PrepTest 105, Section 1, Question 25
A clothing manufacturer reports that unsalable garments, those(43 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(13 more words not shown)
- AGarments with minor(17 more words not shown)
- BThe percentage of(19 more words not shown)
- CSome inspectors, in(9 more words not shown)
- DThe total number(13 more words not shown)
- EUnsalable garments are(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Where did the extra two percentage points of scrap come from?
The manufacturer counts two sources of unsalable garments: inspectors' rejects and retailers' returns. Together they account for seven percent of production. All of those garments become scrap, but the reported scrap figure is nine percent. My first thought is that something else must be entering the scrap pile.
What we’re looking for
That would be one way to reconcile the reports. The seven percent could all be recycled, with some additional garments also recycled for another reason. The question asks for an explanation of the discrepancy, so I'd initially look for that additional source. We should keep both reported figures in view and ask what would allow them to coexist.
Working the answers
- A
These garments are sold at a discount and do not return for recycling. They therefore don't supply the extra scrap we were looking for. Minor blemishes can coexist with being saleable at a lower price; A doesn't establish an additional group entering the recycling total.
- B
Returns from retailers are already included in the seven percent. Learning that some were returned for their style or color explains why they were returned, but it doesn't add a category outside the reported total. Counting those returns again would count the same garments twice.
- C
Overreporting defects could change which garments inspectors classify as unsalable. But the reported rejects already contribute to the seven percent. C doesn't explain why the scrap report has a different percentage from that reported classification. It gives us a potential problem with the initial count without connecting it to the discrepancy between the two measures.
- D
A larger total number of garments doesn't, by itself, explain different percentages of that total. The report could concern 1,000 garments or 10,000; we would still need to explain seven percent versus nine percent. D doesn't give us different time periods or another difference between the two reported measures.
- ECorrect
The measurements differ. My prediction looked for extra garments, but the same garments can make up seven percent of the number produced and nine percent of their weight. That would happen if the discarded garments were heavier on average than the rest.
For example, imagine 100 garments weighing 100 pounds altogether. Seven rejected garments could weigh nine pounds, while the other 93 garments weigh 91 pounds. Recycling those seven garments would account for seven percent by count and nine percent by weight. There is no missing batch of garments.
Think of heavier shirts compared with lighter socks: counting each item once isn't the same as counting its weight. E doesn't tell us the actual mix, but it explains how the two percentages could both be accurate.
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