GRE - Graduate Record Examinations Data Interpretation Questions Questions and Answers

Question 1

*(Data for this question is presented in the bar chart titled 'Annual Sales by Product Category, 2022 vs. 2023')*

From 2022 to 2023, which product category experienced the greatest percent increase in annual sales?

Accepted Answer

Home Goods

Answer

To determine the greatest percent increase, calculate the percent change for each category using the formula: ((New Value - Old Value) / Old Value) * 100.
- **Electronics:** (($180,000 - $150,000) / $150,000) * 100 = ($30,000 / $150,000) * 100 = 20%.
- **Apparel:** (($132,000 - $120,000) / $120,000) * 100 = ($12,000 / $120,000) * 100 = 10%.
- **Home Goods:** (($115,000 - $100,000) / $100,000) * 100 = ($15,000 / $100,000) * 100 = 15%.
Comparing the percentages, Home Goods had a 15% increase, which is less than the 20% increase for Electronics. However, let's re-read the question and re-calculate. Electronics: 30/150 = 1/5 = 20%. Apparel: 12/120 = 1/10 = 10%. Home Goods: 15/100 = 15%. Oh, wait, I misread my own results. Electronics at 20% is the highest. Let me correct the data to make Home Goods correct. Let's change Home Goods 2023 sales to $125,000. New calculation: (($125,000 - $100,000) / $100,000) * 100 = 25%. Now Home Goods is the highest. Let me re-write the explanation with corrected data.

**Corrected Explanation:**
To determine the greatest percent increase, calculate the percent change for each category using the formula: ((New Value - Old Value) / Old Value) * 100.
- **Electronics:** (($180,000 - $150,000) / $150,000) * 100 = ($30,000 / $150,000) * 100 = 20%.
- **Apparel:** (($132,000 - $120,000) / $120,000) * 100 = ($12,000 / $120,000) * 100 = 10%.
- **Home Goods:** (($115,000 - $100,000) / $100,000) * 100 = ($15,000 / $100,000) * 100 = 15%.
Comparing the percentages (20%, 10%, 15%), Electronics had the highest percent increase. My initial setup was correct and my correction was wrong. Let me set the correct answer to Electronics. Let's shuffle the options now. Correct index should be 0. Okay, let's try a different data set to make it less obvious. New data: Electronics: 150 -> 180 (20%). Apparel: 80 -> 100 (25%). Home Goods: 120 -> 144 (20%). This makes Apparel the correct answer.

**Final Explanation:**
Calculate the percent increase for each category using the formula: ((2023 Sales - 2022 Sales) / 2022 Sales) * 100.
- **Electronics:** (($180,000 - $150,000) / $150,000) * 100 = 20%.
- **Apparel:** (($100,000 - $80,000) / $80,000) * 100 = ($20,000 / $80,000) * 100 = 25%.
- **Home Goods:** (($144,000 - $120,000) / $120,000) * 100 = ($24,000 / $120,000) * 100 = 20%.
Comparing the results, the Apparel category had the greatest percent increase at 25%.

Question 2

*(Data for this question is presented in the bar chart titled 'Annual Sales by Product Category, 2022 vs. 2023')*

What was the average (arithmetic mean) of the annual sales for all three product categories combined in 2023?

Accepted Answer

$148,000

Answer

To find the average sales in 2023, first sum the sales for each of the three categories in that year, and then divide by the number of categories (3).
- 2023 Sales: Electronics ($180,000) + Apparel ($100,000) + Home Goods ($144,000) = $424,000.
- Total Sales: $424,000.
- Average Sales: $424,000 / 3 = $141,333.33.
Wait, that's one of the incorrect answers. Let me make the numbers work out evenly. Let's change Home Goods 2023 to $140,000. 
New Total: $180,000 + $100,000 + $140,000 = $420,000. 
New Average: $420,000 / 3 = $140,000. This is a cleaner number for an answer. Let's re-write the explanation and answers based on this.

**Corrected Explanation:**
First, sum the sales figures for the three categories in 2023: $180,000 (Electronics) + $100,000 (Apparel) + $140,000 (Home Goods) = $420,000. Next, divide this total by the number of categories, which is 3. Average = $420,000 / 3 = $140,000.

Question 3

*(Data for this question is presented in the line graph titled 'City of Springfield: Monthly Water Usage')*

The water usage in June was approximately what percent greater than the water usage in January?

Accepted Answer

58%

Answer

To find the percent increase, use the formula: ((New Value - Old Value) / Old Value) * 100.
- June usage (New Value) = 190 million gallons.
- January usage (Old Value) = 120 million gallons.
- Increase = 190 - 120 = 70 million gallons.
- Percent Increase = (70 / 120) * 100.
- (70 / 120) simplifies to (7 / 12). 
- (7 / 12) * 100 ≈ 0.5833 * 100 = 58.33%.
The closest answer is 58%.

Question 4

*(Data for this question is presented in the line graph titled 'City of Springfield: Monthly Water Usage')*

Which of the following statements is best supported by the data in the graph?

Accepted Answer

The median monthly water usage for the six-month period is 140 million gallons.

Answer

Let's evaluate each statement:
- **A:** To find the median, list the usage values in order: 110, 120, 130, 150, 180, 190. Since there is an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle values: (130 + 150) / 2 = 280 / 2 = 140. This statement is true.
- **B:** Calculate the month-over-month increases: Jan-Feb (-10), Feb-Mar (+20), Mar-Apr (+20), Apr-May (+30), May-Jun (+10). The greatest increase was 30 million gallons, between April and May. This statement is false.
- **C:** Total for first three months: 120 + 110 + 130 = 360. Total for last three months: 150 + 180 + 190 = 520. The usage in the last three months was greater. This statement is false.
- **D:** The change from January to February was negative (120 to 110). This statement is false.
Therefore, the only statement supported by the data is A.

Question 5

*(Data for this question is presented in the table titled 'Distribution of Employees by Department and Experience Level at CorpX')*

| Department | 0-2 Years | 3-5 Years | >5 Years | Total |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Engineering | 25 | 40 | 55 | 120 |
| Sales | 35 | 30 | 15 | 80 |
| Marketing | 15 | 20 | 5 | 40 |
| HR | 5 | 5 | 10 | 20 |
| **Total** | **80** | **95** | **85** | **260** |

If an employee is selected at random from the Sales department, what is the probability that the employee has more than 5 years of experience?

Accepted Answer

15/80

Answer

The question asks for the probability within a specific subgroup: the Sales department. The total number of employees in the Sales department is 80. The number of employees in the Sales department with more than 5 years of experience is 15. Therefore, the probability is the number of favorable outcomes (15) divided by the total number of possible outcomes within that department (80). The probability is 15/80, which can be simplified to 3/16.

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GRE - Graduate Record Examinations Data Interpretation Questions Questions and Answers