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significance of the figure given. The maximum production is stated as 810 but it is unclear whether this relates to all machines, each machine, or to one hour, day, week or year of production. It is known that there are 15 machines in the plant. 810 ÷ 15 = 54 and this might be a reasonable interpretation of the maximum production of each machine units per hour given that the stated production rate is 50. On this basis the capacity utilization of the plant would be realized when units per hour per machine increased from 50 to 54 and this represents an 8% increase.

Q10. Answer D.

Explanation Mexico’s capital productivity (2,760) = output ÷ 20 (the number of machines at the Mexico plant) so the output of Mexico is 2,760 × 20 = 55,200. In previous answers the output of Poland was established as 64,800 and Bangladesh 90,000, the mean is found by dividing the sum of these by 3 = 55,200 + 64,800 + 90,000 = 210,000 ÷ 3 = 70,000.

Q11. Answer A.

Explanation Express the change in jobs in each of the regions as a fraction of the previous total for that region. The region with the second largest relative variation will correspond to the second greatest fraction. South = 360,000/2,400,000 = 36/240, South East = 270,000/1,600,000 = 27/160 and South West = 140,000/2,300,000 = 14/230. Reject the South West region as the smallest, then investigate whether South or South East is the largest. You should be able to see at a glance that the South East fraction 27/160 is larger than 36/240 and so the South East region has the largest variation and the South the second largest.

Q12. Answer D.

Explanation The South region has the most jobs under the previous totals and suffered the most job losses. The extent of this loss resulted in the South falling to become the region with the third highest number of jobs (new first is North West, second South West).

Q13. Answer B.

Explanation Previous jobs in the South East region were 1,600,000 and latest jobs are –270,000 giving a new jobs total of 1,330,000. Latest unemployment = 399,000 and this represents 30% of 1,330,000.

Q14. Answer C.

Explanation Only statement C is concerned with the figures alone, whereas the other suggested answers assume some direct relationship between job gains and unemployment. We are provided with no information about the possible relationship between unemployment and the number of jobs, only figures for the level of each. It is clear from the table that jobs increased and unemployment fell but jobs could be filled by newcomers to the labour market (leaving the level of unemployment unaffected), and unemployment might increase in one part of the region and drop in another leaving a modest overall drop. We therefore can only deduce from the data sets that the level of unemployment in the North region dropped relatively little compared to the gain in jobs.

Q15. Answer C.

Explanation The total increase in jobs was 275,000. Of this total, 12% = 33,000 and the region that experienced this increase in jobs is the North region. The new total for jobs in this region is 1,800,000 + 33,000 = 1,833,000.

Q16. Answer A, E.

Explanation Find the means to calculate APS by using the example of the Punjab. APS = average income ÷ average savings APS of population 1 = 8,400 ÷ 1,400 = 6, APS of population 3 = 4. The APS of the Punjab’s population is given in the passage as 0.7 and described as among the highest in the world (which means that the lower the APS the higher the propensity to save), so the answer is A, E.

Q17. Answer B.

Explanation The APS of population 2 = 12, population 3 = 4, population 6 = 11, so the population with the lowest APS, ie the population that places the least emphasis on the need to save, is population 3.

Q18. Answer C.

Explanation Find the APS of the three populations by first combining their average income and their average savings to obtain $14,520 (average income) $7,560 (average savings) and then calculate the APS. $14,520 ÷ $7,560 = 1.920, which means that the best estimate from the suggested answers is C.