WGU C207 DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING —
OA FINAL EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED RATIONALES LATEST
UPDATE 2026-2027
SECTION 1: ANALYTICS TYPES & DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
(Questions 1–40)
Question 1
For companies to attract and retain their best customers, they need a complete
portrait of who they are. To develop this portrait, companies turn to:
A) Statistics
B) Analytics
C) Management Science
D) Histograms
Answer: B
Rationale: Analytics involves the discovery, analysis, and communication of
meaningful patterns in data. It enables companies to develop comprehensive
customer portraits by examining data from multiple sources to understand
behaviors, preferences, and trends.
---
Question 2
A manufacturer wants to maximize factory output while specifically minimizing
labor costs. What type of analytics might they employ to achieve this goal?
1
,A) Descriptive Analytics
B) Predictive Analytics
C) Prescriptive Analytics
D) Diagnostic Analytics
Answer: C
Rationale: Prescriptive analytics recommends specific actions to achieve desired
outcomes. In this scenario, the manufacturer needs recommendations on how to
optimize output while minimizing costs, which is the domain of prescriptive
analytics.
---
Question 3
A manager is looking at his previous quarter and determining the causes for a
sudden sales spike to gain a better understanding of the actions and outcomes.
Which type of analytics would the manager use?
A) Predictive Analytics
B) Prescriptive Analytics
C) Descriptive Analytics
D) Proactive Analytics
Answer: C
Rationale: Descriptive analytics is used to describe the characteristics of what is
being studied by summarizing historical data to identify patterns and trends. The
manager is examining past data to understand what happened, which is descriptive
analytics.
2
,---
Question 4
The discovery, analysis, and communication of meaningful patterns in data is
known as:
A) Statistics
B) Data Mining
C) Analytics
D) Business Intelligence
Answer: C
Rationale: Analytics is defined as the discovery, analysis, and communication of
meaningful patterns in data. It encompasses the entire process of deriving insights
from data to support decision-making.
---
Question 5
The first stage of Davenport and Kim's Three-Stage Model of quantitative decision
making is to:
A) Communicate the results
B) Frame the problem
C) Solve the problem
D) Analyze the data
Answer: B
3
, Rationale: The first stage is to frame the problem by understanding the
environment of a problem. After framing, one can solve the problem and then
communicate the results.
---
Question 6
The third stage of Davenport and Kim's Three-Stage Model of quantitative
decision making is:
A) Solving the problem
B) Framing the problem
C) Communicating results
D) Data collection
Answer: C
Rationale: The three stages are (1) frame the problem, (2) solve the problem, and
(3) communicate results. Communication of results is the final stage.
---
Question 7
Which two elements are part of the "framing the problem" stage of the Davenport-
Kim model?
A) Determine the scope of the problem and review previous findings
B) Data collection and data analysis
C) Presenting recommendations and implementation
D) Hypothesis testing and conclusion
4
OA FINAL EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED RATIONALES LATEST
UPDATE 2026-2027
SECTION 1: ANALYTICS TYPES & DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
(Questions 1–40)
Question 1
For companies to attract and retain their best customers, they need a complete
portrait of who they are. To develop this portrait, companies turn to:
A) Statistics
B) Analytics
C) Management Science
D) Histograms
Answer: B
Rationale: Analytics involves the discovery, analysis, and communication of
meaningful patterns in data. It enables companies to develop comprehensive
customer portraits by examining data from multiple sources to understand
behaviors, preferences, and trends.
---
Question 2
A manufacturer wants to maximize factory output while specifically minimizing
labor costs. What type of analytics might they employ to achieve this goal?
1
,A) Descriptive Analytics
B) Predictive Analytics
C) Prescriptive Analytics
D) Diagnostic Analytics
Answer: C
Rationale: Prescriptive analytics recommends specific actions to achieve desired
outcomes. In this scenario, the manufacturer needs recommendations on how to
optimize output while minimizing costs, which is the domain of prescriptive
analytics.
---
Question 3
A manager is looking at his previous quarter and determining the causes for a
sudden sales spike to gain a better understanding of the actions and outcomes.
Which type of analytics would the manager use?
A) Predictive Analytics
B) Prescriptive Analytics
C) Descriptive Analytics
D) Proactive Analytics
Answer: C
Rationale: Descriptive analytics is used to describe the characteristics of what is
being studied by summarizing historical data to identify patterns and trends. The
manager is examining past data to understand what happened, which is descriptive
analytics.
2
,---
Question 4
The discovery, analysis, and communication of meaningful patterns in data is
known as:
A) Statistics
B) Data Mining
C) Analytics
D) Business Intelligence
Answer: C
Rationale: Analytics is defined as the discovery, analysis, and communication of
meaningful patterns in data. It encompasses the entire process of deriving insights
from data to support decision-making.
---
Question 5
The first stage of Davenport and Kim's Three-Stage Model of quantitative decision
making is to:
A) Communicate the results
B) Frame the problem
C) Solve the problem
D) Analyze the data
Answer: B
3
, Rationale: The first stage is to frame the problem by understanding the
environment of a problem. After framing, one can solve the problem and then
communicate the results.
---
Question 6
The third stage of Davenport and Kim's Three-Stage Model of quantitative
decision making is:
A) Solving the problem
B) Framing the problem
C) Communicating results
D) Data collection
Answer: C
Rationale: The three stages are (1) frame the problem, (2) solve the problem, and
(3) communicate results. Communication of results is the final stage.
---
Question 7
Which two elements are part of the "framing the problem" stage of the Davenport-
Kim model?
A) Determine the scope of the problem and review previous findings
B) Data collection and data analysis
C) Presenting recommendations and implementation
D) Hypothesis testing and conclusion
4
