CCARF Practice Question

Paper 5 · Question 1

D1 Agentic Architecture & Orchestration · Paper 5

[Scenario: Multi-agent Research System] A document analysis agent discovers that two credible sources contain directly contradictory statistics for a key metric: a government report states 40% growth, while an industry analysis states 12%. Both sources look credible, and the discrepancy could materially affect the research conclusions. How should the document analysis agent handle this situation most effectively? Which approach is most effective?

• A.Apply credibility heuristics to pick the most likely correct number, finish analysis with that value, and add a footnote mentioning the discrepancy.
• B.Include both numbers in the analysis output without marking them as conflicting, letting the synthesis agent decide which to use based on broader context.
• C.Stop analysis and immediately escalate to the coordinator, asking it to decide which source is more authoritative before continuing.
• D.Complete analysis with both numbers, explicitly annotate the conflict with source attribution, and let the coordinator decide how to reconcile the data before passing to synthesis.

Show answer & explanations

Correct answer: D

A: Choosing one figure hides a material conflict. A footnote does not reconcile the two sources, and the wrong number can still drive the conclusion.

B: Unmarked duplicates force the synthesis agent to notice the disagreement on its own. It may treat the two statistics as separate facts.

C: Stopping so the coordinator can crown a source blocks the analysis agent and asks the coordinator to decide before both values are even recorded.

D: This approach preserves separation of responsibilities: the analysis agent completes its core work without blocking, preserves both conflicting values with clear attribution, and correctly passes reconciliation to the coordinator, which has broader context.

Related Agentic Architecture & Orchestration questions

More: Paper 5 · All practice questions