SAEE SAEE Analytical Reasoning & Data Interpretation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: City A has a crime rate of 45 per 1,000 residents and a population of 50,000. City B has a rate of 30 per 1,000 and a population of 200,000. Which city has more total crimes?
- City A
- City B (Correct answer)
- They are equal
- Cannot be determined
Correct answer: City B
City A: (45/1,000) × 50,000 = 2,250 crimes; City B: (30/1,000) × 200,000 = 6,000 crimes — City B has more.
Question 2: Worker A can complete a job in 6 hours and Worker B in 12 hours. How long will it take them working together?
- 9 hours
- 4 hours (Correct answer)
- 3 hours
- 8 hours
Correct answer: 4 hours
Combined rate = 1/6 + 1/12 = 2/12 + 1/12 = 3/12 = 1/4, so together they finish in 4 hours.
Question 3: A graph shows data points scattered with no discernible pattern. What type of correlation does this represent?
- Strong positive
- Strong negative
- Weak positive
- No correlation (Correct answer)
Correct answer: No correlation
A completely random scatter with no upward or downward trend indicates no correlation between the variables.
Question 4: An analyst says: 'Sales increased every year we ran the ad campaign; therefore the campaign caused the sales increase.' What logical flaw is present?
- Hasty generalization
- Correlation versus causation error (Correct answer)
- False dichotomy
- Circular reasoning
Correct answer: Correlation versus causation error
Assuming that a correlation between the ad campaign and sales proves causation is the classic correlation-does-not-equal-causation fallacy.
Question 5: A data set has a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 5. What value is exactly two standard deviations above the mean?
- 55
- 65
- 60 (Correct answer)
- 70
Correct answer: 60
Two standard deviations above the mean = 50 + (2 × 5) = 60.
Question 6: A survey of 200 respondents shows: 80 males (40 prefer X, 40 prefer Y) and 120 females (70 prefer X, 50 prefer Y). What percentage of all respondents prefer X?
- 45%
- 50%
- 55% (Correct answer)
- 60%
Correct answer: 55%
Total preferring X = 40 + 70 = 110 out of 200 respondents = 55%.
Question 7: A logic puzzle states: 'If it rains, the game is cancelled. The game was not cancelled.' What can be concluded?
- It rained
- It did not rain (Correct answer)
- The game was postponed
- It may or may not have rained
Correct answer: It did not rain
By contrapositive reasoning: if the game was not cancelled, then it did not rain — this is the logical equivalent of the original conditional.
SAEE SAEE Analytical Reasoning & Data Interpretation 5
City A has a crime rate of 45 per 1,000 residents and a population of 50,000.
City B has a rate of 30 per 1,000 and a population of 200,000.
Which city has more total crimes?