than 20 mins were required to complete the trip. So, she traveled for 25 miles and drove for 50 mins.
Then we are supposed to find the average speed.
Beth drove for almost an hour; if she would drove for an hour then her average speed would have been 25mph. However, she drove for less than an hour, and her speed will be a bit faster than 25 mph.
So, Answer B is correct that is 30 mph.
If she drove at 30 mph for 50 mins, then the distance traveled would have been
30 mph* 5/6 hr = 150/6 = 25 miles
Therefore, this is the exact match to the answer.
Correct Answer:
B

“Adam and Beth each Drove from Smallville to Crown City by Different Routes" - is a topic of the GMAT Quantitative Reasoning section of GMAT. This question has been taken from the book “GMAT Official Guide Quantitative Review”.
To acquire knowledge about GMAT Problem Solving questions, aspirants must have fundamental qualitative skills. Quantitative reasoning measures a candidate's aptitude in reasoning and mathematics. The GMAT Quantitative problem-solving phase comprises a question and a list of possible responses. The problem-solving section of the GMAT Quant topic is made up of difficult math problems that must be solved by utilizing the right math strategies.

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