The table below displays performance metrics for seven regional freight rail terminals. | Terminal ID | Region | Cargo Handled (Thousand Tons) | On-Time Dispatch Rate (%) | Operating Cost per Ton ($) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | T-1 | East | 450 | 92.5% | 14.20 | | T-2 | West | 620 | 88.

The table below displays performance metrics for seven regional freight rail terminals. | … — GMAT

The table below displays performance metrics for seven regional freight rail terminals.

Terminal ID	Region	Cargo Handled (Thousand Tons)	On-Time Dispatch Rate (%)	Operating Cost per Ton ($)
T-1	East	450	92.5%	14.20
T-2	West	620	88.0%	11.50
T-3	North	450	94.0%	15.80
T-4	South	580	92.5%	12.10
T-5	East	620	91.5%	10.80
T-6	North	390	95.5%	16.40
T-7	West	580	89.0%	13.00

If the table is sorted in descending order by Cargo Handled, and any ties are broken by sorting in descending order by On-Time Dispatch Rate, which terminal will be listed fourth from the top?

A
Terminal T-2
B
Terminal T-4
Terminal T-7Answer
D
Terminal T-1
E
Terminal T-3

Answer

Terminal T-7

Primary sorting by Cargo Handled in descending order groups the top two tiers as 620 thousand tons (T-5, T-2) and 580 thousand tons (T-4, T-7). Secondary sorting by On-Time Dispatch Rate in descending order ranks T-4 (92.5%) above T-7 (89.0%) within the 580 thousand tons group. This places T-5 first, T-2 second, T-4 third, and Terminal T-7 fourth.

Step-by-Step Solution

Group and order the table by the primary column: Cargo Handled (descending).

Highest tier (620 thousand tons): T-2, T-5; Second tier (580 thousand tons): T-4, T-7; Third tier (450 thousand tons): T-1, T-3; Lowest tier (390 thousand tons): T-6.

The primary sort requires arranging entries from largest to smallest cargo volume.

Apply the secondary sort criterion (On-Time Dispatch Rate descending) to break ties in each cargo tier.

Tier 1 (620 thousand tons): T-5 (91.5%) is 1st, T-2 (88.0%) is 2nd. Tier 2 (580 thousand tons): T-4 (92.5%) is 3rd, T-7 (89.0%) is 4th.

When primary values are identical, higher on-time dispatch rates take precedence.

Identify the item in the 4th position of the fully sorted list.

The 4th terminal in sequence is Terminal T-7.

Terminal T-7 is second in the 580 thousand tons tier due to its 89.0% dispatch rate compared to T-4's 92.5%.

Key Concept

Multi-Column Sorting and Tie-Breaking

Estimated Time:1m 30s

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