Reading values from a table, totals, differences, and locating the right row/column.
Locate the exact row and column named in the question and read the single cell where they meet.
How many units did the Bristol warehouse ship in Q3?
Answer: 130
Find the Bristol row and the Q3 column: 130 units. The other options are the neighbouring cells — Bristol Q2 (110) and Q4 (120), and Q3 for the wrong warehouses (Leeds 150, Cardiff 100).
Read both values, then subtract one from the other to get the gap — don't add them.
How much more revenue did Division A generate than Division B in 2024?
Answer: 110
In 2024, Division A = £420m and Division B = £310m, so A generated 420 − 310 = £110m more. The 730 foil adds them; 60 uses 2023; 80 and 30 are each division's year-on-year growth, not the gap between them.
Add every value in the named row or column — include all periods, and don't average.
What was Division A's total revenue across 2022, 2023 and 2024?
Answer: 1,060
Add Division A's three years: 300 + 340 + 420 = £1,060m. The 760 and 720 foils drop a year; 840 sums the wrong row (Division B); 353 is the average, not the total.
Derive the asked-for quantity for every row first, then locate the best one — the row that wins on a raw column is the trap.
Using the table, in which year did the company generate the largest gross profit (revenue − costs)?
Answer: 2010
Compute gross profit (revenue − costs) for each year: 2008 90, 2009 120, 2010 160, 2011 110, 2012 140. The largest is 2010 (£160m). The 2012 foil has the highest revenue but not the highest profit — the classic 'located the input, not the derived value' error.
The total isn't given — sum all the parts first, then share = part ÷ that total.
What percentage of total sales did Product P3 account for?
Answer: 26.4%
The total isn't given — sum it first: 120 + 85 + 95 + 60 = 360. P3's share = 95/360 = 26.4%. The 35.8% foil leaves P3 out of the denominator (95/265); 79.2% divides by the largest product; 31.7% and 22.6% use a wrong total.
Apply the deadline strictly: find the latest service that still arrives on time — arrival time, not departure time.
A passenger must arrive in London by 10:00. Using the timetable, what is the latest train they can catch from Bath?
Answer: 08:30
Find the latest train arriving by 10:00. The 08:30 departure arrives 09:45 (the latest valid one). The 09:00 departure arrives 10:05 — just after the deadline (the trap); 07:50 is unnecessarily early; 09:45 confuses arrival with departure.
For each line, find the applicable price band in each supplier, take the cheaper, multiply by the quantity, and sum.
What is the minimum total cost of buying 340 Folders, 1,150 Pens and 470 Markers, choosing the cheaper supplier for each item (see the two catalogues)?
Answer: £794.80
For each item find its quantity band in each catalogue, take the cheaper unit price, ×qty, sum: Folders 340×£0.58=£197.20, Pens 1,150×£0.16=£184.00, Markers 470×£0.88=£413.60 = £794.80.
Pull the matching row from each exhibit, then combine them (e.g. price × units).
Table 1 gives unit prices by region; Table 2 gives units sold by region. Using only the North figures, what was North's revenue?
Answer: £4,800
Navigate to North in each table: price £15 (Table 1), units 320 (Table 2). Revenue = 15 × 320 = £4,800. The foils read one table only or pick the wrong region's row.