Seven spring break destinations are offered for spring break tourists

We can crush these questions swiftly and accurately and outperform other test-takers with strategic and tactical thinking.

Question 1:
Check out the options. Notice how spread out the options are? That tells you that we can beat other test takers through simple rounding and estimation:
Since the group has 10 people, they need two beach houses. Estimate total costs for lodging and plane tickets without exact calculations:
- Lodging: Block rate (around $150) * 4 nights * 2 houses = around $1200
- Plane tickets: Discounted price (around $350) * 2 groups = around $700
Total cost is roughly $1900, which is closer to option D.
Answer: D. $1900

Question 2:
Zoom out, gain perspective on the data. For each destination, simply compare the total costs of ROB and block rate strategies (lodging + plane tickets):
- Cancun: ROB total cost ($120 * 4 + $480) is greater than block rate total cost ($150 * 4 + $330); answer Yes
- Jamaica and Miami have lower ROB total costs; answer No for both
Answer: Yes for Cancun, No for Jamaica, No for Miami

Question 3:
Quickly eliminate Daytona, Miami, and Bahamas as their plane ticket discounts are smaller compared to Hawaii or Jamaica. Compare the differences between block rates and lowest waterfront rates for Hawaii and Jamaica. Hawaii's difference ($140 - $115 = $25) is smaller than Jamaica's ($160 - $135 = $25). So, most likely, travelers would favor the ROB strategy in Hawaii.
Answer: A. Hawaii

Question 4:
Compare potential loss due to ROB strategy with the reimbursement received by spring break operators (25% of front row block rate):
- Contiki (Miami): Reimbursement ($100) is less than loss due to ROB strategy ($120); answer Yes
- WorldSprings (Hawaii) and SunFun (Bahamas): Reimbursements are greater than losses due to ROB strategies; answer No for both
Answer: Yes for Contiki, No for WorldSprings, No for SunFun

Question 5:
Drawing on our skill in looking for patterns or relationships in the data, compare the ratios of price differences for plane tickets and beach houses. For Cancun, the plane ticket price difference ($480 - $330) is greater than the beach house price difference ($150 - $120). This indicates that Cancun's plane ticket discount percentage is higher.
Answer: No for Miami, No for Hawaii, Yes for Cancun

Question 6:
Focus on destinations with higher block rates as more likely candidates for ROWFA strategies being more cost-effective. With a quick comparison of total costs (lodging + plane tickets), it becomes clear that all three destinations (Cancun, Daytona, Puerto Rico) have lower costs with ROWFA strategies.
Answer: Yes for Cancun, Yes for Daytona, Yes for Puerto Rico

Question 7:
We can just use common sense to analyze how individuals' earnings might be affected by attendees staying outside the waterfront area. Check it out:
- Rap artist: concert location doesn't change; no gain
- Delivery waitress: fewer deliveries; no gain
- Taxi cab driver: increased transportation needs; gain
Answer: No Gain for Rap artist, No Gain for Delivery waitress, Gain for Taxi cab driver

Question 8:
More common sense: if the plane ticket discount is equal to or greater than half of potential savings from staying outside the waterfront area (ROWFA strategy), travelers are more likely to choose front row beach houses. With this logic in mind:
- Miami's answer is Yes (discount equals half of potential savings)
- Jamaica and Cancun have lower total costs with ROWFA strategies, so the answer is No for both.
Answer: Yes for Miami, No for Jamaica, No for Cancun


Bigger GMAT Perspective
Compare that to the long, non-strategic approach below (to be avoided---the test-writers want to measure accuracy/time so that requires strategic insight, and frequently you can use the options themselves to clue you in). Why do they do this? Anyone can slog through the calculations. These standardized test questions reward strategic and tactical test-takers given the test's time constraints.

Question 1:
Jill and her friends are planning a 5-day/4-night spring break trip to Cancun. Their group has 10 people, so they will need two beach houses (each beach house has 6 beds).

Step 1: Calculate the total plane ticket price for both groups of travelers (2 groups, each up to six passengers).
Total plane ticket price = Discounted Ticket price * Number of traveler groups
Total plane ticket price = $350 * 2 = $700

Step 2: Calculate the lodging cost for one beach house in the first block of the waterfront area.
Lodging cost = Block rate * Number of nights
Lodging cost = $150 * 4 = $600

Step 3: Calculate the total lodging cost for two beach houses (since there are 10 people, they will need two beach houses).
Total lodging cost = Lodging cost per beach house * Number of beach houses
Total lodging cost = $600 * 2 = $1200

Step 4: Calculate the total cost for Jill and her friends' trip.
Total cost = Total lodging cost + Total plane ticket price
Total cost = $1200 + $700
Total cost =$1900

So, answer choice D. $1900 is correct.

Question 2:
We need to find out if spring break traveler groups would spend more money by employing the ROB strategy than by reserving a beach house in the first row of the waterfront block for Cancun, Jamaica, and Miami.

For Cancun:
ROB strategy total cost (lodging + non-discounted plane tickets)
= (Lowest waterfront rate * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price
= ($120 * 4) + $480 = $960

Block rate total cost (lodging + discounted plane tickets)
= (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price
= ($150 * 4) + $330 = $930

Since the ROB strategy total cost ($960) is higher than the block rate total cost ($930), the answer for Cancun is Yes.

For Jamaica:
ROB strategy total cost
= (Lowest waterfront rate * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price
= ($135 * 4) + $220 = $760

Block rate total cost
= (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price
= ($160 * 4) + $200 = $840

Since the ROB strategy total cost ($760) is lower than the block rate total cost ($840), the answer for Jamaica is No.

For Miami:
ROB strategy total cost
= (Lowest waterfront rate * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price
= ($70 * 4) + $210 = $490

Block rate total cost
= (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price
= ($100 * 4) + $150 = $550

Since the ROB strategy total cost ($490) is lower than the block rate total cost ($550), the answer for Miami is No.

So, the final answers are Yes, No, and No for Cancun, Jamaica, and Miami respectively.

Question 3:
We need to find out which destination is most likely to have spring break travelers favoring the ROB strategy over the ROWFA strategy.

Step 1: Calculate potential savings from ROWFA and ROB strategies for each destination.

For Hawaii:
ROWFA savings: (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price - ((Lowest rate outside waterfront) * 4 nights + Non-discounted plane ticket price)
= ($140 * 4) + $450 - (($70 * 4) + $525) = $95

ROB savings: (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price - ((Lowest waterfront rate) * 4 nights + Non-discounted plane ticket price)
= ($140 * 4) + $450 - (($115 * 4) + $525) = $25

For Jamaica:
ROWFA savings: ($160 * 4) + $200 - (($70 * 4) + $220)=80
ROB savings: ($160 * 4)+$200-(($135*4)+$220)=40

For Daytona:
ROWFA savings: ($135*4)+$170-(($70*4)+$200)=110
ROB savings: ($135*4)+$170-(($100*4)+$200)=30

For Miami:
ROWFA savings: ($100*4)+$150-(($70*4)+$210)=60
ROB savings: ($100*4)+$150-(($70*4)+$210) = 60

For Bahamas:
ROWFA savings: ($115*4)+$210-(($70*4)+$240)=50
ROB savings: ($115*4)+$210-(($90*4)+$240)=10

Among all the destinations, Hawaii has the highest ROB savings ($25) compared to ROWFA savings ($95). Therefore, the answer is A. Hawaii.

Question 4:
We need to determine if the spring break operator would lose beach house revenue if a room in the block is vacant because a traveler group employed the ROB strategy for Contiki, WorldSprings, and SunFun.

Since spring break operators receive a reimbursement from the waterfront beach housing organization for 25% of the front row block rate for each unoccupied beach house in the front row block of the waterfront area, we will calculate this reimbursement and compare it with potential loss due to ROB strategy.

For Contiki (Miami):
Reimbursement: 0.25 * Block rate * 4 nights = 0.25 * $100 * 4 = $100
Loss due to ROB strategy: (Block rate * 4 nights) - (Lowest waterfront rate * 4 nights) = ($100 * 4) - ($70 * 4) = $120
Since reimbursement ($100) is less than loss due to ROB strategy ($120), Contiki would lose beach house revenue. The answer is Yes for Contiki.

For WorldSprings (Hawaii):
Reimbursement: 0.25 * Block rate * 4 nights = 0.25 * $140 * 4 = $140
Loss due to ROB strategy: (Block rate * 4 nights) - (Lowest waterfront rate * 4 nights) = ($140 * 4) - ($115 * 4) = $100
Since reimbursement ($140) is greater than loss due to ROB strategy ($100), WorldSprings would not lose beach house revenue. The answer is No for WorldSprings.

For SunFun (Bahamas):
Reimbursement: 0.25 * Block rate * 4 nights = 0.25 * $115 * 4 = $115
Loss due to ROB strategy: (Block rate * 4 nights) - (Lowest waterfront rate * 4 nights) = ($115 * 4) - ($90 * 4) = $100
Since reimbursement ($115) is greater than loss due to ROB strategy ($100), SunFun would not lose beach house revenue. The answer is No for SunFun.

So, the final answers are Yes, No, and No for Contiki, WorldSprings, and SunFun respectively.

Question 5:
We need to determine if the percentage discount on the plane ticket (compared to the original price) exceeds the percentage discount for reserving the lowest rate beach house in the waterfront area (compared to the block rate in the waterfront area) for Miami, Hawaii, and Cancun.

For Miami:
Percentage discount on plane ticket: (($210-$150)/$210)*100=28.57%
Percentage discount on beach house: (($100-$70)/$100)*100=30%
Since plane ticket discount (28.57%) is less than beach house discount (30%), the answer is No for Miami.

For Hawaii:
Percentage discount on plane ticket: (($525-$450)/$525)*100=14.29%
Percentage discount on beach house: (($140-$115)/$140)*100=17.86%
Since plane ticket discount (14.29%) is less than beach house discount (17.86%), the answer is No for Hawaii.

For Cancun:
Percentage discount on plane ticket: (($480-$330)/$480)*100=31.25%
Percentage discount on beach house: (($150-$120)/$150)*100=20%
Since plane ticket discount (31.25%) is greater than beach house discount (20%), the answer is Yes for Cancun.

So, the final answers are No, No, and Yes for Miami, Hawaii, and Cancun respectively.

Question 6:
We need to determine if a spring break traveler going for the 4-night package would spend less money by employing the ROWFA strategy than by reserving a front row beach house in the block for Cancun, Daytona, and Puerto Rico.

For Cancun:
ROWFA total cost: (Lowest rate outside waterfront * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price = ($70 * 4) + $480 = $760
Block rate total cost: (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price = ($150 * 4) + $330 = $930
Since ROWFA total cost ($760) is less than block rate total cost ($930), the answer is Yes for Cancun.

For Daytona:
ROWFA total cost: (Lowest rate outside waterfront * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price = ($70 * 4) + $200 = $480
Block rate total cost: (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price = ($135 * 4) + $170 = $710
Since ROWFA total cost ($480) is less than block rate total cost ($710), the answer is Yes for Daytona.

For Puerto Rico:
ROWFA total cost: (Lowest rate outside waterfront * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price = ($70 * 4) + $425 = $705
Block rate total cost: (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price = ($200 * 4) + $400 = $1200
Since ROWFA total cost ($705) is less than block rate total cost ($1200), the answer is Yes for Puerto Rico.

So, the final answers are Yes, Yes, and Yes for Cancun, Daytona, and Puerto Rico respectively.

Question 7:
We need to determine if individuals would likely earn more money if beach houses in the front row block are vacant because of attendees using ROWFA strategies for a rap artist, a delivery waitress, and a taxi cab driver.

Rap artist:
Since the rap artist is hired to throw a concert alongside the waterfront beach houses, their earnings would not be affected by attendees staying outside of the waterfront area. Therefore, there would be no gain for the rap artist. The answer is No Gain.

Delivery waitress:
If more attendees stay outside the waterfront area, it could potentially reduce the number of breakfast deliveries and gratuities for the delivery waitress. Therefore, there would be no gain for the delivery waitress. The answer is No Gain.

Taxi cab driver:
If more attendees stay outside of the waterfront area and require transportation to the waterfront area where vacationers tend to hang out, this could increase business for taxi cab drivers. Therefore, there would be a gain for taxi cab drivers. The answer is Gain.

So, the final answers are No Gain, No Gain, and Gain for Rap artist, Delivery waitress, and Taxi cab driver respectively.

Question 8:
We need to determine if spring break traveler groups would be more likely to reserve a beach house in the front row of the waterfront block than getting a beach house outside of the waterfront area for Miami, Jamaica, and Cancun.

For Miami:
ROWFA total cost: (Lowest rate outside waterfront * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price = ($70 * 4) + $210 = $490
Block rate total cost: (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price = ($100 * 4) + $150 = $550
Since ROWFA total cost ($490) is less than block rate total cost ($550), it might seem that the answer should be No for Miami. However, according to the article, if the plane ticket discount is equal to at least half the potential savings of a spring breaker's particular cost-saving strategy, the spring breaker is much more likely to reserve a beach house within the first row of the waterfront block. In this case, the plane ticket discount ($60) is equal to half of the potential savings ($60), so Miami should be Yes.

For Jamaica:
ROWFA total cost: (Lowest rate outside waterfront * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price = ($70 * 4) + $220 = $500
Block rate total cost: (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price = ($160 * 4) + $200 = $840
Since ROWFA total cost ($500) is significantly less than block rate total cost ($840), and considering that the plane ticket discount of $20 is not at least half of the potential savings of $340, spring break traveler groups would likely choose a beach house outside of the waterfront area. The answer is No for Jamaica.

For Cancun:
ROWFA total cost: (Lowest rate outside waterfront * 4 nights) + Non-discounted plane ticket price = ($70 * 4) + $480 = $760
Block rate total cost: (Block rate * 4 nights) + Discounted plane ticket price = ($150 * 4) + $330 = $930
Similar to Jamaica, since ROWFA total cost ($760) is significantly less than block rate total cost ($930), and considering that the plane ticket discount of $150 is not at least half of the potential savings of $170, spring break traveler groups would likely choose a beach house outside of the waterfront area. The answer is No for Cancun.

So, the final answers are Yes, No, and No for Miami, Jamaica, and Cancun respectively.