Data InsightsMulti-Source Reasoning

Free GMAT Multi-Source Reasoning Practice Question

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From: Sam Devlin, QA Manager To: Plant leadership Subject: Q2 defect-rate review, read the sampling rule first

The raw defect counts below look alarming for Line C, but before anyone reacts: our inspection sampling is NOT uniform across lines or shifts. The defect rate you care about is defects per thousand inspected units, and how many we inspect depends on the sampling rule (separate card). Comparing raw defect counts across lines without normalizing by units inspected is the classic error.

What I need: the line and shift with the highest true defect rate once the sampling rule is applied, and whether the headline Line C is our worst line claim survives normalization.

Based on all three Brightforge sources and the defect-rate definition, evaluate each statement, assuming each statement is otherwise accurate.

Statement 1: After normalizing for sampling, Line C is not the line containing the single highest-defect-rate shift. Statement 2: Line A's Night shift had a higher normalized defect rate than its Day shift. Statement 3: Line C's total defect rate (both shifts combined, per 1,000 inspected) exceeds Line B's total defect rate (both shifts combined).

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Answer & Explanation

Correct answer

1: True · 2: True · 3: False

Using the six normalized rates (A Day 6.0, A Night 7.5, B Day 12.0, B Night 6.0, C Day 6.0, C Night 9.0): Statement 1, the single highest shift rate is B Day at 12.0, on Line B, not Line C, so True (Sam's headline does not survive). Statement 2 compares two already-normalized rates, so it is independent of sample size: A Night 7.5 > A Day 6.0, so True.

Statement 3, combined rate = total defects ÷ total inspected × 1,000. Line B: defects 18 + 27 = 45, inspected 1,500 + 4,500 = 6,000, rate 7.5. Line C: defects 60 + 45 = 105, inspected 10,000 + 5,000 = 15,000, rate 7.0. Line C combined (7.0) does NOT exceed Line B combined (7.5), so the claim C > B is False.

This is a Simpson-style reversal: summed raw counts favor C, but normalization favors B.