Basic Ability Data Interpretation Skills Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The following pie chart shows the annual budget allocation for a company with a total budget of $2,500,000. How much more money is allocated to the Marketing department than to the Human Resources (HR) department? [Pie Chart Description: A pie chart is shown with the following slices: Marketing at 30%, Research & Development (R&D) at 25%, Operations at 20%, Human Resources (HR) at 15%, and Information Technology (IT) at 10%.]
- $500,000
- $750,000
- $250,000
- $375,000 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: $375,000
The percentage allocated to Marketing is 30% and to HR is 15%. The difference in percentage is 30% - 15% = 15%. To find the monetary value of this difference, calculate 15% of the total budget: 0.15 * $2,500,000 = $375,000.
Question 2: The line graph below shows a company's quarterly revenue in thousands of dollars over two years. During which period did the company experience the largest absolute increase in revenue from the previous quarter? [Line Graph Description: A line graph plots revenue over 8 quarters. Year 1 values (in thousands): Q1-$40, Q2-$45, Q3-$60, Q4-$55. Year 2 values (in thousands): Q1-$50, Q2-$70, Q3-$75, Q4-$65.]
- Year 1, Quarter 2 to Quarter 3
- Year 2, Quarter 1 to Quarter 2 (Correct answer)
- Year 1, Quarter 4 to Year 2, Quarter 1
- Year 2, Quarter 2 to Quarter 3
Correct answer: Year 2, Quarter 1 to Quarter 2
To find the largest increase, calculate the revenue change between each consecutive quarter: Y1Q2 to Y1Q3 = +$15K; Y1Q4 to Y2Q1 = -$5K (a decrease); Y2Q1 to Y2Q2 = +$20K; Y2Q2 to Y2Q3 = +$5K. The increase of $20K from Year 2, Quarter 1 to Year 2, Quarter 2 is the largest.
Question 3: A double bar chart displays the number of visitors (in thousands) to four national parks for the years 2022 and 2023. Based on the data presented, which of the following statements is true? [Bar Chart Description: Park A: 150k in 2022, 180k in 2023. Park B: 210k in 2022, 200k in 2023. Park C: 170k in 2022, 220k in 2023. Park D: 190k in 2022, 190k in 2023.]
- Park B was the only park to see a decrease in visitors. (Correct answer)
- Park C had the fewest visitors in 2022.
- The total number of visitors to all four parks decreased from 2022 to 2023.
- Park D experienced the largest percentage growth in visitors.
Correct answer: Park B was the only park to see a decrease in visitors.
By comparing the 2022 and 2023 values for each park: Park A increased (150 to 180), Park B decreased (210 to 200), Park C increased (170 to 220), and Park D stayed the same. Thus, Park B was the only one to experience a decrease. The other statements are false.
Question 4: A survey was conducted to rate a software product's features on a scale of 1 (Very Dissatisfied) to 5 (Very Satisfied). The results are shown in the table below. What is the overall average satisfaction score, weighted by the number of ratings? [Table Description: A table shows four features. User Interface: 250 ratings, 4.2 avg score. Speed: 250 ratings, 3.5 avg score. Customer Support: 150 ratings, 4.6 avg score. Features: 250 ratings, 3.9 avg score.]
- 4.05
- 4.20
- 3.85
- 3.99 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 3.99
The weighted average is calculated by summing the product of each average score and its number of ratings, then dividing by the total number of ratings. The calculation is: [(250 * 4.2) + (250 * 3.5) + (150 * 4.6) + (250 * 3.9)] / (250 + 250 + 150 + 250) = [1050 + 875 + 690 + 975] / 900 = 3590 / 900 ≈ 3.99.
Question 5: An analyst is reviewing employee performance. The company policy states: "Employees receive a 5% bonus on their annual salary if they exceed their sales target by at least 10%." Based on the policy and the data table below, which employee(s) will receive a bonus, and what is the total bonus amount the company will pay out? [Table Description: Alice: $60k salary, $500k target, $545k actual sales. Bob: $65k salary, $550k target, $610k actual sales. Carol: $58k salary, $480k target, $530k actual sales.]
- Only Bob; Total bonus: $3,250
- Alice and Carol; Total bonus: $5,850
- Bob and Carol; Total bonus: $6,150 (Correct answer)
- All three employees; Total bonus: $9,150
Correct answer: Bob and Carol; Total bonus: $6,150
Alice needed to exceed $550,000 ($500k * 1.1) but did not. Bob needed to exceed $605,000 ($550k * 1.1) and did; his bonus is 5% of $65,000 = $3,250. Carol needed to exceed $528,000 ($480k * 1.1) and did; her bonus is 5% of $58,000 = $2,900. The total bonus is $3,250 + $2,900 = $6,150.
Question 6: The bar chart below shows the number of active users for a mobile app from 2021 to 2024. What was the approximate percentage increase in active users from 2023 to 2024? [Bar Chart Description: A bar chart shows active users for four years. 2021: 50,000 users. 2022: 75,000 users. 2023: 60,000 users. 2024: 90,000 users.]
- 50% (Correct answer)
- 33%
- 67%
- 150%
Correct answer: 50%
The formula for percentage increase is [(New Value - Old Value) / Old Value] * 100. Using the data from the chart for 2023 (Old Value = 60,000) and 2024 (New Value = 90,000): [(90,000 - 60,000) / 60,000] * 100 = [30,000 / 60,000] * 100 = 0.5 * 100 = 50%.
Basic Ability Data Interpretation Skills Questions and Answers
The following pie chart shows the annual budget allocation for a company with a total budget of $2,500,000.
How much more money is allocated to the Marketing department than to the Human Resources (HR) department?
[Pie Chart Description: A pie chart is shown with the following slices: Marketing at 30%, Research & Development (R&D) at 25%, Operations at 20%, Human Resources (HR) at 15%, and Information Technology (IT) at 10%.]