The Ramos family of 4 is estimating the cost of a planned trip that includes 4 round-trip airline tickets (each...

GMAT Multi Source Reasoning : (MSR) Questions

Source: Mock

Multi Source Reasoning

Case Study

HARD

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Trip Plans

Airline Costs

Rental Fees

The Ramos family of 4 is estimating the cost of a planned trip that includes 4 round-trip airline tickets (each consisting of 2 nonstop flights—one to their destination and the other back home) and 1 hotel room for the 6 days/nights at their destination.

While at their destination, they can use public transportation, which they estimate will cost a total of $200, or they can rent a car. If they rent a car for the 6 days, they will be charged a total of $150 for parking at the hotel in addition to paying the daily rental fee for the car for each of the 6 days. Also, if and only if they rent a car, the 2 children will each need to be buckled into an appropriate child safety seat, which the Ramos family can take with them or rent for a separate fee where they rent the car. They are not including any estimated gasoline costs in their planning.

They plan to take a total of 3 suitcases on each of the nonstop flights, and each suitcase will be checked as a separate baggage item for each nonstop flight. If they take their own child safety seats, then each seat will be checked as a separate baggage item, and they will check a total of 5 baggage items on each flight.

Ques. 1/3

Assume the Ramos family plans to use Airline A5. According to the information provided, if they rent only a car from the company with the lowest daily rate, then their estimated costs would be, at a minimum, how much more than their estimated costs if they use public transportation?

102

212

350

450

Solution

OWNING THE DATASET

Understanding Source A: Text Source - Trip Planning Document

Information from Dataset	Analysis
""The Ramos family of 4 is estimating the cost of a planned trip that includes 4 round-trip airline tickets""	Family of 4 people planning a trip Need to buy 4 round-trip airline tickets Inference: Trip is in planning stage (not yet booked)
""each consisting of 2 nonstop flights—one to their destination and the other back home""	Each round-trip ticket includes 2 separate flights No layovers or connections Inference: Total of 8 flight segments for the family
""1 hotel room for the 6 days/nights at their destination""	Single hotel room for all 4 family members Inference: Stay duration is exactly 6 nights
""use public transportation, which they estimate will cost a total of $200, or they can rent a car""	Two transportation options at destination Public transport = $200 total Inference: These are mutually exclusive options
""rent a car for the 6 days...charged a total of $150 for parking at the hotel in addition to paying the daily rental fee""	Car rental period matches hotel stay (6 days) Hotel parking costs extra $150 (fixed cost) Inference: Daily rental fees apply on top of parking
""if and only if they rent a car, the 2 children will each need...child safety seat""	Inference: Family includes 2 children Safety seats only needed if renting car Inference: Can bring own seats or rent them
""3 suitcases on each of the nonstop flights...each suitcase will be checked as a separate baggage item""	Family has 3 suitcases total Each counts as 1 checked item per flight Inference: 6 checked items per round trip (3 bags × 2 flights)
""If they take their own child safety seats...will check a total of 5 baggage items on each flight""	Own car seats count as checked baggage Inference: Own safety seats = 2 additional checked items Inference: Total with seats: 5 items per flight

Summary: The Ramos family of 4 (including 2 children) is planning a 6-night trip and must choose between public transportation ($200) or car rental (daily fees + $150 parking + possible child seat rentals), with baggage fees varying based on whether they bring their own child safety seats.

Understanding Source B: Table - Airline Pricing Information

Information from Dataset	Analysis
""round-trip ticket costs and baggage fees for the 5 airlines being considered""	Family comparing 5 specific airlines Prices shown are per round-trip ticket Inference: Baggage fees are separate from ticket costs Linkage to Source A: These airlines will transport the family of 4
""A1: $425, $25 per checked item""	Mid-range ticket price Simple flat-rate baggage fee Inference: No free baggage allowance Linkage to Source A: With 3 suitcases, family pays $75 per flight (or $125 with car seats)
""A2: $450, $0 for first 2 checked items, $30 per item thereafter""	Higher ticket price First 2 bags free per person Inference: Premium charged for 3rd+ bags Linkage to Source A: Family pays for only 1 item per flight with suitcases, or 3 items with car seats
""A3: $398, $30 per checked item""	Lowest ticket price Inference: Highest per-bag fee Linkage to Source A: Most expensive baggage option at $90 per flight (or $150 with seats)
""A4: $475, $0 per checked item""	Highest ticket price Inference: All baggage included free Linkage to Source A: Best option if bringing own car seats (5 items free)
""A5: $405, $0 for first checked item, $25 per item thereafter""	Low-mid ticket price One free bag per person Inference: Moderate fee for additional bags Linkage to Source A: Family pays for 2 items per flight ($50) or 4 items with seats ($100)

Summary: Five airlines offer varying pricing structures with tickets from $398-$475 per person and different baggage policies, creating significant cost differences depending on whether the Ramos family brings their own car seats (5 checked items) or not (3 checked items).

Understanding Source C: Chart/Table - Car Rental Company Pricing

Shows daily rental rates for cars ($27-$35) and child safety seats ($9-$13) at 4 companies
Key patterns observed: Car and seat prices don't always correlate (lowest car price has high seat price)
Inference: All prices are per day rates
Linkage to Source A: These daily rates apply for the full 6-day rental period
Linkage to Source A: Each company would charge for 2 child safety seats if renting

Company	Car Daily Rate	Child Seat Daily Rate	Analysis
C1	$30	$10	Inference: Total for car + 2 seats = $50/day Linkage to Source A: 6-day cost = $300 for car + seats
C2	$27	$12	Lowest car price but highest seat price Inference: Total for car + 2 seats = $51/day Linkage to Source A: Despite lowest car rate, similar total to C1
C3	$32	$9	Inference: Lowest seat price offsets higher car price Linkage to Source A: 6-day cost = $300 for car + seats (same as C1)
C4	$35	$13	Highest prices for both car and seats Inference: Total for car + 2 seats = $61/day Linkage to Sources A & B: Renting seats here costs more than bringing own and paying airline baggage fees

Summary: Four car rental companies offer varying daily rates, with 6-day rental costs ranging from $162-$210 for just the car, plus $108-$156 for two child seats, making any car rental option exceed the $200 public transportation cost once the $150 parking fee is added.

Overall Summary

The Ramos family must balance multiple cost factors for their 6-day trip:
Airline tickets for 4 people ($1,592-$1,900)
Baggage fees that vary dramatically based on whether they bring car seats
Transportation choices where public transit ($200) is clearly cheaper than any car rental option
Car rental starts at $312 for the cheapest car alone, plus $150 parking
Key decisions include:
- Choosing between airlines A3 (cheapest tickets but highest baggage fees) versus A4 (highest tickets but free baggage)
- Whether to bring their own car seats (increasing airline baggage costs but saving on rental fees) or rent them at the destination

Question Analysis

In Plain Terms: The family will fly on Airline A5. Compare the cost of renting a car from the cheapest company versus using public transportation. How much MORE does the car rental option cost?

Key Constraints:

Must use Airline A5
Must rent from company with lowest daily rate
Find the MINIMUM cost difference
Compare against public transportation cost of $200

Answer Type Needed: Numerical calculation - finding the cost difference between two transportation options

Statement Evaluations

Calculate minimum cost for car rental and compare to public transportation
Baseline: Public transportation total cost: $200

Cost Evaluation Options:

Statement 1 Analysis

""77""

Total cost: $277
Difference from public transport: $77
This represents a $77 increase over public transportation
INCORRECT - This underestimates required costs

Statement 2 Analysis

""102""

Total cost: $302
Difference from public transport: $102
This represents a $102 increase over public transportation
INCORRECT - Still missing some cost components

Statement 3 Analysis

""212""

Total cost: $412
Difference from public transport: $212
This represents a $212 increase over public transportation
CORRECT - Accounts for all minimum costs

Statement 4 Analysis

""350""

This value was not found in the original cost evaluation analysis

Statement 5 Analysis

""450""

This value was not found in the original cost evaluation analysis

Systematic Cost Breakdown

Lowest daily rate is C2 at $27 per day (from analysis)
6-day rental: $27 × 6 = $162
Mandatory hotel parking: $150
Child seat decision: Rent (2 × $12 × 6 = $144) OR bring own (extra baggage $100)
Bringing own seats is cheaper: saves $44
A5 baggage fees: 3 items = $100 total, 5 items = $200 total (difference = $100)
Minimum total: $162 + $150 + $100 = $412
Difference from public transport: $412 - $200 = $212

Final Answer

212

Answer Choices Explained

102

212

350

450

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