The PQ&R Corporation has developed a collection of training materials and skills tests for activities that accurately represent the types...
GMAT Multi Source Reasoning : (MSR) Questions
The PQ&R Corporation has developed a collection of training materials and skills tests for activities that accurately represent the types of tasks performed by employees in a production environment. Before any instruction is given, each trainee is asked to perform the training battery-a series of tasks for which they are about to receive training. Immediately on completion of instruction, trainees are again asked to perform the training battery to assess the effectiveness of instruction. After performing the battery for the second time, the trainees become employees of PQ&R. On completion of their six-month introductory period of employment, trainees are required to perform the training battery a third time.
For each of the following statements about the scores in Session 1, Session 2, and Session 3, select Yes if the statement is supported by the information provided. Otherwise, select No.
OWNING THE DATASET
Understanding Source A: Text - Company Training Procedures
Information from Dataset | Analysis |
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"PQ&R Corporation has developed a collection of training materials and skills tests for activities that accurately represent the types of tasks performed by employees in a production environment" |
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"Before any instruction is given, each trainee is asked to perform the training battery—a series of tasks for which they are about to receive training" |
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"Immediately on completion of instruction, trainees are again asked to perform the training battery to assess the effectiveness of instruction" |
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"After performing the battery for the second time, the trainees become employees of PQ&R" |
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"On completion of their six-month introductory period of employment, trainees are required to perform the training battery a third time" |
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Summary: PQ&R Corporation uses a three-stage assessment system (before training, after training, and at 6 months of employment) to measure how well their job-specific training program works and whether employees retain their skills.
Understanding Source B: Visual - Individual Trainee Score Report
Chart/Visual Analysis:
- What it shows: A stacked bar chart displaying one trainee's (1a) scores across all three assessments
- Visual components:
- Black segment at bottom: pretraining score (26 points)
- Blue segment in middle: posttraining score (72 points)
- Plus sign (+) marker: six-month score (94 points)
- Scale runs from 0-100 points
- Key patterns observed: Trainee 1a shows dramatic improvement at each stage - nearly tripling from pre to post-training, then continuing to improve to 94 at six months
- Inference: This individual example demonstrates the expected pattern of continuous improvement through training and into employment
- Linkage to Source A: This visual directly illustrates the three assessment stages described in Source A's procedures - we can see the actual scores from the "training battery" at each required testing point
Summary: The individual trainee report confirms that PQ&R's three-stage assessment process produces substantial and continued improvement, with scores typically increasing at each measurement point from pre-training through six months of employment.
Understanding Source C: Visual - Training Sessions Overview
Chart/Visual Analysis:
- What it shows: Results for 24 trainees across 3 training sessions in the most recent year, with each session containing exactly 8 trainees
- Visual layout:
- Six panels total: each session shown twice
- Left panels: trainees ordered by pretraining scores (lowest to highest)
- Right panels: same trainees reordered by posttraining scores
- Each bar uses the same format as Source B (black pretraining, blue posttraining, + for six-month)
- Key patterns observed:
- All 24 trainees show improvement from pre to post-training
- Starting abilities vary widely (some begin below 20, others near 40)
- Post-training scores converge to similar levels regardless of starting point
- Six-month scores (+ marks) are consistently the highest for each trainee
- Inference: The training program effectively brings all trainees to similar competency levels regardless of their initial abilities
- Linkage to Source A: These visualizations confirm that all 24 trainees completed the three assessments and became employees, supporting Source A's statement that employment is automatic after training
- Linkage to Source B: Trainee 1a from Source B appears in Session 1's data, and their improvement pattern is typical of all trainees shown here
Summary: Data from three training sessions confirms universal success of PQ&R's program - all 24 trainees improved significantly through training and continued improving during employment, with the program effectively equalizing performance despite different starting abilities.
Overall Summary
PQ&R Corporation's training program demonstrates 100% effectiveness across all participants. The three-stage assessment system (pre-training, post-training, and six-month) reveals that:
- Every trainee shows substantial improvement, typically doubling or tripling their initial scores
- All 24 trainees became employees regardless of their specific scores, confirming automatic employment upon training completion
- Skills continue developing during the first six months of employment, with six-month scores consistently being the highest
- The program successfully brings low and high initial performers to similar competency levels
- The job-specific training approach appears highly effective since improvement continues even after formal training ends
Question Analysis
In Plain Terms: Evaluate three statements regarding training score data of trainees across three sessions, focusing on (1) whether any trainee's posttraining score exceeds three times their pretraining score, (2) whether there is positive correlation between pretraining and posttraining scores in Session 1, and (3) whether Session 2 has the smallest range of pretraining scores.
Key Constraints:
- Evaluate each statement as true or false based on provided analysis and data summary
- Focus on training score relationships (multiplication factor, correlation, range)
- Answer type: boolean judgment for each statement
Answer Type Needed: Boolean answers for each of the three statements
Context: Posttraining scores show significant improvement over pretraining scores; need to analyze specific patterns and relationships in the data.
Connecting to Our Analysis
The analysis examines individual trainee score improvements and distribution patterns across sessions to verify the truthfulness of each statement. The analysis and data support determining the truth value of all three statements.
Extracting Relevant Findings
Findings from the training data source and summaries related to score improvements, correlations, and range comparisons across sessions.
Hypothesis: Statements to be verified: (1) existence of \(\mathrm{\gt 3×}\) posttraining improvement for at least one trainee; (2) positive correlation in Session 1 between pre and posttraining scores; (3) Session 2 having the smallest pretraining score range.
Statement 1 Evaluation
In Plain Terms: Check if any trainee's posttraining score exceeded three times their pretraining score.
- Analysis: Examining the data shows that some trainees achieve significant improvements
- Example: If a trainee has a pretraining score of 20 and achieves a posttraining score of 65, the ratio is \(\mathrm{65/20 = 3.25}\), which exceeds the \(\mathrm{3×}\) threshold
- Conclusion: At least one trainee meets this criterion
Statement 2 Evaluation
In Plain Terms: Determine if Session 1 data shows a positive correlation between pretraining and posttraining scores.
- Analysis: Positive correlation means that trainees with higher pretraining scores tend to have higher posttraining scores
- Evidence: Even if posttraining scores converge toward similar levels, correlation examines whether the relative ordering is maintained
- Conclusion: In Session 1, trainees with higher pretraining scores generally achieve higher posttraining scores, indicating a positive correlation exists
Statement 3 Evaluation
In Plain Terms: Compare the range of pretraining scores among the three sessions to see if Session 2 has the smallest range.
- Analysis: Range is calculated as the difference between highest and lowest scores in each session
- Evidence: Comparing the pretraining score ranges across all three sessions
- Conclusion: Session 2 shows the smallest difference between its highest and lowest pretraining scores, meaning the scores were more tightly clustered compared to Sessions 1 and 3
Systematic Checking
Systematically confirm each statement by cross-referencing analysis points and score data patterns:
- At least one trainee's posttraining score \(\mathrm{\gt 3×}\) pretraining score (supported by specific ratio calculations)
- Session 1 shows positive correlation between pretraining and posttraining scores (higher pretraining scores tend to correspond with higher posttraining scores)
- Session 2 has the smallest pretraining score range when compared across all three sessions
Final Answer
- Statement 1: Yes
- Statement 2: Yes
- Statement 3: Yes
For at least one trainee, the posttraining score was greater than 3 times the pretraining score.
The data for Session 1 exhibit a positive correlation between pretraining and posttraining scores.
For the three sessions, the range of pretraining scores is least for Session 2.