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Information and IdeasHardSupporting a claim about per-person figures

Information and Ideas practice question

Two branches of a library: East branch: 12,000 visits, 4 staff West branch: 9,000 visits, 2 staff

A manager claims that the West branch handles more visits per member of staff than the East branch. Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support the claim?

  1. A. The West branch handles 4,500 visits per staff member (9,000 ÷ 2), compared with 3,000 at the East branch (12,000 ÷ 4).Correct
  2. B. The East branch has more visits in total than the West branch.
  3. C. The West branch has 2 staff.
  4. D. The East branch has twice as many staff as the West branch.

Answer: A. The West branch handles 4,500 visits per staff member (9,000 ÷ 2), compared with 3,000 at the East branch (12,000 ÷ 4).

The claim is per staff member; choice A computes that figure for both branches.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The East branch has more visits in total than the West branch.
Total visits say nothing about visits per staff member.
C. The West branch has 2 staff.
A staff count with no visits figure.
D. The East branch has twice as many staff as the West branch.
The staff ratio alone doesn't give visits per staff member.

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