Graphics Interpretation - Other Chart Types

On GMAT Graphics Interpretation questions, some graphical representations do not have horizontal or vertical axes. For these, you will need to examine any labels, titles, and accompanying text to understand what the graph is representing. The given chart shows how Johnny spends his grocery budget and that he tends to spend the same amount on vegetables as he does meat. How is this represented in the chart?

Incorrect.

The order of the sectors in a chart like this does not give any specific information. Although sectors in a chart may have a certain order (the days of the week may be listed in order, for example), this will not tell you whether two values are the same.

The sectors for vegetables and meat share a characteristic that makes it easy to see that the values are similar.

Incorrect.

Although you may see different colors and shading in a chart, this would be used to distinguish between different categories. The color will not give you any quantitative information.

Look at the chart again to see what the sectors for vegetables and meat share in common.

Another diagram without axes is a **Venn diagram**, which is used to show overlapping sets of data. Sometimes symbols are used to represent specific numbers of members in a set. In this Venn diagram, each X represents four people who are sitting in a large café. What could the five Xs outside of the circle represent?

No, that's not right.

This diagram does not mention anything about whether the people represented work at the café. If the **X**s inside a circle represent people who fall into that category, think about the meaning of the **X**s outside a circle (or in this case, both circles!).

Other Graphics Interpretation questions can be based on non-quantitative charts and diagrams.

Organization charts represent the structure of an organization or a set of hierarchical relationships using lines and boxes. Each box represents a person or group, with lateral relationships represented with horizontal lines connecting the boxes, and hierarchical relationships represented with vertical lines.

For this organization chart of a local high school, how do you know that the orchestra conductor reports to the music department head?

Not exactly.

While the school principal is at the top of the chart, and this position represents the head of the hierarchy, this does not tell you about the relationship between the orchestra conductor and the music department head.

Incorrect.

The relationship between the cheerleading coach and the athletic director is represented the same way as the relationship between the orchestra conductor and the music department head, but you need to describe how to read this from the diagram.

Flow charts look similar to organization charts but show a series of steps in a process.

These can progress from top to bottom or from left to right, as indicated by directional arrows. Different shapes can represent different types of steps, like an action to be completed or a decision point with multiple possible outcomes.

This flow chart outlines the steps a cyclist takes to check whether a bike is ready to ride.

According to this chart, a cyclist [[dropdown1]] by checking the brakes before every ride, but fills the tires with air only when the tires [[dropdown2]] pressurized adequately.

Not quite.

This diagram does not mention books, so you cannot assume that anyone is reading.

Notice that these **X**s are outside both circles. Consider how this relates to the **X**s inside the circles representing people who fall into that category.

Correct.

The first step of this flow chart is to check the brakes of the bike. A cyclist will perform this step for each ride.

Incorrect.

Look at where the box with "inspect function of brakes" is located with respect to the other boxes, and note the direction of the arrows.

Incorrect.

Filling the tires with air is done whenever the tires are not adequately pressurized. This means that this step is done either sometimes, or all the time.

In summary:

[[summary]]

Correct. This is a **pie chart**, which shows how a whole is separated into parts, or sectors. The area of the sector is proportional to the percent of the whole that the sector represents. Since Johnny spends an amount on vegetables similar to what he spends on meat, the two sectors have a similar area. Additionally, the central angle of the sector is proportional to the percentage of 360º that the sector represents. The combined sectors of desserts and salty snacks are 25% of the circle, so they have a combined central angle of 90°.

Correct.

The orchestra conductor is connected to the music department head with a vertical line. Since the music department head is higher in the diagram, this line shows you that the orchestra conductor reports to the music department head.

Correct. There are five **X** symbols that are outside both circles, so this must represent 20 people. $$5\cdot4=20$$ Since these **X** marks are outside both circles, they must represent people who are "outside" these categories. The 20 people must not have brought laptops or ordered a sandwich. Venn diagrams and pie charts represent quantitative data, and you may be asked to perform calculations like this, or statistical analysis of the data in these graphics.

Correct.

Filling the tires with air is only done when the answer to the question "Tires pressurized adequately?" is "No."

If the tires are pressurized adequately, then a cyclist will skip this step and begin his or her ride.

The sectors are different colors.

The sectors take up the same area.

The sectors are adjacent to one another.

The 5 workers at the café

The 20 people reading books

The 20 people who neither ordered a sandwich nor brought a laptop

The school principal is higher than both of them.

The cheerleading coach is on the same level as the orchestra conductor, and the cheerleading coach reports to the athletic director.

The orchestra conductor is below the music department head, and they are connected with a vertical line.

starts

finishes

are not

are

Continue

Continue

Continue

Continue