Four students from Mistville and four from Fogtown will attend school in New York City this year, and each group...
GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions
Four students from Mistville and four from Fogtown will attend school in New York City this year, and each group will rent an apartment. Type A apartments are each \(\mathrm{1,390}\) square feet, have 2 bedrooms, a \(\mathrm{10 \times 10}\)-foot kitchen, and are 4 miles from the school. The price per square foot per month is \(\mathrm{\$1.94}\). Type B apartments are each \(\mathrm{1,250}\) square feet, have 3 bedrooms, an \(\mathrm{11 \times 11}\)-foot kitchen, and are 3 miles from the school. The rent is \(\mathrm{\$2,250}\) per month. Type C apartments are each \(\mathrm{1,210}\) square feet, have 2 bedrooms, a \(\mathrm{7 \times 9}\)-foot kitchen, and are 4.5 miles from the school. The rent is \(\mathrm{\$2,190}\) per month. The Mistville students choose a type C apartment and the Fogtown students choose a type A apartment.
Assume, for each group of students, that the group's choice of apartment type was based solely on an accurate assessment, using only the information above, of which apartment type met a particular criterion listed in the table. For each group, select that group's criterion. Make only two selections, one in each column.
Let's visualize this problem to make it crystal clear with a comparison table of all apartment features.
Phase 1: Owning the Dataset
Let's organize all apartment information in a comprehensive table:
| Feature | Type A | Type B | Type C |
| Total Square Footage | 1,390 sq ft | 1,250 sq ft | 1,210 sq ft |
| Bedrooms | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Kitchen Size | \(10 \times 10 = 100\) sq ft | \(11 \times 11 = 121\) sq ft | \(7 \times 9 = 63\) sq ft |
| Distance from School | 4 miles | 3 miles | 4.5 miles |
| Price per sq ft/month | $1.94 | Need to calculate | Need to calculate |
| Total Rent/month | Need to calculate | $2,250 | $2,190 |
Let's calculate the missing values:
- Type A total rent: \(1,390 \times \$1.94 = \$2,696.60\) per month
- Type B price per sq ft: \(\$2,250 \div 1,250 = \$1.80\) per sq ft
- Type C price per sq ft: \(\$2,190 \div 1,210 = \$1.81\) per sq ft (use calculator for precision)
Phase 2: Understanding the Question
We need to determine which criterion each group used to select their apartment:
- Mistville students chose Type C
- Fogtown students chose Type A
Each group based their choice on ONE criterion where their chosen apartment type was the best.
Phase 3: Finding the Answer
Let's determine which apartment type wins for each criterion:
- Lowest rent:
- Type A: $2,696.60
- Type B: $2,250
- Type C: $2,190 ✓ (Winner)
- Largest kitchen (square footage):
- Type A: 100 sq ft
- Type B: 121 sq ft ✓ (Winner)
- Type C: 63 sq ft
- Greatest number of bedrooms:
- Type A: 2
- Type B: 3 ✓ (Winner)
- Type C: 2
- Largest total square footage:
- Type A: 1,390 sq ft ✓ (Winner)
- Type B: 1,250 sq ft
- Type C: 1,210 sq ft
- Fewest miles from school:
- Type A: 4 miles
- Type B: 3 miles ✓ (Winner)
- Type C: 4.5 miles
- Lowest price per square foot:
- Type A: $1.94
- Type B: $1.80 ✓ (Winner)
- Type C: $1.81
Phase 4: Solution
Matching student choices with winning criteria:
Mistville students chose Type C:
Type C wins in only ONE criterion: Lowest rent
Fogtown students chose Type A:
Type A wins in only ONE criterion: Largest total square footage
Therefore:
- Mistville students: Lowest rent
- Fogtown students: Largest total square footage