For a certain radio station in India, the table shows the songs ranked among the top 10 during Week W....
GMAT Table Analysis : (TA) Questions
For a certain radio station in India, the table shows the songs ranked among the top 10 during Week W. The rankings are determined by the number of listener requests for each song, with rank 1 being the most requested, rank 2 the second-most requested, and so on. Lesser numbers constitute higher rankings. The table also gives, as of Week W, each song's rank for the previous week, the number of weeks it has been among the top 20, and its peak rank (the highest ranking it has achieved). In the column for Previous week's rank, "n/a" indicates that the song was not ranked in the week immediately prior to Week W.
| Week W rank | Song | Previous week's rank | Weeks in top 20 | Peak rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | B | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| 3 | C | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | D | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 5 | E | 3 | 11 | 1 |
| 6 | F | n/a | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | G | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 8 | H | 10 | 3 | 8 |
| 9 | I | 12 | 5 | 9 |
| 10 | J | 13 | 2 | 10 |
For each of the following questions, select Can be answered if that question can be answered using only the information in the table. Otherwise, select Cannot be answered.
OWNING THE DATASET
Let's start by understanding what we're working with. This table shows 10 songs currently in the top 10 for "Week W" along with their previous week's rankings and peak positions.
Key insights about this dataset:
- We only see data for songs currently in the top 10 (crucial limitation!)
- Some songs have "n/a" for previous week, meaning they're completely new to the charts
- Some songs have previous ranks >10, meaning they were lower on the charts last week
- The "Peak rank" column shows the highest position each song has ever achieved
Looking at one example row helps us understand the relationships:
| Song | Week W rank | Previous week's rank | Peak rank |
| A | 1 | 1 | 1 |
This shows Song A is currently #1, was also #1 last week, and has peaked at #1.
Note: This is a "one-way dataset" - we only see songs currently in the top 10, not songs that were in the top 10 last week but fell out. This insight will be crucial for our approach!
ANALYZING STATEMENT 3 (Starting here strategically!)
Statement 3 Translation:
Original: "At least one song that was among the top 10 songs last week is ranked lower than 10th in the current week."
What we're looking for:
- Songs that were in top 10 last week
- That are now ranked worse than 10th (i.e., not in the current top 10)
In other words: Are any songs from last week's top 10 missing from this week's top 10?
Let's think about what we need to answer this. We'd need to know which songs were in the top 10 last week but aren't in the current top 10. However, our table only shows songs that are currently in the top 10!
Looking at the "Previous week's rank" column, we can quickly scan for values 1-10 to see which of last week's top 10 songs are still in the top 10:
- We find 7 songs that have previous week ranks between 1-10
- Specifically, ranks 7, 8, and 9 from last week are missing from our table
But here's the key insight: We can't determine if those missing songs dropped below rank 10 or if they're simply no longer being tracked. The data doesn't tell us where those songs are now ranked.
Answer for Statement 3: CANNOT BE ANSWERED
Teaching callout: Notice how understanding the dataset limitations immediately saved us from a potential trap! In table analysis, recognizing what data you don't have is just as important as working with what you do have.
ANALYZING STATEMENT 2
Statement 2 Translation:
Original: "Exactly 3 of the top 10 songs in the current week were not among the top 10 songs last week."
What we're looking for:
- Songs currently in the top 10
- That were NOT in the top 10 last week (previous rank > 10 or n/a)
- Count must be exactly 3
In other words: Are there exactly 3 songs in the current top 10 that are new to the top 10?
For this statement, let's use sorting to make our job easier.
First, let's sort by "Previous week's rank" to group similar values together. This instantly helps us identify which songs were not in the top 10 last week.
After sorting, we can see:
- Song F: "n/a" (completely new to the charts)
- Song I: Previous rank 12
- Song J: Previous rank 13
- All other songs have previous ranks between 1-6
By sorting, we've instantly found that exactly 3 songs (F, I, and J) were not in the top 10 last week.
Answer for Statement 2: CAN BE ANSWERED
Teaching callout: Notice how sorting allowed us to see the answer at a glance! Instead of checking each song individually (which would take 10 separate checks), sorting grouped the relevant songs together for immediate recognition.
ANALYZING STATEMENT 1
Statement 1 Translation:
Original: "Exactly 1 of the songs ranked in the top 5 positions in the current week had a better rank last week than in the current week."
What we're looking for:
- Songs currently in top 5
- Where previous rank was better (lower number) than current rank
- Count must be exactly 1
In other words: Did exactly one of the current top 5 songs drop in ranking from last week?
Let's sort by "Week W rank" to focus only on the top 5 songs. Then we'll compare their current ranks with their previous ranks.
For songs ranked 1-5 this week:
- Song A: Current rank 1, Previous rank 1 → No change (→)
- Song B: Current rank 2, Previous rank 2 → No change (→)
- Song C: Current rank 3, Previous rank 6 → Improved rank (↑)
- Song D: Current rank 4, Previous rank 4 → No change (→)
- Song E: Current rank 5, Previous rank 3 → Worse rank (↓)
Looking for songs where previous rank is better (lower number) than current rank, we find only Song E (previous 3, current 5) has dropped in ranking.
Answer for Statement 1: CAN BE ANSWERED
Teaching callout: By sorting first and focusing only on the top 5 songs, we dramatically reduced our workload. We also avoided unnecessary calculations by simply comparing the direction of change rather than calculating exact differences.
FINAL ANSWER COMPILATION
Looking at our analysis of all three statements:
- Statement 1: CAN BE ANSWERED
- Statement 2: CAN BE ANSWERED
- Statement 3: CANNOT BE ANSWERED
The correct answer is (D): Statements 1 and 2 are CAN BE ANSWERED, Statement 3 CANNOT BE ANSWERED.
LEARNING SUMMARY
Skills We Used
- Dataset limitation recognition: Immediately identifying that we only had data on current top 10 songs, not all songs
- Strategic sorting: Letting the computer do the work by sorting to reveal patterns
- Visual pattern recognition: After sorting, we could see answers without lengthy calculations
- Focused comparison: Only examining the rows needed for each statement
Strategic Insights
- Start with the statement that reveals dataset limitations: Statement 3 immediately showed us a key limitation
- Use sorting as your primary strategy: Always ask "How can sorting make this easier?"
- Look for groups after sorting: Sorting places similar values together for immediate pattern recognition
- Check only what you need: For Statement 1, we only needed to check the top 5 songs
Common Mistakes We Avoided
- Checking every row individually when sorting could group similar items
- Wasting time on exact calculations when only the direction of change mattered
- Trying to answer Statement 3 despite the dataset limitations
- Starting with Statement 1 when Statement 3 revealed a key dataset insight first
Remember: In table analysis questions, your approach matters just as much as your calculations. Always spend those first few seconds understanding what your dataset can and cannot tell you, and use sorting to transform complex data into visible patterns!
How many of the top 5 songs for Week W had a higher rank for Week W than they did for the previous week?
How many of the top 10 songs for Week W were not among the top 10 in the previous week?
How many of the top 10 songs for the week immediately prior to Week W have ever been at ranking 1?