175
INTRODUCTION TO GRAPHS
AND CHARTS
Graphs and charts appear in the quantitative section of the exam.
Ability Tested
You will need to understand and derive information from graphs, charts, and ta-
bles. Many of the problems require brief calculations based on the data, so your
mathematical ability is also tested.
Basic Skills Necessary
The mathematics associated with diagrammatic interpretation does not go beyond
high-school level. Your familiarity with a wide range of chart and graph types will
help you feel comfortable with these problems and read the data accurately.
Directions
You are given data represented in chart or graph form. Following each set of data
are questions based on that data. Select the best answer to each question by refer-
ring to the appropriate chart or graph and mark your choice on the screen. Use
only the given or implied information to determine your answer.
Analysis
Remember that you are looking for the best answer, not necessarily the perfect an-
swer. Often, graph questions ask you for an approximate answer; if this happens,
don’t forget to round off numbers to make your work easier.
Use only the information given; never “read into” the information on a graph.
Suggested Approach with Samples
Here are some helpful strategies for extracting accurate information, followed by
some sample graph questions.
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Part I: Analysis of Exam Areas
Skim the question and quickly examine the whole graph before starting to
work the problem; this type of prereading will tell you what to look for.
Sometimes the answer to a question is available in supplementary informa-

B. Monday
C. Friday
D. Saturday
E. Tuesday
D. To answer this question, you must understand the chart and do some simple
computation. Working from the answers is probably the easiest method.
A. Sunday 120 + 92 = 212
B. Monday 85 + 80 = 165
C. Friday 91 + 88 = 179
D. Saturday 111 + 112 = 223
E. Tuesday 77 + 70 = 147
Another method is to approximate the answers.
2.
On how many days were more hamburgers sold than cheeseburgers?
A. 7
B. 6
C. 5
D. 4
E. 3
B. To answer this question, you must compare the sales for each day. Hamburgers
outsold cheeseburgers every day except Saturday.
3.
If the pattern of sales continues,
A. the weekend days will have the fewest number of burger sales next
week.
B. the cheeseburgers will outsell hamburgers next week.
C. generally, when hamburger sales go up, cheeseburger sales will go up.
D. hamburgers will be less expensive than cheeseburgers.
E. more customers will buy hamburgers than cheeseburgers next Saturday.
C. To answer this question, you must notice one of the trends. Most days that

Candidate 3
Candidate 4
600 800
0
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Part I: Analysis of Exam Areas
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increases of 200. The names are listed along the left side. Candidate 1 has approx-
imately 800 delegates (possibly a few more). The bar graph for Candidate 2 stops
about three quarters of the way between 400 and 600. Now, consider that halfway
between 400 and 600 would be 500. So Candidate 2 has about 550.
800 − 550 = 250
Samples
Questions 5 – 7 refer to the following graph.
5.
The 1994–96 gross receipts of Monster Burger exceeded those of Pizza in a
Pot by approximately how much?
A. 0.2 million
B. 2 million
C. 8.2 million
D. 8.4 million
E. 17 million
B. In this graph, there are multiple bars representing each fast-food category; each
single bar stands for the receipts from a single year.
Gross Receipts of Several Fast-Food Restaurants
1994-1996
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0

1994 = 1, 1995 = 2.1, 1996 = 3 (don’t designate numbers beyond the nearest
tenth, because the graph numbers and the answer choices prescribe no greater ac-
curacy than this). Totaling the receipts for all three years, you get 6.1.
So, Monster Burger exceeds Pizza In A Pot by 2.3 million. The answer that best
approximates this figure is B.
6.
From 1995 to 1996, the percent increases in receipts for Pizza In A Pot
exceeded the percent increase for Monster Burger by approximately how
much?
A. 0%
B. 2%
C. 10%
D. 15%
E. 43%
C. Graph questions on the GRE may ask you to calculate percent increase or per-
cent decrease. The formula for figuring either of these is the same:
()startingamount follows the word
amount of thechange
from
In this case, you may first calculate the percent increase for Monster Burger.
Gross receipts in 1995 = 2.5
Gross receipts in 1996 = 3.4
Amount of the change = 0.9
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Part I: Analysis of Exam Areas
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The 1995 amount is the “starting” or “from” amount.
""
.
.

choices except E require that you speculate beyond the information given.
Line Graphs
Line graphs convert data into points on a grid. These points are then connected to
show a relationship between the items, dates, times, and so on. Notice the slopes
of lines connecting the points. These lines will show increases and decreases. The
sharper the slope upward, the greater the increase. The sharper the slope down-
ward, the greater the decrease. Line graphs can show trends, or changes, in data
over a period of time.
Samples
Questions 8–9 refer to the following graph.
181
Introduction to Graph and Charts
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8.
In which of the following years were there about 500,000 American Indians?
A. 1940
B. 1950
C. 1960
D. 1970
E. 1975
C. To answer this question, you must be able to read the graph. The information
along the left side of the graph shows the number of Indians in increases of
100,000. The bottom of the graph shows the years from 1910 to 1980. Notice that
in 1960 there were about 500,000 American Indians in the United States. Using
the edge of your answer sheet like a ruler helps you see that the dot in the 1960
column lines up with 500,000 on the left.
9.
During which of the following time periods was there a decrease in the
American Indian population?
A. 1910 to 1920