Official Explanation
1. For each of the following, select Justified if it is a justified inference on the basis of the information provided. Otherwise, select Not justified.
Step 1: Understand the Prompt and Question
This is an either-or question, the exact same format you saw for Table questions. These questions always present answers in the form either X or Y, such as true/false, yes/no, or, as in this case, justified/not justified. Three statements will accompany the question; your task is to choose a single answer for each statement. In order to earn credit for this question, you have to answer all three statements correctly.
This question specifically asks whether the statement is a justified inference. These statements will not be found directly in the tabs; rather, you will have to determine whether something is reasonably justified, or able to be proven, based upon related information from the prompt.
Next, scan through the three statements. On some problems, the statements are very similar and can be solved simultaneously or very similarly. On others, the statements are independent and must be solved separately.
In this case, the statements each address different aspects of the information provided, so work through them individually. Here’s the first statement:
Some of Produce Stand P’s lettuce may spoil or be in danger of spoiling before it is all sold.
This statement talks about lettuce spoilage. Where do you need to go to find this information? Glance at your map. Spoilage was mentioned in both tabs.
Step 2: Plan Your Approach
The Sales Breakout tab mentioned spoilage and the Vitamin Content tab specifically mentioned lettuce, so you’ll need both to answer the question.
Find and reread the relevant text:
(Sales Breakout Tab): We also need to think about pricing strategies in light of the fact that some items have a far longer shelf life. Potatoes will last weeks in cold storage, while the tomatoes won’t last more than a few days without suffering a reduction in quality. Please send me any information you have about spoilage rates or other factors we should consider when setting prices.
(Vitamin Content Tab) Carrots, apples, and potatoes last a very long time in cold storage. I am a bit concerned about the lettuce, though; our farmers generally produce a higher volume of lettuce than of any other single item. The other items generally sell within acceptable time frames, even the tomatoes and bananas.
Step 3: Solve the Problem
The supervisor points out that some items will last much longer than others, then asks about spoilage rates, implying that some items may spoil or be in danger of spoiling. The sales manager indicates that certain items do last a long time, but he is concerned about the lettuce. He also indicates that the other items generally sell within acceptable time frames, implying that the lettuce might not sell within an acceptable time frame; that is, it might spoil before it can be sold. The first statement, then, is Justified.
Evaluate the second and third statements in the same manner
More bananas than apples are sold at Produce Stand P.
Careful! The bar graph in the Sales Breakout tab shows information about sales revenues, not sales volume. While it is true that banana sales revenues were higher than apple sales revenues, the prompt does not indicate the relative number of items sold. It could be that more apples than bananas were sold, but the price per banana was higher, such that total banana revenue was higher. The second statement is Not justified.
Now, here's the third statement:
Produce high in vitamin A, vitamin C, or both accounted for more than half of April revenues at Produce Stand P.
Note first that the question asks whether this group accounted for more than half of revenues. You will not necessarily have to calculate the exact figure; it will be enough if you can tell whether it is more or less than half. The Vitamin Content tab has the vitamin data; the Sales Breakout tab has the sales data. You’re going to have to combine the two tabs.
First, go to Vitamin Content and look for the items that are high in either or both of the vitamins: carrots, lettuce, oranges, and tomatoes. The remaining items—apples, bananas, and potatoes—are not high in either vitamin. Jot the items in two clearly labeled lists: high-V and not-high-V. Since you are comparing to 50%, you could sum for either group.
Next, click on Sales Breakout and find the percentage of revenue for each item. It is easier to sum three categories than four, so eyeball the bars for the not-high-vitamin items: Do they sum to less than 50%?
A<10%
B<15%
P<25%
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sum <50%
The not-high-vitamin items account for less than half of revenues, so the high-vitamin items account for more than half of revenues.
Alternatively, eyeball the bars for the high-vitamin items. If you approximate or round down and the sum is still greater than 50%, the statement must be true.
C>5%
L>15%
O>15%
T>15%
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sum >50%
Even if you round each bar down to the closest grid line, the sum is still 50%. The longest bar is actually closer to 20%, so this sum will definitely cross the 50% threshold. Therefore, the third statement is Justified.
The answers are as follows:
Justified, Not justified and Justified.
2. In the month of April, Produce Stand P generated approximately how much revenue, in dollars, from items that were high in both vitamin A and vitamin C?
(A) $775
(B) $1,280
(C) $1,575
(D) $2,080
(E) $2,875
First, make sure you understand the question. You’ll need to find items that are high in both vitamins A and C (not items high in just one or the other).
Second, plan how to answer the question. You’ll need to use Vitamin Content to find those items high in both vitamin A and C. To calculate the revenue, add up the percentages of sales for the relevant items and then multiply by the dollar figure given for total sales in the first paragraph of the Sales Breakout tab. Lay these steps out on your scrap paper.
Finally, go ahead and solve. Only tomatoes are high in both vitamins A and C. Tomatoes accounted for approximately 17%–18% of total revenues (glance at those answers; you don’t need to be very precise), so pull up the calculator and plug in this calculation: 0.17 × 4,441 = 754.97. The closest match in the answers is $775.
The correct answer is (A).