Logical Reasoning

PT104 · S1 · Q9 If the sales figures cited by the

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Sales manager: Last year the total number of meals sold in our company's restaurants was much higher than it was the year before.

Sales Figures

Last year, total number of meals sold at this company's restaurants was higher than it was 2 years ago.

Looking at individual restaurants, the number of meals sold decreased a bunch, at any location that was open 2 years ago and last year.

(For every location where we can compare 2 years ago to 1 year ago, the number of meals sold was bigger 2 years ago).

Evaluate

This question stem is only asking about "sales figures", so by not including the other sentences, where the two people are speculating about whether customers find the meals desirable, we are able to focus just on the two actual math facts.

Every single franchise of this restaurant that existed 2 years ago sold fewer meals this past year.

But overall, the restaurant chain sold more meals this past year than 2 years ago.

That must mean that there are more locations than before. If each location is selling fewer meals than the prior year, then we'll need more locations than before to get to a higher total number of meals.

Goal

Look for something like, .

9.

If the sales figures cited by the accountant and the sales manager are both accurate, which one of the following must be true?

  1. Correct

    The company opened at least

    Why this is right

    This is like what we anticipated. Since we knew the company had more restaurants last year than 2 years ago, we know that they opened at least one new restaurant in the past two years. To resolve the math of "fewer meals per restaurant" with "more total meals", we need to have "more restaurants".

    Skill tested: Must be True · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    76% picked this

  2. The company’s meals are less

    Out of Scope: competitive

    We have no information in these sales figures about how this restaurant compares to its competitors. If anything, the fact that the restaurant sold more meals last year than two years ago sounds like the company's meals are more competitive than they once were.

    7% picked this

  3. The quality of the company’s

    Out of Scope: quality

    Sales figures are just numbers. We wouldn't be able to derive any subjective ideas like "quality of meal" from sales figures.

    4% picked this

  4. The prices of the company’s

    Out of Scope: prices

    Neither sales figure mentions price or revenue. They only mention quantity.

    7% picked this

  5. The market share captured by

    Out of Scope: market share

    We have no information in these sales figures about how this restaurant compares to its competitors, so we can't judge market share. If anything, the fact that the restaurant sold more meals last year than two years ago sounds like the company's market share is increasing.

    7% picked this

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