Which question is determined
A fictional reasoning worksheet states that x is a real number. The target question is whether x is positive. Statement one gives x²=49. Statement two gives x>0. A classmate says the first statement is sufficient because 7 satisfies it; another combines both statements while claiming to evaluate the first alone. A second version asks for the exact value of x rather than its sign. Students must distinguish these targets and assess the information independently before combining it. The response labels are the labels printed in this classroom worksheet, not a reproduction of any official standardized-test interaction. No integer restriction, score rule, time allowance or calculator policy is supplied. The teacher asks for explicit permitted examples and a reasoned explanation, rather than a memorized letter.
1. Assess each statement alone for the positivity question.
Read the worked answer
Statement one permits x=7 and x=-7, so it does not determine whether x is positive. Statement two states positivity directly, so it answers that yes-or-no question even though it does not determine an exact value.
2. What changes when the target asks for the exact value?
Read the worked answer
Neither statement alone determines one exact value: the first allows two and the second allows infinitely many. Together they imply x=7. Sufficiency therefore depends on the target question, not merely on whether a calculation can be performed.