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The table shows the normal and extreme high and low temperatures, and the normal and maximum amounts of precipitation, for each month of the year at the same location. The numbers are rounded, so identical numbers may represent slightly different quantities.
| Month | Normal daily max (°C) | Normal daily min (°C) | Extreme high (°C) | Extreme low (°C) | Normal precipitation (cm) | Maximum per capitation (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. | 11.7 | 5 | 25.6 | -6.1 | 30.5 | 50.8 |
| Feb. | 12.8 | 5.6 | 29.4 | -3.3 | 22.9 | 40.6 |
| Mar. | 12.8 | 5.6 | 26.7 | -1.7 | 20.3 | 38.1 |
| Apr. | 13.9 | 6.1 | 33.3 | 0 | 10.2 | 29.2 |
| May. | 15.6 | 8.3 | 34.4 | 0 | 7.6 | 20.3 |
| June | 16.7 | 10 | 37.2 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 10.2 |
| July | 17.8 | 10.6 | 35.6 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 6.4 |
| Aug. | 17.8 | 11.1 | 35.6 | 5.6 | 2 | 15.1 |
| Sept. | 18.3 | 10.6 | 39.4 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 17.8 |
| Oct. | 16.7 | 8.9 | 35.6 | 0 | 10.2 | 33 |
| Nov. | 14.4 | 7.2 | 27.2 | -1.7 | 22.9 | 45.7 |
| Dec. | 12.2 | 5.6 | 26.1 | -7.8 | 30.5 | 48.3 |
For each of the following statements, select Yes if the statement is accurate based on the information provided. Otherwise select No.
The ranking of the months based on normal precipitation values is the same as the ranking based on maximum precipitation values.
Of the months with an extreme low of \(\mathrm{0°C}\), only one has a normal daily low of less than \(\mathrm{8°C}\).
March does not rank highest or lowest in any category.
Let's start by understanding our weather data table with the intention of "owning the dataset." This table shows various climate measurements across 12 months for a particular location, with multiple metrics for each month.
Key observations:
Key insight: By immediately looking for patterns and identical values, we can quickly identify potential comparison points that will help us evaluate the statements efficiently.
Statement 1 Translation:
Original: "The rankings of the 12 months from highest to lowest normal precipitation are identical to the rankings from highest to lowest maximum precipitation."
What we're looking for:
In other words: Do months with more normal precipitation always have more maximum precipitation, in the exact same order?
Let's approach this efficiently. If we find just ONE case where the relative rankings don't match, the statement is false. The fastest way to check this is to look for months with identical normal precipitation but different maximum precipitation.
Sorting approach: First, scan for any tied values in normal precipitation.
Looking at the normal precipitation column, we see January and December both have \(30.5\text{ cm}\).
We've found our counterexample! Since January and December tie in normal precipitation but have different maximum precipitation values (\(50.8\text{ cm}\) vs \(48.3\text{ cm}\)), they cannot have identical rankings in both categories.
Teaching callout: Notice how we didn't need to sort all 12 months in both categories. By focusing on tied values first, we found a contradiction immediately. This counterexample approach saves significant time compared to creating complete rankings for all months.
Statement 1 is NO.
Statement 2 Translation:
Original: "For each month with an extreme low temperature of 0 degrees Celsius, the normal daily low temperature is less than 8 degrees Celsius."
What we're looking for:
In other words: Every time a month's extreme low hits exactly \(0°\mathrm{C}\), is its normal daily low always below \(8°\mathrm{C}\)?
The most efficient approach is to first sort by extreme low temperature to quickly identify all months with exactly \(0°\mathrm{C}\).
When we sort by extreme low temperature, we find three months with exactly \(0°\mathrm{C}\):
Now we check if all these months have normal daily low \(< 8°\mathrm{C}\):
Since May and October have normal daily lows above \(8°\mathrm{C}\), we've found counterexamples.
Teaching callout: Sorting by extreme low temperature grouped our \(0°\mathrm{C}\) months together, making them easy to identify in one visual scan. This is much faster than checking all 12 months individually for the extreme low value.
Statement 2 is NO.
Statement 3 Translation:
Original: "March is not ranked highest or lowest in any of the six categories shown."
What we're looking for:
In other words: March is always somewhere in the middle for all six measurements, never the extreme.
For this statement, we need to sort each column and check if March ever appears at position 1 (highest) or position 12 (lowest).
Let's check each category systematically:
After checking all six categories, we confirm that March never appears at the extreme positions in any ranking.
Teaching callout: We didn't need to identify which specific months were at the extremes - we only needed to verify March wasn't there. This focused approach saved time compared to creating complete rankings for all categories.
Statement 3 is YES.
Looking at our analysis:
The answer is: B (Statement 3 ONLY is YES)
Remember that in GMAT table analysis questions, efficiency comes from knowing what NOT to calculate just as much as knowing what to calculate. By using sorting and strategic checking, we can solve these problems in a fraction of the time it would take to check everything manually.
The ranking of the months based on normal precipitation values is the same as the ranking based on maximum precipitation values.
Of the months with an extreme low of \(\mathrm{0°C}\), only one has a normal daily low of less than \(\mathrm{8°C}\).
March does not rank highest or lowest in any category.