Percentage of Bus Shelters with Shade in a County by Areas' Highest Average Summer Surface TemperatureHighest average surface temperature (Fahrenheit)...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
| Highest average surface temperature (Fahrenheit) | Percentage of bus stops with shaded shelter |
|---|---|
| 90.2° | 15% |
| 97.7° | 22% |
| 102.7° | 24% |
| 111.2° | 28% |
| 125.6° | 29% |
A student is researching a bus system in a large county where surface temperatures vary by area and are hot in the summer. The student claims that all areas of the county should have more bus stops with shaded shelter, noting that the highest percentage of bus stops with shaded shelter for any area is only ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the student's claim?
50%
15%
90%
29%
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'A student is researching a bus system in a large county where surface temperatures vary by area and are hot in the summer.' |
|
| [Table showing percentage of bus shelters with shade across 5 temperature ranges from 90.2°F to 125.6°F, with shade percentages ranging from 15% to 29%] |
|
| 'The student claims that all areas of the county should have more bus stops with shaded shelter, noting that the highest percentage of bus stops with shaded shelter for any area is only ______' |
|
Part B: Main Point
A student researching bus shelter shade coverage argues that all areas need more shade, using the low percentage in even the best-served area as 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
- We need to find the highest percentage of shaded bus stops from the table data
- Looking at the percentages: 15%, 22%, 24%, 28%, and 29%
- The maximum is clearly 29%
- This number effectively supports the student's argument because even in the area with the most shade coverage, less than one-third of bus stops have shelter - making it clear that coverage is inadequate everywhere
50%
✗ Incorrect
- This percentage doesn't appear in the data table and would weaken the student's argument since \(50\%\) coverage might seem adequate
15%
✗ Incorrect
- This is the lowest percentage from the table, not the highest, which would make the student's claim factually wrong
90%
✗ Incorrect
- This number doesn't appear in the data table and appears to confuse temperature data with percentage data
29%
✓ Correct
- This is the highest percentage of shaded bus stops from the table and effectively supports the student's argument that more shade is needed since even the best-served area has less than \(30\%\) coverage