In 1979 when the European Union elected its first Parliament, the Union had 9 member states: Belgium (BE), Denmark (DK),...
GMAT Graphics Interpretation : (GI) Questions
In 1979 when the European Union elected its first Parliament, the Union had 9 member states: Belgium (BE), Denmark (DK), Germany (DE), Ireland (IE), France (FR), Italy (IT), Luxembourg (LU), the Netherlands (NL), and the United Kingdom (UK).
The graph shown has 9 pairs of bars—1 pair for each of those 9 member states. The first bar in each pair represents the composition by gender of the state's members in the Parliament elected in 1979, and the second bar represents the composition by gender of the state's members in the Parliament elected in 2009.
In the following statements, the terms least, greatest, and most apply to only the 9 member states represented in the graph. Use the drop-down menus to create the most accurate statements based on the information provided.
Owning the Dataset
Table 1: Text Analysis
| Text Component | Content | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Historical context | In 1979 when the European Union elected its first Parliament, the Union had 9 member states. | The dataset is specifically about the first EU Parliament election. |
| List of states | Belgium (BE), Denmark (DK), Germany (DE), Ireland (IE), France (FR), Italy (IT), Luxembourg (LU), the Netherlands (NL), and the UK. | These are the only countries included in all analyses and comparisons. |
| Graph structure | The graph shown has 9 pairs of bars — 1 pair for each of those 9 member states. | Each country has two bars for comparison. |
| Bar meaning | The first bar in each pair represents 1979 gender composition; the second, 2009. | Each country's gender balance for both years is displayed side by side. |
| Limitation on terms | The terms least, greatest, and most apply only to the nine member states in the graph. | Any comparison is restricted to these nine countries—no others are included. |
Table 2: Chart Analysis
| Chart Feature | Description | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Bar Chart Structure | Nine countries each have two adjacent bars (1979 and 2009). | Visualizes changes over time per country for direct country-by-country comparison. |
| Bar Segmentation | Each bar is split by gender: Women (blue) and Men (gray). | Proportion of women and men is easily seen for both years and all countries. |
| Member Counts | Bar height represents total number of Parliament members per country; varies from 6 to 81 in 1979. | Countries differ greatly in representation size; smallest (LU), largest (DE, FR, IT, UK). |
| Highest Women Share | Denmark and Luxembourg have the largest blue segments in 1979. | These countries had the highest proportion of women in 1979 among member states. |
| Median Bar | The Netherlands has a bar height between the small (LU, IE, DK, BE) and large (DE, FR, IT, UK) bars. | The Netherlands is the median country by 1979 member count (25 of 9 countries). |
Key Insights
Denmark and Luxembourg had the highest proportion of women among their Parliament members in 1979. The country delegation sizes varied greatly, with four large delegations (Germany, France, Italy, UK at 81 members each) and Luxembourg as the smallest (6 members). The Netherlands is the median country by member count in 1979. Visual comparison between 1979 and 2009 shows substantial increases in women's representation across most countries.
Step-by-Step Solution
Question 1: Country Most Likely to Have Woman Chosen
Complete Statement:
If a member were chosen at random from each state's members in the 1979 Parliament, the state most likely to have had a woman chosen is ______.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: chosen at random
- Meaning: Each parliament member in a country is equally likely to be picked.
- Relation to Chart: We must consider the proportion of women among the total members for each country in 1979.
- Important Implications: The country with the highest percentage of women among its members will be most likely to have a woman chosen.
- Key Phrase: chosen at random
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: most likely to have had a woman chosen
- Meaning: Looking for the country with the biggest fraction of women members.
- Relation to Chart: Visually compare the size of the blue segment (women) to the total bar height for 1979 in each country.
- Important Implications: It's about the proportion, not necessarily the highest number of women.
- Key Phrase: most likely to have had a woman chosen
- What is needed: We need to find which country had the highest percentage of women among its 1979 Parliament members.
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Estimate the size of the blue (women) part compared to the whole 1979 bar for each given country option. - Necessary Data points:
From the chart, estimates for 1979: Denmark (5 women/16 members), France (18/81), Netherlands (6/25), UK (12/81). Calculate each percentage.- Calculations Estimations:
Denmark: \\(\frac{5}{16} \approx 31\%\\); France: \\(\frac{18}{81} \approx 22\%\\); Netherlands: \\(\frac{6}{25} = 24\%\\); UK: \\(\frac{12}{81} \approx 15\%\\). - Comparison to Answer Choices:
Of DK, FR, NL, UK, Denmark (DK) has the highest percentage of women (31%).
- Calculations Estimations:
FINAL ANSWER Blank 1: DK
Question 2: Median Country by Member Count
Complete Statement:
If the member states were arranged in order from least number of members to greatest number of members in the 1979 Parliament, ______ would be in the middle.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: arranged in order from least number of members to greatest
- Meaning: Sort all nine countries by ascending member count for 1979.
- Relation to Chart: Look at the total height of each country's bar for 1979.
- Key Phrase: arranged in order from least number of members to greatest
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: would be in the middle
- Meaning: Find the country at position 5 out of 9 after sorting.
- Relation to Chart: Once countries are ordered, the 5th country is the median.
- Key Phrase: would be in the middle
- What is needed: Identify the country that is 5th when all are ordered by number of 1979 members from least to greatest.
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
List all countries' 1979 member counts, sort them, and find which country is in position 5. - Necessary Data points:
Luxembourg: 6; Ireland: 15; Denmark: 16; Belgium: 24; Netherlands: 25; Germany/France/Italy/UK: 81 each.- Calculations Estimations:
Ordered: Luxembourg (6), Ireland (15), Denmark (16), Belgium (24), Netherlands (25), Germany (81), France (81), Italy (81), UK (81). The 5th country is Netherlands. - Comparison to Answer Choices:
Of the choices (BE, DK, IT, NL), Netherlands (NL) is the median by member count.
- Calculations Estimations:
FINAL ANSWER Blank 2: NL
Summary
Question 1 is about which country had the highest proportion of women in 1979 (Denmark). Question 2 asks which country is median by 1979 member count (Netherlands). Careful attention to proportions for the first and sorting for the second leads to the answers.
Question Independence Analysis
The two questions are independent: one focuses on the percentage of women among members in 1979, and the other on the overall member count order. No calculation or answer for one matters for the other.