A translator has agreed to translate 66 short documents, all approximately the same length, from Urdu to Spanish. The deadline...
GMAT Graphics Interpretation : (GI) Questions
A translator has agreed to translate 66 short documents, all approximately the same length, from Urdu to Spanish. The deadline for completion of all 66 documents is the twelfth day from the beginning of the project. For each of the first 9 days of the project, the graph shows the number of documents that she completed during that day.
Based on the information provided, select from each drop-down menu the option that creates the most accurate statement.
Owning the Dataset
Table 1: Text Analysis
| Text Component | Literal Content | Simple Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Project scope | "translate 66 short documents" | A total of 66 documents must be translated. |
| Document characteristics | "all approximately the same length" | Each document is similar in length and presumed similar in effort. |
| Translation direction | "from Urdu to Spanish" | Translation is from Urdu to Spanish. |
| Deadline | "the twelfth day from the beginning of the project" | The full project must be completed by day 12. |
| Data shown | "For each of the first 9 days of the project, the graph shows the number of documents that she completed" | Only days 1 through 9 are shown in the chart, not the entire project. |
Table 2: Chart Analysis
| Chart Component | What's Shown | What This Tells Us |
|---|---|---|
| Chart type | Horizontal bar chart with 9 bars | Each bar represents one day; clear presentation of daily progress for days 1-9. |
| Y-axis | Days 1-9, arranged from bottom to top | Shows sequential progression through the project's initial period. |
| X-axis | Number of documents completed per day (range: 1 to 6) | Productivity per day varies; some days are more productive than others. |
| Recent trend | Days 8 and 9 both show bars at the maximum length (6) | Recent days are the most productive, possibly indicating increased focus or urgency. |
| Total bar sum | 36 documents completed over 9 days | Out of 66 total, 36 are done, leaving 30 to complete in the last 3 days (days 10-12). |
Key Insights
- The translator completed 36 out of 66 documents during the first 9 days, as per the chart data.
- The remaining 30 documents must be finished over the last 3 days to meet the 12-day deadline.
- Productivity varied; the translator completed as few as 1 document (day 2) and as many as 6 documents (days 5, 8, 9) in a day.
- The recent trend suggests increased output, but even maintaining the recent highest daily rate (6 documents/day), only 18 more documents could be finished in the last 3 days, short of the required 30.
- Therefore, unless productivity increases dramatically, completing all 66 documents on time is unlikely based on performance in the first 9 days.
Step-by-Step Solution
Question 1: Total Documents Completed in First 9 Days
Complete Statement:
According to the graph, during the first 9 days of the project, the translator completed a total of _____ documents.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: According to the graph
- Meaning: Information must be gathered from the provided chart/graph.
- Relation to Chart: All values will be read directly from the bar chart.
- Important Implications: No information comes from the text except to clarify which values to sum.
- Key Phrase: According to the graph
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: during the first 9 days of the project
- Meaning: Count only Days 1 through 9 (inclusive).
- Relation to Chart: Data for Days 1 through 9 is represented by the bars labeled for those days.
- Important Implications: Do not include any values except for Days 1-9.
- Key Phrase: during the first 9 days of the project
What is needed: The sum of documents completed from Day 1 to Day 9.
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Read and add the number of documents completed each day from Day 1 to Day 9, as shown by the bars on the chart. - Necessary Data points:
Day 1: 5, Day 2: 1, Day 3: 3, Day 4: 3, Day 5: 6, Day 6: 2, Day 7: 4, Day 8: 6, Day 9: 6- Calculations Estimations:
\\(5+1=6, 6+3=9, 9+3=12, 12+6=18, 18+2=20, 20+4=24, 24+6=30, 30+6=36\\) - Comparison to Answer Choices:
The correct choice among 30, 32, 34, 36, and 37 is 36.
- Calculations Estimations:
FINAL ANSWER Blank 1: 36
Question 2: Meeting the Deadline at Current Rate
Complete Statement:
If she continues to complete documents at exactly the same daily rate as on Days 8 and 9, she will complete the last of the documents _____ the day of the deadline.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: at exactly the same daily rate as on Days 8 and 9
- Meaning: She will complete 6 documents per day, as on Days 8 and 9.
- Relation to Chart: Bars for Day 8 and Day 9 both show 6 documents.
- Key Phrase: at exactly the same daily rate as on Days 8 and 9
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: she will complete the last of the documents
- Meaning: All documents must be finished.
- Relation to Chart: The total number of documents (as in the problem description) is 66.
- Key Phrase: she will complete the last of the documents
What is needed: Will she finish all 66 documents before, on, or after the 12th day if she completes 6 per day for the final 3 days?
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Calculate remaining documents (66-36), see how many she can complete in 3 more days at her current pace (6/day), and compare. - Necessary Data points:
Total documents: 66; Completed by Day 9: 36; Remaining days: 3; Daily rate going forward: 6 documents/day.- Calculations Estimations:
\\(66 - 36 = 30\\) documents remaining. \\(3 \text{ days} \times 6 \text{ documents/day} = 18\\) more documents can be completed. \\(36+18=54 < 66\\); 12 documents still remain after Day 12. - Comparison to Answer Choices:
Since she will not finish all by the deadline, the correct answer is 'after'.
- Calculations Estimations:
FINAL ANSWER Blank 2: after
Summary
The translator completed 36 documents in the first 9 days by summing the daily amounts given in the chart. If she continues working at the rate of 6 documents/day (as on Days 8 and 9), she will only finish 54 documents by the 12-day deadline, which is not enough to complete the entire project of 66 documents. Therefore, she will complete all the documents after the day of the deadline.
Question Independence Analysis
Although Blank 1 provides information used for Blank 2, each blank can essentially be answered independently (Blank 1 only needs the chart, Blank 2 could work with the total from Blank 1 or could sum Days 1-9 themselves). The questions are thus semi-independent: they share data, but require distinct reasoning.