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Difficulty: EasySorting and Multi-Column Ordering

The table below displays performance metrics for six regional branch offices of a retail company.

BranchRegionCustomer Satisfaction Score (1–10)Q3 Revenue ($ thousands)Q4 Revenue ($ thousands)
NorthEast8.2450510
SouthWest9.1380420
MetroEast8.2520490
SummitNorth7.5610580
ValleyWest8.8490530
HarborNorth9.1410460

If the table is sorted in descending order by Customer Satisfaction Score, and any ties are broken by sorting in descending order by Q3 Revenue ($ thousands), which branch office will be listed third from the top?

  1. A
    Harbor
  2. B
    South
  3. ValleyAnswer
  4. D
    Metro
  5. E
    Summit

Answer

Valley is listed third from the top after performing the specified primary and secondary sorts.
Sorting the branches by Customer Satisfaction Score in descending order groups Harbor and South at the top with scores of 9.1. Ordering them by Q3 Revenue places Harbor first (410thousand)andSouthsecond(410 thousand) and South second ( 380 thousand). The next highest satisfaction score is 8.8, held by Valley, placing Valley third from the top.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary sort criterion and group branches by Customer Satisfaction Score in descending order.
Highest scores (9.1): Harbor, South. Next highest (8.8): Valley. Next highest (8.2): North, Metro. Lowest score (7.5): Summit.
The primary sort requires ordering by Customer Satisfaction Score from highest to lowest.
2
Apply the tie-breaker criterion (Q3 Revenue in descending order) to branches tied at a score of 9.1.
Harbor (410thousand)comesbeforeSouth(410 thousand) comes before South ( 380 thousand). Rank 1: Harbor, Rank 2: South.
Ties in Customer Satisfaction Score must be broken by sorting Q3 Revenue in descending order.
3
Determine the branch in the 3rd position.
Valley has the next highest score of 8.8, placing it in Rank 3.
Since only two branches have a score of 9.1, the branch with the next highest score (8.8) occupies the 3rd row.

Key Concept

Multi-column sorting requires applying the primary sort column first, followed by secondary tie-breaking logic on secondary columns without reading positions from default unsorted rows.
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Topics

Sorting and Multi-Column Ordering

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