FAST Analytical Problem Solving 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project requires 6 workers to finish in 10 days. If 4 workers leave after 4 days, how many additional days will the remaining workers need to finish the project?
- 12
- 15 (Correct answer)
- 18
- 9
Correct answer: 15
Total work = 60 worker-days; completed = 6×4=24; remaining=36 worker-days ÷ 2 workers = 18 more days.
Question 2: Study results show that 70% of people who exercise daily report better sleep. A researcher concludes that exercise causes better sleep. What is the flaw in this reasoning?
- The sample size is too small
- Correlation does not imply causation (Correct answer)
- The statistic is too high to be reliable
- The study should have used animals
Correct answer: Correlation does not imply causation
An association between two variables does not establish that one causes the other without controlled experimental evidence.
Question 3: Sequence: 2, 6, 18, 54, ___. What is the next number?
- 108
- 162 (Correct answer)
- 216
- 72
Correct answer: 162
Each term is multiplied by 3; 54 × 3 = 162.
Question 4: A survey of 200 students found 120 like math, 90 like science, and 40 like both. How many students like neither subject?
- 30 (Correct answer)
- 40
- 50
- 60
Correct answer: 30
By inclusion-exclusion: 120+90−40=170 like at least one; 200−170=30 like neither.
Question 5: Three boxes contain apples, oranges, and a mix. All labels are wrong. You pick one fruit from the 'Mix' box and it is an apple. What is in the box labeled 'Oranges'?
- Apples
- Oranges
- Mix (Correct answer)
- Cannot be determined
Correct answer: Mix
Since all labels are wrong, the 'Mix' box has only apples; the 'Apples' box can't have apples, so it has oranges; leaving 'Oranges' with the mix.
Question 6: If PENCIL is coded as 653179, how is CLIP coded using the same cipher?
- 9716
- 3179
- 1976 (Correct answer)
- 7916
Correct answer: 1976
PENCIL→653179 gives P=6,E=5,N=3,C=1,I=7,L=9; so CLIP = C(1),L(9),I(7),P(6) = 1976.
Question 7: An analyst must rank projects A, B, C, D by priority. A must rank higher than C. B must rank lower than D. C must rank higher than B. Which ranking is valid?
- D, A, C, B (Correct answer)
- A, B, D, C
- C, A, D, B
- D, C, B, A
Correct answer: D, A, C, B
D, A, C, B satisfies A>C (positions 2>3), D>B (positions 1>4), and C>B (positions 3>4).
FAST Analytical Problem Solving 3
A project requires 6 workers to finish in 10 days.
If 4 workers leave after 4 days, how many additional days will the remaining workers need to finish the project?