Growth of International Immigrant Populations For selected countries

Official Explanation

The scale on the graph's vertical axis represents the percentage of a country's population who are international immigrants. The line representing France is relatively flat, showing that the percentage of the people in France who were international immigrants did not change much from 1980 to 2005. But the graph does not indicate whether the number of people constituting France's total population changed significantly during that period. If France's population did change significantly, while the percentage of that population consisting of international immigrants remained about the same, then the graph would indicate that the number of international immigrants also changed significantly during that period. On the other hand, if France's population did not change significantly, then the graph would indicate that the number of international immigrants did not either. Thus, the graph neither directly affirms nor directly contradicts the statement that the number of international immigrants in France did not change significantly from 1980 to 2005.

The correct answer is neither directly affirms nor directly contradicts.

In the graph, the slope of the line representing any country represents that country's rate of growth in international immigrants as a percent of total population, with a steeper upward slope from left to right indicating faster growth. In both the section of the graph representing the period from 1980 to 1985 and the section representing the period from 1980 to 1995, the line representing the United States slopes upward from left to right more steeply than each of the other lines, indicating that the rate of growth in international immigrants as a percent of total population was greater in the United States than in each of the other nations during those periods. But in the section of the graph representing the period from 1995 to 2005, the line representing Ireland slopes upward from left to right more steeply than the line representing the United States does, indicating that the rate of growth in international immigrants as a percent of total population was greater in Ireland than in the United States during the interval from 1995 to 2005.

The correct answer is 1995–2005.