At a certain company, the Performance Review Committee is a group of employees that have been elected to conduct performance...
GMAT Graphics Interpretation : (GI) Questions
At a certain company, the Performance Review Committee is a group of employees that have been elected to conduct performance evaluations. An employee who is the subject of a performance evaluation writes a self-report and invites fellow employees to submit external evaluations to be considered by the committee. After the self-report and external evaluations have been submitted, the committee meets to conduct the performance review. Attendance is restricted during such reviews. The diagram shows the process for determining whether attendance is mandatory, optional, or prohibited for a given employee.
Select from each drop-down menu the option that creates the most accurate statement.
Owning The Dataset
Table 1: Text Analysis
| Text Component | Literal Content | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Review Committee | group of employees that have been elected to conduct performance evaluations | The evaluation group, selected by employees |
| Subject of evaluation | employee who is the subject of a performance evaluation writes a self-report | The person being evaluated must submit a self-assessment |
| External evaluations | invited fellow employees to submit external evaluations | Other employees may provide feedback on the subject |
| Committee review meeting | After self-report and external evaluations are submitted, committee meets | Committee reviews materials in a closed meeting |
| Attendance restriction | Attendance is restricted during such reviews | Not all employees are permitted in the meeting |
| Attendance decision process | Diagram determines whether attendance is mandatory, optional, or prohibited | Attendance status depends on employee's relationship to review |
Table 2: Chart Analysis
| Chart Component | Chart Description | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Chart type | Decision flowchart with questions and three outcomes | Structured path for determining attendance |
| First branch | Is the employee a committee member? | If yes, they must attend (mandatory) |
| Second branch | Did the employee submit an external evaluation? | If yes (and not a committee member), they are allowed (optional) |
| Third branch | Is the employee the subject of the evaluation? | If yes (and not committee/external evaluator), attendance is prohibited |
| Outcome nodes | Mandatory, Optional, Prohibited | These are the only attendance statuses possible |
Key Insights
- Committee members always have mandatory attendance, overriding all other statuses.
- Submitting an external evaluation grants optional attendance only if not a committee member.
- An employee who is being evaluated is strictly prohibited from attending unless they are a committee member.
- The policy ensures fairness by prioritizing committee participation and excluding the subject unless also holding committee authority.
Step-by-Step Solution
Question 1: Identifying the Restricted Employee
Complete Statement:
According to the diagram, an employee who is [BLANK 1] should never be allowed to attend a performance review unless that employee is also [BLANK 2].
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: an employee who is [BLANK 1]
- Meaning: We need to identify which type of employee is normally prohibited from attending.
- Relation to Chart: The flowchart distinguishes between committee members, external evaluation writers, and subjects of the review.
- Important Implications: Only certain employee roles face a strict prohibition barring an exception.
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: should never be allowed to attend a performance review
- Meaning: This means that the default attendance policy for this employee type is total prohibition.
- Relation to Chart: There is a red endpoint for 'prohibited' in the flowchart, reached along certain paths.
- Important Implications: We must find which role travels the path that results in attendance being 'prohibited.'
What is needed: Which employee type is normally strictly prohibited from attending unless another specific condition is true.
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Trace the decision tree to see which employee role leads to a 'prohibited' result, then note the overriding condition. - Necessary Data points:
Committee members: mandatory attendance. Non-committee members: if external evaluation writer, optional attendance; else, if subject of review, prohibited. - Calculations Estimations:
No calculation, direct logical deduction from decision branches. - Comparison to Answer Choices:
Only 'the subject of the review' leads to 'prohibited' in the absence of committee membership. 'Committee member' is always mandatory; 'external evaluation writer' gets optional if not a committee member.
FINAL ANSWER Blank 1: the subject of the review
Question 2: Identifying the Exception Allowing Attendance
Complete Statement:
According to the diagram, an employee who is the subject of the review should never be allowed to attend a performance review unless that employee is also [BLANK 2].
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: should never be allowed to attend ... unless that employee is also
- Meaning: There exists a single exception to the prohibition for subjects.
- Relation to Chart: The first check in the flowchart asks if the employee is a committee member, which takes precedence over subject status.
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: the subject of the review
- Meaning: This is the group of employees normally barred from attendance.
- Relation to Chart: Becomes relevant after failing the external writer and committee member checks, leading to 'prohibited.'
What is needed: Which status overrides the default prohibition for subjects of the review.
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Determine which role or property allows subjects of the review to attend despite the initial prohibition. - Necessary Data points:
Being a committee member is checked first and always leads to mandatory attendance, even for subjects. - Calculations Estimations:
No estimation needed—flowchart structure provides a hierarchy of checks. - Comparison to Answer Choices:
'A committee member' is the only answer that overrides and allows attendance for subjects of the review.
FINAL ANSWER Blank 2: a committee member
Summary
The chart shows that only subjects of the review are strictly prohibited from attending, but this prohibition is lifted if they are also committee members. Thus, the answers are: BLANK 1 = 'the subject of the review'; BLANK 2 = 'a committee member'.
Question Independence Analysis
The two blanks are dependent. The second blank (the exception to the rule) only makes sense when identified in the context of the first blank (who is being restricted).