SPREADSHEET MODELING AND DECISION
ANALYSIS COMPREHENSIVE EXAM 2026
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Which type of thinking is directed toward achieving a goal, a single
solution, answer, or result? Answer: Convergent
◉ Which of the following are reasons for studying modeling? Answer:
Generate insight, Improve thinking skills, Improve quantitative
reasoning skills, Experiment and learn
◉ What is the term for a process of creating a simplified representation
of reality and working with this represention to understand or control
some aspect of the world? Answer: Modeling
◉ Problems with clear objectives, obvious assumptions, readily
available data, and well understood logical structure are which type of
problems? Answer: Well-structured
◉ What shape on an influence chart indicates a Decision? Answer:
Square
, ◉ The problem-solving process uses which of the following types of
thinking at each stage? Answer: Both divergent and convergent
◉ Which type of thinking stressed generating ideas over evaluating
ideas? Answer: Divergent
◉ One guideline to consider when designing a spreadsheet suggests that
the designer should:
1. anticipate who will use the spreadsheet
2. consider what kinds of questions the user will want to address
3. make it easy to dchange parameters that can bve expected to change
often
4. make it easy to find key outputs by collecting them in one place
5. include graphs of the outputs to make it easier to learn from the
spreadsheet
This list describes which of the guidelines the spreadsheet designer
should keep in mind? Answer: Design for use
◉ Which of the following is a set of parameters that describes an
internally consistent view of the future? Answer: Scenarios
◉ Which of the following testing activities should the spreadsheet
developer do to ensure the plausibility/reasonableness of the results of a
spreadsheet? Answer: Test extreme cases, Check with a calculator, Make
rough estimates
ANALYSIS COMPREHENSIVE EXAM 2026
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Which type of thinking is directed toward achieving a goal, a single
solution, answer, or result? Answer: Convergent
◉ Which of the following are reasons for studying modeling? Answer:
Generate insight, Improve thinking skills, Improve quantitative
reasoning skills, Experiment and learn
◉ What is the term for a process of creating a simplified representation
of reality and working with this represention to understand or control
some aspect of the world? Answer: Modeling
◉ Problems with clear objectives, obvious assumptions, readily
available data, and well understood logical structure are which type of
problems? Answer: Well-structured
◉ What shape on an influence chart indicates a Decision? Answer:
Square
, ◉ The problem-solving process uses which of the following types of
thinking at each stage? Answer: Both divergent and convergent
◉ Which type of thinking stressed generating ideas over evaluating
ideas? Answer: Divergent
◉ One guideline to consider when designing a spreadsheet suggests that
the designer should:
1. anticipate who will use the spreadsheet
2. consider what kinds of questions the user will want to address
3. make it easy to dchange parameters that can bve expected to change
often
4. make it easy to find key outputs by collecting them in one place
5. include graphs of the outputs to make it easier to learn from the
spreadsheet
This list describes which of the guidelines the spreadsheet designer
should keep in mind? Answer: Design for use
◉ Which of the following is a set of parameters that describes an
internally consistent view of the future? Answer: Scenarios
◉ Which of the following testing activities should the spreadsheet
developer do to ensure the plausibility/reasonableness of the results of a
spreadsheet? Answer: Test extreme cases, Check with a calculator, Make
rough estimates
