After yet another patron dripped sweat on her desk, the clerk at the gym complained, “It’s gross working at a gym, with everyone sweating all the time.” “Yes,” the manager replied, “and it’s probably costing us more for ______________, but I’ll bet we’re saving on _____________________.”

Question

A.  towels; heating
B.  weight machines; treadmills
C.  the water cooler; air conditioning
D.  the water cooler; towels

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?

Gather Content
What do you already know about sweating? What other information is related to the question?

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

C.  the water cooler; air conditioning

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        · The concept addressed here is the cost and benefit of sweating.
What type of thinking is required?
        · Evaluate level:
            o This question is asking you to weigh and judge, or evaluate, the effects of sweating.

Gather Content
What do you already know about sweating? What other information is related to the question?
        · Sweat is mostly water, but also contains salts, ammonia, and other trace compounds.
        · Sweating is a process that cools the body, but it must be accommodated by increased water intake.
        · Excessive sweating without increased water intake can lead to dehydration.
        · As sweat evaporates from the skin, the water that evaporates carries heat along as well.

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        · Since the patrons are sweating, they are cooling themselves. This might decrease the need for air conditioning, but it would certainly not decrease the need for towels.
        · Sweat is mostly water, the production of sweat depletes water in the body.
        · With excessive sweating, an increased water intake is necessary, so the need for available water would increase in this example.

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        · Evaluate level:
            o Answering this question correctly depended on your ability to weigh and judge, or evaluate, sweating and its consequences. If you got an incorrect answer, did you remember that sweating cools the body when the sweat evaporates, or that excessive sweating can lead to dehydration if water intake is not increased? Did you have trouble weighing the merits of sweating relative to water consumption to determine the correct answer?