A small company has all of its meetings scheduled in locations where any employee can reasonably reach the location of...

GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions

Source: Mock

Two Part Analysis

Verbal - RC

MEDIUM

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Notes

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A small company has all of its meetings scheduled in locations where any employee can reasonably reach the location of a meeting by walking no more than 5 minutes. This corporation has a meeting policy with exactly three requirements: Meetings should not be scheduled during the work hours before 10:00 in the morning or after 3:00 in the afternoon. No meetings scheduled for an employee should conflict with any other meetings scheduled for that employee. Meetings should begin 5 minutes after the scheduled start time. These requirements were designed for the following purposes: first, to prevent an employee from spending too much work time in meetings, and second, to allow employees to attend all their meetings and with sufficient time for traveling between any two meetings.

Statement: The 1_ designed primarily for the first purpose, whereas the 2_ designed primarily for the second purpose. Select for 1 and for 2 the options that create the statement that presents the most plausible explanation of the requirements. Make only two selections, one in each column.

first requirement was the only one of the three requirements

second requirement was the only one of the three requirements

first and second requirements were the only two of the three requirements

second and third requirements were the only two of the three requirements

three requirements were each

Solution

Phase 1: Owning the Dataset

Argument Analysis Table

Passage Statement	Analysis & Implications
"Meetings should not be scheduled during work hours before 10:00 in the morning or after 3:00 in the afternoon"	Core Fact: First requirement limits meetings to 10 AM - 3 PM window Visualization: Only 5 hours available for meetings in a workday Logical Connections: Directly restricts total possible meeting time What We Can Conclude: Prevents excessive meeting hours
"No meetings scheduled for an employee should conflict with any other meetings scheduled for that employee"	Core Fact: Second requirement prevents double-booking Visualization: Employee can't have 2 PM marketing meeting if already has 2 PM finance meeting Logical Connections: Essential for physical attendance at all meetings What We Can Conclude: Enables attending all scheduled meetings
"Meetings should begin 5 minutes after the scheduled start time"	Core Fact: Third requirement builds in 5-minute buffer Visualization: Meeting scheduled at 2:00 PM actually starts at 2:05 PM Logical Connections: Matches the "5 minutes walking" distance mentioned What We Can Conclude: Provides travel time between locations
"First purpose: to prevent an employee from spending too much work time in meetings"	Core Fact: One design goal is limiting meeting time What We Can Conclude: Some requirement(s) must restrict total meeting hours
"Second purpose: to allow employees to attend all their meetings and with sufficient time for traveling"	Core Fact: Other design goal is ensuring attendance and travel feasibility What We Can Conclude: Some requirement(s) must enable conflict-free scheduling and travel time

Key Patterns Identified

Time Restriction Pattern: Only Requirement 1 actually limits when meetings can occur
Attendance Enablement Pattern: Requirements 2 and 3 work together to ensure feasible attendance
Purpose Alignment: Each requirement clearly serves one primary purpose over the other

Phase 2: Question Analysis & Prethinking

Understanding Each Part

Part 1 Focus: Which requirement(s) were designed primarily to prevent excessive meeting time?
Part 2 Focus: Which requirement(s) were designed primarily to enable attendance and travel?
Relationship: These should be complementary - covering all three requirements between them

Valid Inferences Generated

For limiting meeting time: Only the first requirement (10 AM - 3 PM restriction) directly reduces available meeting hours
For enabling attendance: Both the second requirement (no conflicts) and third requirement (5-minute buffer) work to ensure feasible attendance

Phase 3: Answer Choice Evaluation

Analyzing Each Option:

"first requirement was the only one of the three requirements"

What it claims: Only Requirement 1 serves the specified purpose
Fact Support: Requirement 1 is the only one limiting meeting window
Logical Validity: Valid for first purpose (limiting time)
Part Suitability: Perfect for Part 1

"second requirement was the only one of the three requirements"

What it claims: Only Requirement 2 serves the specified purpose
Fact Support: Requirement 2 prevents conflicts but doesn't address travel time
Logical Validity: Incomplete for second purpose
Part Suitability: Not suitable for either part alone

"second and third requirements were the only two of the three requirements"

What it claims: Requirements 2 and 3 together serve the specified purpose
Fact Support: Requirement 2 prevents conflicts; Requirement 3 provides travel buffer
Logical Validity: Valid for second purpose (attendance and travel)
Part Suitability: Perfect for Part 2

Answer Selection

Part 1 Selection: "first requirement was the only one of the three requirements" - Only this requirement limits meeting hours
Part 2 Selection: "second and third requirements were the only two of the three requirements" - Together these enable attendance at all meetings with travel time
Verification: ✓ All three requirements accounted for ✓ Each serves its logical purpose ✓ No speculation required

Final Answer

Part 1: "first requirement was the only one of the three requirements"
Part 2: "second and third requirements were the only two of the three requirements"

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