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A magazine tested different microwave ovens and rated them on their ease of use, energy efficiency, quietness, and ability to heat food evenly. The ratings in each category ranged from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). The following table shows the magazine's ratings.
| Brand and model | Price (€) | Heating Evenness | Energy efficiency | Ease of use | Quietness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micro GX | 350 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Heatwave 380 | 220 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Micro TXi | 230 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Superchef Platinum | 370 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Luxo Premium | 280 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| InstaCook CM-2000 | 300 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Heatmiser PowerMax | 330 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Superchef Gold | 220 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Luxo Economy | 170 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
Suppose that a consumer who used the table to help decide which microwave to buy chooses the Heatwave 380. Select Helps explain for each of the following statements that, if true, would help explain the consumer's decision on the basis of the information provided. Otherwise, select Does not help explain.
The consumer wanted to spend no more than €250 but wanted to get the quietest microwave within that budget.
Although quietness was the most important feature to the consumer, to get one with a higher quietness rating would have cost at least €150 more, which the consumer considered to be too expensive.
The microwave's quietness was less important to the consumer than was its ease of use.
Let's start by understanding what we're working with in this table of microwave models. We have a consumer who chose the Heatwave 380 model, which costs €220, has a quietness rating of 3, and an ease of use rating of 5.
Rather than analyzing every detail in the table, let's immediately identify what makes this specific choice stand out:
Key insight: When analyzing consumer choices, we want to quickly identify which factors might explain their decision. Since the quietness rating isn't exceptional, but the ease of use is high, this gives us an initial hypothesis about what mattered to this consumer.
Original: "The Heatwave 380 was chosen because it had the highest quietness rating among all models costing less than €250."
What we're looking for:
In other words: Does Heatwave 380 have the best quietness rating in its price bracket?
Let's approach this efficiently by sorting the data. Since we need to compare quietness ratings among models under €250, let's first filter for price, then check quietness.
Step 1: Identify all models costing less than €250
Step 2: Compare their quietness ratings to Heatwave 380's rating of 3
When we sort by price \(≤ €250\), we see models including Heatwave 380 (€220) and Micro TXi (€230). Checking their quietness ratings:
Teaching callout: Notice how sorting immediately reveals a counterexample! The Micro TXi has a better quietness rating (4) than the Heatwave 380 (3), while still being under €250. We only needed to find one model to disprove the statement.
Statement 1 Conclusion: DOES NOT HELP EXPLAIN. Heatwave 380 does not have the highest quietness rating among models under €250.
Original: "Any model with a higher quietness rating than the Heatwave 380 would have cost at least €150 more."
What we're looking for:
In other words: Do all quieter models come with a substantial price premium?
We already identified a counterexample in our analysis of Statement 1! The Micro TXi has:
Teaching callout: Here's where strategic analysis saves time. We don't need to check every model with a higher quietness rating - just one counterexample that costs less than €150 more is enough to disprove the statement.
Statement 2 Conclusion: DOES NOT HELP EXPLAIN. The Micro TXi has a higher quietness rating but costs only €10 more, not €150 more.
Original: "The consumer chose the Heatwave 380 because it had the highest ease of use rating among all models costing less than €250."
What we're looking for:
In other words: Did the consumer prioritize ease of use within their budget?
Let's sort the affordable models (under €250) by ease of use rating:
When we sort by price \((≤€250)\) and then by ease of use, we see that:
Teaching callout: This visual pattern reveals that the Heatwave 380 stands out for having the highest ease of use rating in its price bracket. The consumer appears to have prioritized ease of use over quietness (since they didn't choose the quieter Micro TXi).
Statement 3 Conclusion: HELPS EXPLAIN. The Heatwave 380 does have the highest ease of use rating among models under €250.
Based on our analysis:
Remember, on GMAT table problems, sorting transforms calculation challenges into visual pattern recognition tasks. This approach works across nearly all table analysis questions because it uses your brain's natural pattern recognition abilities rather than relying on sequential calculations.
The consumer wanted to spend no more than €250 but wanted to get the quietest microwave within that budget.
Although quietness was the most important feature to the consumer, to get one with a higher quietness rating would have cost at least €150 more, which the consumer considered to be too expensive.
The microwave's quietness was less important to the consumer than was its ease of use.