Given the production data over the course of seven days, let's carefully analyze the possible explanations for the low production on days 4 and 5:
1. Day 1: 20 donuts per hour
2. Day 2: 22 donuts per hour
3. Day 3: 21 donuts per hour
4. Day 4: 10 donuts per hour
5. Day 5: 15 donuts per hour
6. Day 6: 50 donuts per hour
7. Day 7: 55 donuts per hour
Observing the data:
- We see that on days 4 and 5, the production drops significantly to 10 and 15 donuts per hour, respectively.
- On days 1 to 3 and 6 to 7, production is comparatively higher, suggesting that something specific happened on days 4 and 5 to cause this drop.
Let's evaluate the provided options:
1. A new employee was being trained to make donuts.
- It is plausible that a new employee, who might not be as efficient initially, might have been in training during days 4 and 5. This would temporarily reduce the production rates until the employee becomes proficient.
2. The chef increased the rate of donut making.
- If the chef increased the rate of donut making, we would expect to see an increase in production, not a decrease. Hence, this option does not explain the low production.
3. The donut shop lowered the price of donuts.
- Lowering the price could potentially increase demand, leading to higher production to meet the increased demand. However, this does not fit with the observed decrease in production on days 4 and 5.
4. The owner bought a better donut machine.
- A better machine would likely increase production rates, not decrease them. This option better explains the observed increase in production on days 6 and 7, not the decrease on days 4 and 5.
Based on the analysis, the most plausible explanation for the low production on days 4 and 5 is:
A new employee was being trained to make donuts.
