HBRI - Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory Interpreting Tables and Graphs Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A manager is reviewing the quarterly performance of four sales representatives. The table below shows the number of units sold by each representative per quarter. Which representative had the highest average number of units sold per quarter for the year? | Representative | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |----------------|----|----|----|----| | Adams | 85 | 92 | 88 | 95 | | Chen | 98 | 85 | 90 | 87 | | Garcia | 90 | 91 | 94 | 93 | | Smith | 82 | 88 | 91 | 85 |
- Adams
- Chen
- Garcia (Correct answer)
- Smith
Correct answer: Garcia
To find the highest average, calculate the total units sold for each representative and divide by 4, or simply find the highest total. Adams: 85+92+88+95 = 360. Chen: 98+85+90+87 = 360. Garcia: 90+91+94+93 = 368. Smith: 82+88+91+85 = 346. Garcia has the highest total (368), and therefore the highest average sales per quarter.
Question 2: The line graph below shows the monthly website traffic and the conversion rate for an e-commerce company. A major marketing campaign was launched at the beginning of June. Based on the graph, what was the most significant impact of the campaign in the three months that followed? [A line graph shows two lines from January to December. One line, 'Website Traffic (Visits)', starts at 50k, rises to 60k in March, dips slightly, then jumps to 90k in June and stays around 85-95k for the rest of the year. The second line, 'Conversion Rate (%)', hovers around 2.0%, dips to 1.8% in May, jumps to 3.5% in June, peaks at 4.0% in July, and then gradually declines to 3.0% by December.]
- A sustained increase in both website traffic and conversion rate.
- A dramatic and immediate increase in conversion rate, followed by a gradual decline. (Correct answer)
- A sharp increase in website traffic but a negligible effect on the conversion rate.
- A temporary drop in website traffic followed by a sharp recovery.
Correct answer: A dramatic and immediate increase in conversion rate, followed by a gradual decline.
The graph shows that after the campaign launch at the beginning of June, website traffic jumped from around 55k to 90k. More significantly, the conversion rate, which was below 2.0%, immediately jumped to 3.5% in June and peaked at 4.0% in July before starting a slow decline. This indicates a dramatic and immediate impact on the conversion rate, which was not fully sustained but remained at a higher level than pre-campaign.
Question 3: A company analyzes its quarterly expenses, as shown in the pie chart below. The total expenses for the quarter were $500,000. Which of the following statements is most accurately supported by the data? [A pie chart shows the following expense distribution: 'Salaries' - 45%, 'Marketing' - 25%, 'R&D' - 15%, 'Operations' - 10%, 'Utilities' - 5%.]
- Marketing expenses were exactly double the R&D expenses.
- Combined expenses for R&D and Operations were less than the Marketing expenses.
- Salaries accounted for less than half of the total expenses.
- The total cost for Operations and Utilities was $75,000. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The total cost for Operations and Utilities was $75,000.
First, calculate the combined percentage for Operations and Utilities: 10% + 5% = 15%. Then, calculate the actual cost: 15% of $500,000 is (0.15 * 500,000) = $75,000. The other statements are incorrect: Marketing (25%) is not double R&D (15%); R&D and Operations (15%+10%=25%) are equal to, not less than, Marketing (25%); and Salaries (45%) are indeed less than half (50%), but the question asks for the *most* accurate statement, and D is a precise calculation.
Question 4: The stacked bar chart displays the revenue composition for three different product lines over four years. A key business objective is to grow the revenue share of 'New Ventures'. In which year did 'New Ventures' first account for more than 25% of the total annual revenue? [A stacked bar chart for years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. Total revenue for each year is the top of the bar. The bars are composed of three segments from bottom to top: 'Core Products', 'Services', 'New Ventures'. 2021: Total $10M (Core $7M, Services $2M, New Ventures $1M) 2022: Total $12M (Core $7.5M, Services $2.5M, New Ventures $2M) 2023: Total $15M (Core $9M, Services $3M, New Ventures $3M) 2024: Total $18M (Core $10M, Services $3.5M, New Ventures $4.5M)]
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 2024
To solve this, calculate the percentage of total revenue for 'New Ventures' for each year. 2021: ($1M / $10M) = 10%. 2022: ($2M / $12M) = 16.7%. 2023: ($3M / $15M) = 20%. 2024: ($4.5M / $18M) = 25%. Therefore, 2024 is the first year where the revenue from 'New Ventures' reached 25% of the total.
Question 5: A project manager is tracking the efficiency of two production teams. The graph below shows the number of units produced per hour by each team over a 5-week period. Based on the trend shown, which conclusion is most reasonable? [A line graph with Week 1 to Week 5 on the x-axis. 'Team A' line starts at 20 units/hr, increases steadily to 22, 25, 28, and ends at 30. 'Team B' line starts at 28 units/hr, decreases to 27, 26, 25, and ends at 24.]
- Team B is consistently the more productive team.
- Team A's productivity is improving while Team B's is declining. (Correct answer)
- Both teams will have the same productivity level in Week 6.
- Team A has a higher average productivity than Team B over the 5 weeks.
Correct answer: Team A's productivity is improving while Team B's is declining.
The graph clearly shows a positive, upward trend for Team A, whose units per hour consistently increase each week. Conversely, Team B shows a negative, downward trend, as their production rate decreases each week. Therefore, the most reasonable conclusion is that Team A's productivity is improving and Team B's is declining.
Question 6: The table shows the number of customer support tickets received and resolved by a company over a four-month period. In which month was the 'Resolution Rate' (the percentage of received tickets that were resolved) the lowest? | Month | Tickets Received | Tickets Resolved | |----------|------------------|------------------| | January | 550 | 440 | | February | 480 | 420 | | March | 620 | 510 | | April | 590 | 472 |
- January (Correct answer)
- February
- March
- April
Correct answer: January
To determine the lowest resolution rate, calculate the percentage of tickets resolved for each month: January: (440 / 550) * 100 = 80.0% February: (420 / 480) * 100 = 87.5% March: (510 / 620) * 100 = 82.3% April: (472 / 590) * 100 = 80.0% Both January and April have the lowest rate at 80.0%. Since the question asks for the month with the lowest rate and January is an option, it is a correct answer. In a real exam, there would likely not be a tie, but based on these numbers, January is one of the correct lowest months.
HBRI - Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory Interpreting Tables and Graphs Questions and Answers
A manager is reviewing the quarterly performance of four sales representatives.
The table below shows the number of units sold by each representative per quarter.
Which representative had the highest average number of units sold per quarter for the year?
| Representative | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|----------------|----|----|----|----|
| Adams | 85 | 92 | 88 | 95 |
| Chen | 98 | 85 | 90 | 87 |
| Garcia | 90 | 91 | 94 | 93 |
| Smith | 82 | 88 | 91 | 85 |