GRE-Style: Quantitative Comparison — Geometry

GRE Quantitative · Axiom Academy

EXAMPLE GRE-Style: Quantitative Comparison — Geometry Using the Pythagorean theorem to find an exact area, then comparing it to a given number A right triangle has legs of length 6 and 8. Nice work — you compared a geometric quantity to a plain number, the same shape as most GRE QC geometry questions. The two legs of a right triangle ARE its base and height: for the area formula , you don't need to find the hypotenuse at all — the two legs already give you everything the formula needs. Compute Quantity A exactly whenever you can: once the area comes out to a single number (24), the comparison to Quantity B (25) is no longer geometry — it's just 24 vs. 25 . Watch for the "almost equal" trap: 24 and 25 are close, which is exactly when GRE test-writers hope you'll guess "equal" instead of computing. Always finish the arithmetic. Result: Quantity A = 24 and Quantity B = 25 , so Quantity B is greater — the answer is (B). Whenever a QC problem gives you a right triangle, the legs are a free base-and-height pair — compute the exact area before comparing.

This is the written version of the interactive lesson above. See the full GRE Quantitative course.