A manufacturing company tracks defects per 1,000 units produced for four production lines (P, Q, R, S) over three quarters. The company defines 'high quality' as less than 5 defects per 1,000 units. A sortable table displays this data. To identify the most consistent high-quality line, one should sort the table first by 'Production Line' and then by which other column, and what calculation should be performed?

The correct answer to the question "A manufacturing company tracks defects per 1,000 units produced for four production lines (P, Q, R, S) over three quarters. The company defines 'high quality' as less than 5 defects per 1,000 units. A sortable table displays this data. To identify the most consistent high-quality line, one should sort the table first by 'Production Line' and then by which other column, and what calculation should be performed?" is Option A: Sort by 'Defects per 1,000 Units' (ascending), then calculate the standard deviation for each line..

The other options — B) Sort by 'Quarter' (ascending), then calculate the average 'Defects per 1,000 Units' for each line., C) Filter for 'Defects per 1,000 Units' < 5, then count the number of quarters each line meets the criteria., D) Sort by 'Production Line' (ascending), then find the maximum 'Defects per 1,000 Units' for each line. — are incorrect for this GMAT Exam Prep question. As explained above: Consistency implies low variability. Sorting by 'Defects' allows easy identification of overall performance. Calculating the standard deviation per line directly measures consistency. A lower standar…