Adiliah, Bao, Davi, Laszlo, Saleema, and Yarah work in a firm's legal department. Adiliah supervises Bao and Davi, Davi supervises...
GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions
Adiliah, Bao, Davi, Laszlo, Saleema, and Yarah work in a firm's legal department. Adiliah supervises Bao and Davi, Davi supervises Laszlo, and Laszlo supervises Saleema and Yarah. These are the only supervisory relationships involving these six employees. Each document that the department processes must be initially reviewed by exactly one department member. Each document reviewed by a department member must then be reviewed by that person's supervisor. No other rules require anyone else to review any document. Anyone not required to review a given document will not review it.
Select Laszlo among reviewers for the maximum number of department members that could have reviewed a single document if Laszlo was among the reviewers. Select Adiliah among reviewers for the maximum number of department members that could have reviewed a single document if Adiliah was among the reviewers. Make only two selections, one in each column.
Solution: Document Review Chain Analysis
Visual Representation of Supervision Hierarchy
Adiliah
/ \
Bao Davi
|
Laszlo
/ \
Saleema Yarah
Understanding the Review Process
Key Rules:
- Initial review: Exactly one department member
- Chain rule: Each reviewer's supervisor must also review
- No extras: Only required reviewers participate
- Chain continues: Until reaching someone with no supervisor
Part 1: Maximum Reviewers with Laszlo
Possible Scenarios:
- Laszlo initiates
- Review chain: Laszlo → Davi → Adiliah
- Total reviewers: 3
- Saleema or Yarah initiates
- Review chain: Saleema/Yarah → Laszlo → Davi → Adiliah
- Total reviewers: 4
Critical Insight:
To maximize reviewers when Laszlo is included, start the chain from someone Laszlo supervises. This creates the longest possible chain through the hierarchy.
Maximum with Laszlo: 4 reviewers
Part 2: Maximum Reviewers with Adiliah
Key Constraint:
Adiliah has no supervisor, so she cannot initiate a review (no one would review after her).
Possible Chains Ending at Adiliah:
From Bao: Bao → Adiliah (2 reviewers)
From Davi: Davi → Adiliah (2 reviewers)
From Laszlo: Laszlo → Davi → Adiliah (3 reviewers)
From Saleema/Yarah: Saleema/Yarah → Laszlo → Davi → Adiliah (4 reviewers)
Critical Insight:
The longest chain to Adiliah starts from the bottom of the hierarchy (Saleema or Yarah), creating a 4-person review chain.
Maximum with Adiliah: 4 reviewers
Final Answer
- Laszlo among reviewers: Select 4
- Adiliah among reviewers: Select 4
Key Exam Strategy
For hierarchy-based TPA questions:
- Visualize the structure immediately
- Identify chain patterns - reviews flow upward
- Find extremes logically - longest chains start from the bottom
- Skip exhaustive testing - once you identify the pattern, apply it directly