Today a certain cinema multiplex has exactly two showings (an early showing and a late showing) for each of five...

GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions

Source: Mock

Two Part Analysis

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Today a certain cinema multiplex has exactly two showings (an early showing and a late showing) for each of five films (Films A, B, C, D, and E). All of these showings occur after noon, and each showing consists of the film only, with no previews, announcements, or advertisements. The following gives the duration of each film and the start time for each showing:

Film A (90 minutes); 3:45 and 5:30
Film B (100 minutes); 1:30 and 7:15
Film C (105 minutes); 2:00 and 6:00
Film D (115 minutes); 5:00 and 8:00
Film E (125 minutes); 12:15 and 7:00

Statement: The early showing of Film 1 overlaps with at least part of both showings of Film 2. Select for 1 and for 2 the options that complete the statement so that it is accurate of the showings listed in the information provided. Make only two selections, one in each column.

Solution

Phase 1: Owning the Dataset

Calculating End Times

First, let's calculate when each showing ends:

Film	Duration	Early Start → End	Late Start → End
A	90 min	3:45 → 5:15	5:30 → 7:00
B	100 min	1:30 → 3:10	7:15 → 8:55
C	105 min	2:00 → 3:45	6:00 → 7:45
D	115 min	5:00 → 6:55	8:00 → 9:55
E	125 min	12:15 → 2:20	7:00 → 9:05

Visual Timeline

12pm  1pm   2pm   3pm   4pm   5pm   6pm   7pm   8pm   9pm   10pm
|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|
      E-early-----]
         B-early---]
            C-early----]
                        A-early--]
                              D-early---]
                                 A-late-]
                                      C-late---]
                                            E-late-----]
                                              B-late----]
                                                      D-late-----]

Phase 2: Understanding the Question

We need to find:

Film 1: whose EARLY showing overlaps with
Film 2: BOTH the early AND late showings

For two showings to overlap, one must start before the other ends AND end after the other starts.

Phase 3: Finding the Answer

Let's systematically check each early showing to see if it overlaps with both showings of another film.

Film D early (5:00-6:55):

Film A early (3:45-5:15): ✓ Overlaps from 5:00-5:15
Film A late (5:30-7:00): ✓ Overlaps from 5:30-6:55
Film C late (6:00-7:45): ✓ Overlaps from 6:00-6:55
Film C early (2:00-3:45): ✗ No overlap

? Stop here - we found our answer!

Film D's early showing overlaps with BOTH showings of Film A:

D early (5:00-6:55) overlaps with A early (3:45-5:15) from 5:00-5:15
D early (5:00-6:55) overlaps with A late (5:30-7:00) from 5:30-6:55

Phase 4: Solution

The early showing of Film D overlaps with at least part of both showings of Film A.

Answer:

Position 1: D
Position 2: A

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