The track coach at a particular school had her student athletes practice running outside of scheduled training sessions and report...

GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions

Source: Mock

Two Part Analysis

Verbal - RC

HARD

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The track coach at a particular school had her student athletes practice running outside of scheduled training sessions and report details to her. She had them report speed as kilometers run divided by time running, whether they wore running shoes or other athletic shoes, whether they ran on the school track or not, and whether the wind was \(\geq 3 \text{ m/s}\) or \(< 3 \text{ m/s}\). She found that, overall, reports of greater than average speeds correlated with reports of both winds \(< 3 \text{ m/s}\) and wearing running shoes. She also found that reports of less than average speeds correlated with reports of both winds \(\geq 3 \text{ m/s}\) and wearing shoes other than running shoes. The coach hypothesizes that the wind, and not the type of shoes worn, was responsible for the difference in speed.

The hypothesis indicates that the coach would expect speeds associated with reports of 1 to be less than speeds associated with reports of 2 Select for 1 and for 2 the options that create the statement that most accurately reflects the information provided. Make only two selections, one in each column.

running on the school track and wind \(< 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)

wearing shoes other than running shoes and running on the school track

wearing running shoes and running on the school track

wearing running shoes and wind \(< 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)

wearing running shoes and wind \(≥ 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)

Solution

Phase 1: Owning the Dataset

Argument Analysis Table

Passage Statement	Analysis & Implications
"reports of greater than average speeds correlated with reports of both winds \(< 3 \mathrm{m/s}\) and wearing running shoes"	Core Fact: High speeds occur with low wind AND running shoes Visualization: When wind is gentle (\(<3 \mathrm{m/s}\)) AND runners wear proper shoes, they run faster Logical Connections: Two factors appear together with high speeds What We Can Conclude: These conditions are associated with better performance
"reports of less than average speeds correlated with reports of both winds \(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\) and wearing shoes other than running shoes"	Core Fact: Low speeds occur with high wind AND other shoes Visualization: When wind is strong (\(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)) AND runners wear non-running shoes, they run slower Logical Connections: Two factors appear together with low speeds What We Can Conclude: These conditions are associated with worse performance
"The coach hypothesizes that the wind, and not the type of shoes worn, was responsible for the difference in speed"	Core Fact: Coach believes wind is the true cause Visualization: Shoe type is coincidental; wind is what actually matters Logical Connections: This hypothesis reinterprets the correlations What We Can Conclude: According to hypothesis, wind \(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\) → slower speeds; wind \(<3 \mathrm{m/s}\) → faster speeds

Key Patterns Identified

Established Facts: Two sets of correlations exist in the data
Coach's Interpretation: Wind is the causal factor, shoes are irrelevant
Hypothesis Predictions:
- Wind \(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\) should lead to slower speeds regardless of shoes
- Wind \(<3 \mathrm{m/s}\) should lead to faster speeds regardless of shoes

Phase 2: Question Analysis & Prethinking

Understanding Each Part

Part 1 Focus: We need conditions that the coach's hypothesis predicts will result in LOWER speeds
Part 2 Focus: We need conditions that the coach's hypothesis predicts will result in HIGHER speeds
Relationship: Part 1 speeds must be less than Part 2 speeds according to the hypothesis

Valid Inferences Based on Hypothesis

For Lower Speeds (Part 1): Must include wind \(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\) (since hypothesis says high wind causes slow speeds)
For Higher Speeds (Part 2): Must include wind \(<3 \mathrm{m/s}\) (since hypothesis says low wind causes fast speeds)
Shoe Type: Should be irrelevant according to the hypothesis

Phase 3: Answer Choice Evaluation

Let's examine each option:

"running on the school track and wind \(< 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)"
- Wind \(<3 \mathrm{m/s}\) → hypothesis predicts HIGHER speeds
- Could work for Part 2
"wearing shoes other than running shoes and running on the school track"
- No wind information provided
- Cannot determine speed prediction from hypothesis
"wearing running shoes and running on the school track"
- No wind information provided
- Cannot determine speed prediction from hypothesis
"wearing running shoes and wind \(< 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)"
- Wind \(<3 \mathrm{m/s}\) → hypothesis predicts HIGHER speeds
- Could work for Part 2
"wearing running shoes and wind \(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)"
- Wind \(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\) → hypothesis predicts LOWER speeds
- Must be Part 1 (only option with high wind)

Answer Selection Process

Part 1 Selection: Option 5 ("wearing running shoes and wind \(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)") is the only choice with wind \(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\), which the hypothesis predicts will result in lower speeds.

Part 2 Selection: We need wind \(<3 \mathrm{m/s}\) for higher speeds. Both options 1 and 4 qualify. Option 4 ("wearing running shoes and wind \(< 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)") creates the clearest contrast with Part 1 - same shoes, different wind - perfectly demonstrating the hypothesis that wind, not shoes, determines speed.

Verification:

Part 1: High wind (\(\geq 3 \mathrm{m/s}\)) → Lower speeds ✓
Part 2: Low wind (\(<3 \mathrm{m/s}\)) → Higher speeds ✓
The hypothesis that wind matters (not shoes) is clearly demonstrated ✓

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