A restaurant asked a focus group to rate 5 new dishes, each of which features either beef, chicken, fish, pork,...
GMAT Graphics Interpretation : (GI) Questions
A restaurant asked a focus group to rate 5 new dishes, each of which features either beef, chicken, fish, pork, or tofu. The focus group was asked to make a comparison of each pair of dishes and to choose which of the two dishes they preferred. The graphic shows the focus group's preferences. For example, when the focus group compared the dish featuring beef to the dish featuring chicken, their preference was the dish featuring chicken, and this is indicated at the intersection of the horizontal row containing the label beef on the far right and the vertical column containing the label chicken at the top.
From each drop-down menu, select the option that creates the most accurate statement based on the information provided.
Owning the Dataset
Table 1: Text Analysis
| Text Component | Literal Content | Simple Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Study setup | "A restaurant asked a focus group to rate 5 new dishes" | A restaurant invited people to judge 5 different new dishes |
| Dish types | "each of which features either beef, chicken, fish, pork, or tofu" | The dishes are based on beef, chicken, fish, pork, or tofu |
| Comparison method | "the focus group was asked to make a comparison of each pair of dishes and to choose which of the two dishes they preferred" | Participants compared every possible pair of dishes and chose their favorite in each matchup |
| Chart description | "the graphic shows the focus group's preferences" | The chart summarizes which dishes won in each comparison |
| Chart usage example | "when the focus group compared ... beef ... chicken ... their preference was ... chicken ... indicated at the intersection ... row containing ... beef ... and ... column containing ... chicken" | Find the intersection of a dish's row and another dish's column to see which dish was preferred in that matchup |
Table 2: Chart Analysis
| Chart Component | What's Shown | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Chart type | Square matrix with dish names as labels (right and top) | Displays every pairwise comparison between the five dishes |
| Cell content | Name of preferred dish for each dish pair | Shows which dish won for every possible matchup |
| Triangular matrix | Only cells above or below diagonal are filled | Each comparison is only shown once: no redundant or duplicate entries |
| Visual pattern | Tofu appears as winner in all tofu comparisons; pork never appears as a winner | Tofu wins every matchup; pork loses all |
| Win counts | Tofu (4), Chicken (2), Fish (2), Beef (1), Pork (0) | Quantifies overall preferences among dishes |
Key Insights
Tofu is the clear favorite, winning every possible comparison and appearing as the preferred choice in every matchup it appears in. Pork is the least preferred, losing in every comparison and never being selected as the favorite in any pairing. Chicken and fish are equally preferred in the middle, while beef wins only one comparison. The clear preference order is: Tofu > Chicken = Fish > Beef > Pork.
Step-by-Step Solution
Question 1: Identify the Dish Preferred Over All Others
Complete Statement:
The focus group preferred the dish featuring ______ to every other dish.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: preferred the dish featuring ______
- Meaning: Looking for the one dish that was chosen over the others
- Relation to Chart: The matrix shows which dish won in each head-to-head comparison
- Important Implications: We need to find the dish that was always picked as the winner in each matchup
- Key Phrase: preferred the dish featuring ______
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: to every other dish
- Meaning: The chosen dish must have beaten all the other options
- Relation to Chart: Check for a row/column (for that dish) showing only that dish as winner across all matchups
- Important Implications: Only one dish can be the universal winner in all comparisons
- Key Phrase: to every other dish
- What is needed: Which single dish won every pairwise comparison against all other dishes
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Scan the matrix and see which dish appears as the preferred one in all its paired comparisons. - Necessary Data points:
The number of times each dish is listed as the preferred dish in comparisons with other dishes.- Calculations Estimations:
Tofu is the winner in all its four comparisons (4 wins). No other dish achieves this. - Comparison to Answer Choices:
Tofu has 4 wins, Beef 1, Chicken 2, Fish 2, Pork 0. Only tofu is universally preferred.
- Calculations Estimations:
FINAL ANSWER Blank 1: Tofu
Question 2: Identify the Dish Least Preferred by the Group
Complete Statement:
The focus group preferred every other dish to the dish featuring ______.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: preferred every other dish
- Meaning: All the other dishes were chosen above this dish in comparisons
- Relation to Chart: This dish never appears as a winner in the matrix
- Key Phrase: preferred every other dish
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: to the dish featuring ______
- Meaning: The dish in the blank lost all its direct comparisons
- Relation to Chart: Check for a row/column for a dish that shows it as loser in every matchup
- Key Phrase: to the dish featuring ______
- What is needed: Which dish lost every pairwise comparison against all other dishes
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Review the comparison matrix for a dish that never appears as the winner. - Necessary Data points:
The number of times each dish is listed as the loser (or never as the winner) in pairwise matchups.- Calculations Estimations:
Pork is never the preferred dish in any of its four matchups (0 wins). - Comparison to Answer Choices:
Only Pork has zero wins; all other dishes have at least one win.
- Calculations Estimations:
FINAL ANSWER Blank 2: Pork
Summary
By reviewing the pairwise preference matrix, it's clear that tofu was selected over every other dish (winning every matchup), and pork was never selected as the winner (losing every matchup). Thus, tofu fills the first blank, and pork fills the second.
Question Independence Analysis
The two questions are independent; one asks for the universally preferred dish while the other asks for the universally least preferred. Each requires identifying a distinct pattern (all wins, or all losses) in the comparison matrix.