A swimming coach is evaluating her team's performance statistics and wants to identify which swimmer achieved the most personal records...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
A swimming coach is evaluating her team's performance statistics and wants to identify which swimmer achieved the most personal records this season to recommend for the team's MVP award. Based on the season data, the coach should nominate _____
| Swimmer | Personal records set | Training attendance rate |
|---|---|---|
| Maria Santos | 8 | 92% |
| Josh Kim | 12 | 88% |
| Emma Rodriguez | 10 | 95% |
| Tyler Chen | 6 | 90% |
| Sarah Johnson | 14 | 85% |
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the text?
Josh Kim.
Sarah Johnson.
Emma Rodriguez.
Maria Santos.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "A swimming coach is evaluating her team's performance statistics and wants to identify which swimmer achieved the most personal records this season to recommend for the team's MVP award." |
|
| "Based on the season data, the coach should nominate _____" |
|
| [TABLE DATA] Maria Santos: 8 personal records, 92% attendance |
|
| Josh Kim: 12 personal records, 88% attendance |
|
| Emma Rodriguez: 10 personal records, 95% attendance |
|
| Tyler Chen: 6 personal records, 90% attendance |
|
| Sarah Johnson: 14 personal records, 85% attendance |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A swimming coach needs to use performance data to determine which swimmer achieved the most personal records for the MVP recommendation.
Argument Flow: The coach has established a clear criterion (most personal records) for the MVP award. The data table provides specific personal record counts for five swimmers. The logical conclusion should identify the swimmer with the highest number of personal records based on this evidence.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The coach specifically wants "which swimmer achieved the most personal records this season."
- So we need to look at the personal records column only (not attendance, since that wasn't the stated criterion)
- Find the highest number in that column, and identify which swimmer has that highest number
- Looking at personal records: Maria (8), Josh (12), Emma (10), Tyler (6), Sarah (14)
- Sarah Johnson has 14 personal records, which is higher than all others
Josh Kim.
Josh Kim
✗ Incorrect
- Josh has 12 personal records
- While this is a good number, it's not the highest in the table
- Sarah Johnson has 14, which is more than Josh's 12
Sarah Johnson.
Sarah Johnson
✓ Correct
- Sarah has 14 personal records, the highest number in the table
- This directly matches the coach's stated criterion of "most personal records"
- The data clearly supports this choice
Emma Rodriguez.
Emma Rodriguez
✗ Incorrect
- Emma has 10 personal records
- Though she has the highest attendance rate (95%), that's not the criterion mentioned
- Students might be tempted by Emma's high attendance, but the passage specifically states the coach wants "most personal records," not best attendance
Maria Santos.
Maria Santos
✗ Incorrect
- Maria has only 8 personal records
- This is toward the lower end of the range in the table and doesn't align with the "most personal records" criterion