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30. Table analysis

Sort the table mentally by the column that matters. Each statement is its own yes/no judgment.

PriceItemRegionAEast12BWest19CEast25DWest40sort by what matters

Core ideas

- Before touching the statements, decide which column the question cares about and mentally sort by it. Most table statements are about ranks, extremes, or medians in one column.
- Each statement is its own independent yes/no judgment. Getting one Yes tells you nothing about the next statement.
- Verify with the actual numbers, not with your impression of the table. One misread cell flips a Yes to a No.

Worked example 1

A table lists five cafes with monthly revenue (in $ thousands) and profit margin: Brimstone 82, 12%; Larkfield 64, 18%; Mosswood 91, 9%; Tindra 55, 21%; Velo 78, 15%.
Statement A: The cafe with the highest revenue has the lowest profit margin. Yes or No?
Statement B: The median revenue is greater than 75. Yes or No?

Show solution

Sort by revenue: Tindra 55, Larkfield 64, Velo 78, Brimstone 82, Mosswood 91. Statement A: highest revenue is Mosswood at 91; its margin, 9%, is the lowest of the five, so Yes. Statement B: with five cafes the median is the third value in sorted order, which is Velo at 78; 78 > 75, so Yes. Each statement was checked on its own sorted view, independently.

Worked example 2

A table lists four delivery drivers with deliveries completed and complaints received: Ochoa 140, 7; Pell 210, 6; Reyes 95, 2; Sundar 180, 9.
Statement A: The driver with the most deliveries has the lowest complaint rate (complaints per delivery). Yes or No?
Statement B: Exactly two drivers have a complaint rate above 4 per 100 deliveries. Yes or No?

Show solution

Compute the rates: Ochoa 7/140 = 5.0 per 100, Pell 6/210 = about 2.9 per 100, Reyes 2/95 = about 2.1 per 100, Sundar 9/180 = 5.0 per 100. Statement A: most deliveries is Pell at 210, but the lowest rate is Reyes at 2.1, so No. Statement B: rates above 4 per 100 are Ochoa and Sundar, exactly two, so Yes. Note the answers went No then Yes; each judgment stood alone.

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