The graph shows the percentage of vehicles that have failed routine inspections in a certain region in the past year,...
GMAT Graphics Interpretation : (GI) Questions
The graph shows the percentage of vehicles that have failed routine inspections in a certain region in the past year, by vehicle age, as well as the percentage of those failures attributable to each of the following causes: faulty lights, faulty brakes, worn tires, and exceeding emissions.
Select from each drop-down menu the option that creates the most accurate statement based on the information provided.
Owning The Dataset
Table 1: Text Analysis
| Text Component | Literal Content | Simple Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Subject Matter | percentage of vehicles that have failed routine inspections | Examines what percent of cars don't pass their regular vehicle checks |
| Geographic Context | in a certain region | The exact region isn't specified |
| Time Period | in the past year | Data is from the previous 12 months |
| Categorized By | by vehicle age | Results are split into age groups of vehicles |
| Failure Causes | faulty lights, faulty brakes, worn tires, exceeding emissions | Reasons for failure: lamps, brakes, tires, emissions above the standard |
Table 2: Chart Analysis
| Chart Component | What Is Shown | What This Means |
|---|---|---|
| Chart Type | Stacked bar chart with 5 segments per bar | Each bar shows overall failures, broken down by failure type |
| X-axis | 7 vehicle age groups: 0-5, 5-10, ... , 30+ years | Vehicles grouped in 5-year spans (except final 30+ group) |
| Y-axis | Percentage scale from 0% up to 70% | Up to 70% of vehicles failed in some groups |
| Key Patterns | Total failures rise from 27% (youngest) to 65% (20-25 yrs), then fall to 45% (30+ yrs) | Older vehicles fail more until 25 years; then failure rates reduce |
| Individual Causes | Highest for faulty lights at 30% (15-20 yrs); other causes vary per age group | Certain problems (lights) are more common at specific ages |
Key Insights
- The highest inspection failure rate (65%) occurs with vehicles aged 20–25 years, highlighting a critical problematic age bracket.
- Faulty lights account for up to 30% of failures in 15–20 year-old vehicles, indicating this issue peaks slightly earlier than total failures.
- Total failure rates drop after 25 years (from 65% to 51% at 25–30 years, then 45% for 30+), suggesting only the most reliably maintained older vehicles remain.
Step-by-Step Solution
Question 1: Highest Inspection Failure Rate
Complete Statement:
The inspection failure rate was highest for vehicles that were [BLANK 1] years old.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: inspection failure rate
- Meaning: The percentage of vehicles in each age group that failed their routine inspection.
- Relation to Chart: This is shown by the total height of each bar (stacked segments) in the bar chart.
- Important Implications: We must compare the height (total failure proportion) of each bar, not just one segment.
- Key Phrase: inspection failure rate
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: was highest
- Meaning: We're looking for the maximum value among all age groups.
- Relation to Chart: Find the single tallest bar on the chart.
- Important Implications: Whichever bar is tallest corresponds to the age group with the highest failure rate.
- Key Phrase: was highest
What is needed: The vehicle age group with the highest inspection failure rate (tallest bar on the chart).
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Scan the chart for the bar with the greatest total height. Verify its age label on the x-axis. - Necessary Data points:
Total failure rates by age: 0-5: 27%, 5-10: 41%, 10-15: 59%, 15-20: 61%, 20-25: 65%, 25-30: 51%, 30+: 45%.- Calculations Estimations:
Compare the total percentages and determine that 65% (20-25 years) is the maximum. - Comparison to Answer Choices:
The answer choices include 20-25 years. 20-25 years is the correct answer.
- Calculations Estimations:
FINAL ANSWER Blank 1: 20-25
Question 2: Faulty Lights Percentage in Highest-Failure Age Group
Complete Statement:
Approximately [BLANK 2] percent of vehicles of that age failed inspection due to faulty lights.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: vehicles of that age
- Meaning: Specifically, vehicles aged 20-25 years (as determined from Blank 1).
- Relation to Chart: Focus on the 20-25 years bar of the chart.
- Key Phrase: vehicles of that age
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: failed inspection due to faulty lights
- Meaning: Only count vehicles in the 20-25 years group whose reason for failure was 'faulty lights'.
- Relation to Chart: This is shown by the specific segment (e.g., color-coded) representing 'faulty lights' in the bar for 20-25 years.
- Key Phrase: failed inspection due to faulty lights
What is needed: The percentage representing faulty lights for failed 20-25-year-old vehicles.
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
Read the 'faulty lights' segment for the 20-25 years bar. Compare with answer choices. - Necessary Data points:
For 20-25 years: Faulty lights segment = 25%.- Calculations Estimations:
The data for 20-25 years shows 25% failed due to faulty lights; no further calculation needed. - Comparison to Answer Choices:
25% is directly one of the available answer choices and matches the chart.
- Calculations Estimations:
FINAL ANSWER Blank 2: 25
Summary
The vehicle age group with the highest inspection failure rate is 20-25 years (65% failure rate). Of those, 25% failed due to faulty lights. The problem requires reading the total failure rate and, for that same group, the breakdown of failure reasons.
Question Independence Analysis
The questions are dependent; answering the second blank requires correctly identifying the age group from the first blank, as the second blank specifically refers to vehicles of that age.