Missing Data Interpretation Practice Questions — State PSC Exam

Question 1Question →

The following table shows the number of employees across three departments in a company over three years, with some missing data indicated by dashes:

Department	2021	2022	2023	Total
HR	40	—	50	140
IT	80	90	—	270
Finance	—	60	70	180
Total	170	200	220	590

What is the number of employees in the HR department in the year 2022?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 50

Answer

The number of employees in the HR department in 2022 is 50.

The row total for HR is 140. Subtracting the known figures for 2021 (40) and 2023 (50) from 140 yields 50 employees for 2022.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Examine the row corresponding to the HR department.

Known HR employees in 2021 = 40, 2023 = 50, and Total HR employees = 140.

The row total equals the sum of values across all three years.

2

Calculate the missing 2022 HR value.

140 - (40 + 50) = 50 employees.

Subtracting the sum of 2021 and 2023 values from the total gives the missing value for 2022.

Key Concept

Deriving missing data elements using row sums

Estimated Time:45s

Question 2Question →

The following table shows the number of students who appeared, passed, and failed in an annual examination across four different schools. Some data entries are missing and represented by a dash (--).

School	Total Students	Passed Students	Failed Students
School A	500	350	--
School B	600	--	150
School C	500	400	100
School D	400	280	--

What is the total number of students who passed the examination across all four schools combined?

1480

1330

2000

520

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 1480

Answer

1480

The total number of students who passed across all four schools is obtained by first calculating the missing entry for School B (

600 \text{ Total} - 150 \text{ Failed} = 450 \text{ Passed}

) and then adding the passed student figures of all schools (

350 + 450 + 400 + 280 = 1480

).

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Find the missing number of passed students for School B

Passed students in School B =

600 - 150 = 450

Total students is the sum of passed and failed students.

2

Sum the passed students across all four schools

Total passed students =

350 + 450 + 400 + 280 = 1480

To find the combined total, add the passed student count of each individual school.

Key Concept

Missing Data Deduction and Summation

Estimated Time:45s

Question 3Question →

The following table provides the annual expenditure (in ₹ Crores) of four administrative departments in a state over three fiscal years, with some values missing (indicated by dashes '—').

Department	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Total Expenditure
Agriculture	450	—	520	1450
Education	—	680	740	2000
Healthcare	350	420	—	1250
Infrastructure	820	970	1110	—
Total	2200	—	2850	—

Based on the data provided, what is the difference (in ₹ Crores) between the average department expenditure in 2022-23 and the average department expenditure in 2021-22?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 87.5

Answer

The difference between the average department expenditure in 2022-23 and 2021-22 is 87.5 ₹ Crores.

To find the difference between the average expenditures, we calculate the missing values first. For 2021-22, Education expenditure is

2000 - (680 + 740) = 580

₹ Crores. Total 2021-22 expenditure is

450 + 580 + 350 + 820 = 2200

₹ Crores, making the average

2200 / 4 = 550

₹ Crores. For 2022-23, Agriculture expenditure is

1450 - (450 + 520) = 480

₹ Crores. Total 2022-23 expenditure across all four departments is

480 + 680 + 420 + 970 = 2550

₹ Crores, making the average

2550 / 4 = 637.5

₹ Crores. The difference between the averages is

637.5 - 550 = 87.5

₹ Crores.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Find missing 2021-22 Education expenditure

580 ₹ Crores

Subtracting known expenditures (680 and 740) from the Education row total (2000 gives

2000 - 1420 = 580

.

2

Compute 2021-22 average department expenditure

550 ₹ Crores

The sum for 2021-22 is 2200 ₹ Crores. Dividing by 4 departments gives

2200 / 4 = 550

.

3

Find missing 2022-23 Agriculture expenditure

480 ₹ Crores

Subtracting known expenditures (450 and 520) from Agriculture row total (1450) gives

1450 - 970 = 480

.

4

Compute 2022-23 average department expenditure

637.5 ₹ Crores

Summing 2022-23 department values (

480 + 680 + 420 + 970 = 2550

) and dividing by 4 gives

2550 / 4 = 637.5

.

5

Subtract 2021-22 average from 2022-23 average

87.5 ₹ Crores

Calculating

637.5 - 550 = 87.5

₹ Crores.

Key Concept

Deriving missing grid values using row totals and computing comparative averages.

Estimated Time:2m 30s

Question 4Question →

The following missing data table presents the annual cargo volume (in Thousand Metric Tonnes, TMT) handled across three terminals (Terminal A, Terminal B, and Terminal C) at a major seaport for three distinct cargo categories: Bulk Cargo, Liquid Cargo, and Containerized Cargo.

Terminal	Bulk Cargo	Liquid Cargo	Containerized Cargo	Total
Terminal A	120	—	150	450
Terminal B	—	210	180	500
Terminal C	160	140	—	420
Total	390	530	450	1370

Based on the table above, what is the volume of Liquid Cargo (in Thousand Metric Tonnes) handled by Terminal A?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 180

Answer

The volume of Liquid Cargo handled by Terminal A is 180 Thousand Metric Tonnes.

The row total for Terminal A is

450\text{ TMT}

. The known components are Bulk Cargo (

120\text{ TMT}

) and Containerized Cargo (

150\text{ TMT}

). Subtracting these from the total yields

450 - (120 + 150) = 180\text{ TMT}

. Alternatively, using the column total for Liquid Cargo (

530\text{ TMT}

) minus the Liquid Cargo of Terminal B (

210\text{ TMT}

) and Terminal C (

140\text{ TMT}

) gives

530 - 350 = 180\text{ TMT}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Examine the row for Terminal A to find total cargo and known cargo types

Total cargo for Terminal A =

450\text{ TMT}

, Bulk Cargo =

120\text{ TMT}

, Containerized Cargo =

150\text{ TMT}

.

The sum of all cargo categories for a terminal equals the row total.

2

Calculate the sum of known cargo categories for Terminal A

120 + 150 = 270\text{ TMT}

.

Combining known entries simplifies finding the unknown value.

3

Subtract the sum of known categories from the row total

450 - 270 = 180\text{ TMT}

.

Liquid Cargo for Terminal A is the remaining portion of its total cargo volume.

4

Cross-verify using the column total for Liquid Cargo

Total Liquid Cargo =

530\text{ TMT}

. Liquid Cargo for Terminal B =

210\text{ TMT}

and Terminal C =

140\text{ TMT}

. Terminal A Liquid Cargo =

530 - (210 + 140) = 530 - 350 = 180\text{ TMT}

.

Cross-verification confirms numerical consistency.

Key Concept

Missing Data Interpretation via Row and Column Equations

Missing Data Interpretation

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Step-by-Step Solution

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Common Mistakes

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Common Mistakes

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Common Mistakes

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Common Mistakes