A small British retail store has the following 6 monthly goals (Goals 1-6).The median number of transactions for the cashiers...

GMAT Multi Source Reasoning : (MSR) Questions

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Goals

Cashiers

Value

A small British retail store has the following 6 monthly goals (Goals 1-6).

The median number of transactions for the cashiers should be greater than 2,000.
The arithmetic mean number of transactions for the cashiers should be greater than 2,000.
Each cashier should have a minimum of 1,800 transactions.
The median value of the transactions for the cashiers should be greater than 10 pounds sterling (£).
The arithmetic mean value of the transactions for each cashier should be greater than £10.
The arithmetic mean value of all the transactions should be greater than £10.

Ques. 1/3

For each of the following cashiers, select Yes if the information provided indicates that the cashier had a greater number of transactions than the amount indicated in Goal 3 for each of Months 1, 2, and 3. Otherwise, select No.

Yes

Cashier 5

Yes

Cashier 6

Yes

Cashier 7

Solution

OWNING THE DATASET

Understanding Source A: Text - Goals Document

Information from Dataset	Analysis
"A small British retail store has the following 6 monthly goals (Goals 1-6)"	The store has official performance goals measured each month This is a British store using pounds sterling (£)
"1. The median number of transactions for the cashiers should be greater than 2,000"	Each cashier's transaction count is tracked Median = middle value when all cashiers are ranked Inference: Using median suggests concern about outliers - very high or low performers won't skew the measure
"2. The arithmetic mean number of transactions for the cashiers should be greater than 2,000"	Mean = average of all cashiers' transactions Same 2,000 target as median Inference: Tracking both median and mean shows comprehensive performance monitoring
"3. Each cashier should have a minimum of 1,800 transactions"	Individual minimum standard for every cashier No cashier should fall below 1,800 Inference: This is 200 transactions below the median/mean targets - a safety floor
"4. The median value of the transactions for the cashiers should be greater than 10 pounds sterling (£)"	Now tracking transaction value, not just count £10 target for typical transaction size Inference: Uses median again to avoid skewing by very large/small purchases
"5. The arithmetic mean value of the transactions for each cashier should be greater than £10"	Each individual cashier needs £10+ average transaction value This is per-cashier, not store-wide Inference: Every cashier must maintain quality transactions
"6. The arithmetic mean value of all the transactions should be greater than £10"	Overall store average transaction value Combines all cashiers together Inference: Both individual and collective performance matter

Summary: The store tracks six monthly goals focusing on transaction volume (Goals 1-3) and transaction value (Goals 4-6), with targets for both individual cashiers and overall store performance.

Understanding Source B: Table - Cashier Transaction Data

Information from Dataset	Analysis
"For the three months shown in the table, the retail store had exactly 7 cashiers"	Store has consistent staff of 7 cashiers No turnover during this period Inference: All cashiers worked all three months
"The table shows the number of transactions for each cashier in these three months"	This is transaction count data only (not values) Complete data with no gaps Linkage to Source A: This data directly measures Goals 1-3
Month 1 data: Cashier 1 (2,145) to Cashier 7 (1,786)	Cashier 1 had most transactions Cashier 7 had fewest Inference: 359 transaction spread between highest and lowest Linkage to Source A: Cashier 7 failed Goal 3 (1,800 minimum)
Month 2 data: Range 1,744 to 2,045	Cashiers 3 and 6 tied for most (2,045) Cashier 7 again had fewest (1,744) Inference: Slightly lower overall performance than Month 1 Linkage to Source A: Cashier 7 failed Goal 3 again
Month 3 data: Range 1,790 to 2,189	Cashier 1 led again with 2,189 Cashier 5 had fewest (1,790) Inference: More variation in this month Linkage to Source A: Cashier 5 failed Goal 3 this month
Total transactions: Month 1: 14,242; Month 2: 13,295; Month 3: 13,585	Month 1 had highest volume Month 2 was slowest Month 3 showed partial recovery Linkage to Source A: These totals help calculate means and medians for Goals 1-2

Summary: The transaction data reveals individual cashier performance over three months, with Month 2 showing the weakest performance and several cashiers failing to meet the 1,800 minimum in various months.

Understanding Source C: Table - Transaction Value Data

Information from Dataset	Analysis
"For each of Months 1-3, the table shows the total value of all transactions for that month"	Aggregate financial data for same period Values combined across all cashiers Linkage to Source A: This helps evaluate Goals 4-6 about transaction values
"Month 1: £159,937.66"	Highest revenue month Precise accounting to the penny Linkage to Source B: Although Month 1 had the most transactions (14,242), Month 3 achieved the highest revenue
"Month 2: £127,100.20"	Lowest revenue month About £33,000 less than Month 1 Linkage to Source B: Confirms Month 2's poor performance - lowest in both transactions AND revenue
"Month 3: £165,193.60"	Best performing month financially Even higher than Month 1 Inference: Strong recovery from Month 2 Linkage to Sources A & B: Month 3 had fewer transactions than Month 1 but higher revenue, suggesting better average transaction values (relevant to Goals 4-6)

Summary: The value data shows Month 3 achieved the highest revenue despite having fewer transactions than Month 1, indicating improved transaction quality, while Month 2 performed poorly in both volume and value.

Overall Summary

The dataset reveals a British retail store tracking detailed performance metrics for 7 cashiers over 3 months. Key insights include:

Month 2 was the worst performing period across all metrics (lowest transactions and revenue)
Month 3 achieved the highest revenue with fewer transactions than Month 1, indicating higher average transaction values
Several cashiers failed to meet the 1,800 minimum transaction requirement, particularly Cashier 7 who failed in two months
Evaluating all six goals requires combining the transaction count data with value data to calculate per-cashier averages

Question Analysis

The question asks whether each cashier (5, 6, and 7) had more than 1,800 transactions in each of the three months. The key constraints are:

Must exceed Goal 3 amount (1,800 transactions)
Must be true for all three months
Evaluate each cashier separately

This requires a Yes/No evaluation for each cashier based on whether they consistently met the threshold across all periods.

Connecting to Our Analysis

The analysis shows Source A defines Goal 3 as minimum 1,800 transactions, and Source B provides exact transaction counts for all cashiers across all months. The transaction data and Goal 3 threshold are clearly stated, allowing for definitive evaluation of each cashier's performance against the requirement.

Extracting Relevant Findings

Evaluating each cashier's transaction counts against the 1,800 minimum threshold for all three months:

Goal 3 baseline: Minimum 1,800 transactions per month

Requirement: Each cashier must exceed 1,800 transactions in all three months

Cashier 5 Performance:

Month 1: 2,041 transactions \(\mathrm{(2,041 \gt 1,800)}\) - Exceeded by 241
Month 2: 1,789 transactions \(\mathrm{(1,789 \lt 1,800)}\) - Failed by 11
Month 3: 1,790 transactions \(\mathrm{(1,790 \lt 1,800)}\) - Failed by 10
Result: NO - Failed in months 2 and 3

Cashier 6 Performance:

Month 1: 1,994 transactions \(\mathrm{(1,994 \gt 1,800)}\) - Exceeded by 194
Month 2: 2,045 transactions \(\mathrm{(2,045 \gt 1,800)}\) - Exceeded by 245
Month 3: 1,981 transactions \(\mathrm{(1,981 \gt 1,800)}\) - Exceeded by 181
Result: YES - Exceeded minimum in all three months

Cashier 7 Performance:

Month 1: 1,786 transactions \(\mathrm{(1,786 \lt 1,800)}\) - Failed by 14
Month 2: 1,744 transactions \(\mathrm{(1,744 \lt 1,800)}\) - Failed by 56
Month 3: 1,970 transactions \(\mathrm{(1,970 \gt 1,800)}\) - Exceeded by 170
Result: NO - Failed in months 1 and 2

Individual Statement/Option Evaluations

Statement 1 Evaluation: "Yes"

Criteria: Whether all cashiers (5, 6, and 7) exceeded 1,800 transactions in each of the three months
Evidence: Only Cashier 6 met the requirement for all three months, while Cashiers 5 and 7 failed in multiple months
Analysis: Since the question asks about "each cashier," all three must succeed for this to be true
Conclusion: FALSE - Not all cashiers met the requirement

Statement 2 Evaluation: "No"

Criteria: Whether it is correct that not all cashiers exceeded 1,800 transactions in each month
Evidence: Cashier 5 failed in months 2 and 3, Cashier 7 failed in months 1 and 2, only Cashier 6 succeeded in all months
Analysis: Since 2 out of 3 cashiers failed to meet the consistent monthly requirement, the answer "No" is accurate
Conclusion: TRUE - "No" correctly reflects that the requirement was not universally met

Systematic Checking

Verification of transaction counts from Source B against Goal 3 from Source A:

Cashier 5: Exceeded only in Month 1 (2,041 transactions)
Cashier 6: Exceeded in all months (1,994, 2,045, 1,981 transactions respectively)
Cashier 7: Exceeded only in Month 3 (1,970 transactions)
Only Cashier 6 met the requirement for all three months
Final assessment: Cashier 5 - No, Cashier 6 - Yes, Cashier 7 - No

Final Answer

Statement 1: No
Statement 2: Yes

Answer Choices Explained

Yes

Cashier 5

Yes

Cashier 6

Yes

Cashier 7

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