I03-15

Question

https://gmatclub.com/gmat-focus-tests/resources/import/img/I03-15new.png 
 
The graph shows the percent change in the area of different land cover types across five states (DE, MD, PA, VA, and WV) from 1982 to 1997. 
 
Select from each drop-down menu the option that creates the most accurate statement based on the information provided.

If the combined rural area of Pennsylvania (PA) and Virginia (VA) was twice that of the pasture area in West Virginia (WV) in 1982, then in 1997, the combined rural area of Pennsylvania (PA) and Virginia (VA) was approximately  GRAPH_1_PLACEHOLDER  times larger than the pasture area in West Virginia.

If Delaware (DE) had 380,000 acres of cropland in 1997 and Maryland (MD) had 500,000 acres of cropland in 1997, then Delaware had approximately  GRAPH_2_PLACEHOLDER  cropland than Maryland in 1982.

Bunuel · Answer

Official Solution:

Drop-down 1: 
 
Assuming the combined rural area of Pennsylvania (PA) and Virginia (VA) was 100  unit^2  in 1982, the pasture area in West Virginia (WV) would be 50  unit^2  in the same year. From the graph, we see that the rural areas of both Pennsylvania (PA) and Virginia (VA) increased by 40%, so in 1997, the combined rural area would become 140  unit^2 . Meanwhile, the pasture area in West Virginia (WV) decreased by 25%, reducing it to 37.5  unit^2 . Therefore, in 1997, the combined rural area of Pennsylvania (PA) and Virginia (VA) was  \frac{140}{37.5} \approx 4  times larger than the pasture area in West Virginia.
 
 Drop-down 2: 
 
Delaware's cropland decreased by 35% from 1982 to 1997, so 380,000 acres of cropland in 1997 implies that in 1982 it was  \frac{380,000}{0.65} \approx 585,000  acres. During the same period, Maryland's (MD) cropland decreased by 10%, so 500,000 acres of cropland in 1997 implies that in 1982 it was  \frac{500,000}{0.90} \approx 555,000  acres. Therefore, in 1982, Delaware had approximately 30,000 acres more cropland than Maryland.

Correct answer:

Dropdown 1:  "4"

Dropdown 2:  "30,000 acres more"

Bunuel · Answer

I have revised the question, solution, and formatting by adding more details to enhance clarity

columb2025 · Answer

the system time shows 2 mins, i have spent over 5 minutes on this and still got it wrong, how are people getting it correctly ? could someone give me tips to improve speed in this type of heavy graph data questions

Bunuel · Answer

6. Strategies and Tactics To Speedd-Up 
 
Want to speed up? Check this:  Timing Strategies on the GMAT 
 Follow This Strategy to Save Time on the GMAT 
 How to Improve Your Timing on the GMAT 
 HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME ON THE GMAT 
 Pacing - No one question matters unless you let it 
 The Importance of Timing on the GMAT 
 The Difference Between a 1-Minute Solution and a 4-Minute Solution 
 Determining How Much Time to Spend on GMAT Quant Questions 
 Timing is Everything on the GMAT: One Strategy to Help You Succeed 
 3 Ways to Improve Your Timing on the GMAT

Javmex · Answer

Hi  Bunuel  . I have always the following question: ¿Is it not the correct answer three times larger? I say this because two times larger means actually three times the original verions, the same with 1 time larger, it would be actually twice the original. For example : 
The phrase "two times larger" means the circle's area is three times the area of the square because "two times larger" implies 2 times more in addition to the original (1x).

This is actually a matter of phrasing, because I always remember that was my mystake when I was a child, whenever you see x times larger it is actually that in addition to the original .. Pleas..
 
Please correct me if that rule does not follow in the actual gmat.. Thanks

Bunuel · Answer

No, that's not correct.

Here is my post from another topic addressing this issue:

Agree that it's confusing but check below:

Merriam Webster's  Dictionary of English Usage :

The argument in this case is that times more (or times larger, times stronger, times brighter, etc.) is ambiguous, so that "He has five times more money than you" can be misunderstood as meaning "He has six times as much money as you." It is, in fact, possible to misunderstand times more in this way, but it takes a good deal of effort. If you have $100, five times that is $500, which means that "five times more than $100" can mean (the commentators claim) "$500 more than $100," which equals "$600," which equals "six times as much as $100." The commentators regard this as a serious ambiguity, and they advise you to avoid it by always saying "times as much" instead of "times more." Here again, it seems that they are paying homage to mathematics at the expense of language. The fact is that "five times more" and "five times as much" are idiomatic phrases which have - and are understood to have - exactly the same meaning.

The "ambiguity" of times more is imaginary: in the world of actual speech and writing, the meaning of times more is clear and unequivocal. It is an idiom that has existed in our language for more than four centuries, and there is no real reason to avoid its use.

The "ambiguity" of  times more  is imaginary : in the world of actual speech and writing, the meaning of  times more  is clear and unequivocal. It is an idiom that has existed in our language for more than four centuries, and there is no real reason to avoid its use.

I03-15

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