The graphic provides data on world ethanol and biodiesel production

Question

https://gmatclub.com/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=72431 The graphic provides data on world ethanol and biodiesel production, including the top 10 countries in each category, for 2005. Select from each drop-down menu the option that creates the most accurate statement based on the information provided. For the top 10 ethanol-producing countries in 2005, the median of the given volumes of ethanol produced is GRAPH_1_PLACEHOLDER million liters. In 2005, the ratio of the volume of ethanol produced by the country that ranked 11th in ethanol production by volume to the total volume of ethanol produced by China and India was GRAPH_2_PLACEHOLDER . ID: 100326 Untitled.png

Win2020 · Accepted Answer

For second part of this question:
In 2005, the ratio of the volume of ethanol produced by the country that ranked 11th in ethanol production by volume to the total volume of ethanol produced by China and India was:

less than 0.10
between 0.1 and 0.75
greater than 0.75

Soln: We know Thailand is ranked 10th and produces 300 million ltrs. So any country which ranked 11th would produce less than 300 million ltrs.
 
china+India produces= 3800+1700 = 5500

Now to know range of ratio of 11th ranked country to total volume of ethanol produced by China and India

300/5500= 0.054

So 11th ranked country which produces less than 300 million ltrs would be even lower than 0.054. Hence we pick the first ans choice.

less than 0.10 --Correct Ans

Apt0810 · Answer

In the first question we have to consider the top 10 countries, because if you see the graph properly the 11th node is rest of the world and not 1 specific country so we need to take the median of other 10 mentioned countries from the graph

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Apt0810 · Answer

Answer for the first one : (910+750)/2 = 830

Answer for the second one :

300/(3800+1700) =.054(less than 0.1)

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Autumn97 · Answer

Apt0810,

Isn't the question asking us for the country that ranks 11th? And Thailand (300) ranks 10th. Could you please clarify this?

Thank you.

pzgupta · Answer

Thailand ranks 11th. Though the question talks about top 10 production, the graph shows 11 countries.

ETA - I see that i misread the graph and did not notice that one of the bar isn't a specific country but "rest of the world". In this case, now even I am confused how Thailand is the 11th country!

pzgupta · Answer

For Q1, the median would be the mean of the 5th and 6th values, right? 5th and 6th values when arranged in ascending order are 910 and 1700 respectively. What am i doing wrong?

350, 376, 390, 750, 910, 1700, 3800, 4017, 16067, 16214

achanak · Answer

pzgupta

I don't believe we can include 'Rest of the World' (4017 mil liters) as part of our median calculation because 'Rest of the World' is outside the scope of the statement, which involves the  top 10 producing countries . This refers to the  10 countries specifically mentioned  on the graph.

benetamary · Answer

We know that the 11th country's production will be less than Thailand's(10th). So we check the ratio with Thailand and figure out whatever the 11th country is, it'll be less than that.

Kmohan1 · Answer

For the first blank, find the median between the 5th and 6th observation when arranged in ascending order. The graph on ethanol is already arranged in the proper order. Russia 750 and France 910. Median will the average of the two, 830.
For the second blank, the country that ranked 11th in ethanol production by volume will have a volume of less than 300 as Thailand is ranked 10th. Total volume of India and China is 5600. ~<300/5600- this is less than 0.1.

kanikaa9 · Answer

The first statement is framed incorrectly, I feel the top 10 part should be removed for the answer to be 830. For top 10, median would be 1305.

SatvikVedala · Answer

Hi  kanikaa9

The Top 10 for Ethanol includes
1. USA - 16214
2. Brazil - 16067
3. China - 3800
4. India - 1700
5. France - 910
6. Russia - 750
7. SA - 390
8. Spain - 376
9. Germany - 350
10. Thailand - 300

Median is calculated from 5th & 6th terms

And the median is (France + Russia)/2 = 830

Can you please elaborate your approach?

Thanks

Komal324 · Answer

Hey, but why did you not consider 4017? The question nowhere mentions Rest of the World to be not considered as a country. If we do I believe that would an assumption.

The top 10 for Ethanol must be:
1. USA - 16214
2. Brazil - 16067
3. Rest of the World-4017
4. China - 3800
5. India - 1700
6. France - 910
7. Russia - 750
8. SA - 390
9. Spain - 376
10. Germany - 350

Median= (1700+910)/2=1305.

Can someone tell the right answer to the question?

cheshire · Answer

The key is in the wording: it asks for the  top 10 ethanol-producing countries . “Rest of World” is an aggregate of every other country, not itself a single country, so it doesn’t count in the “top 10 countries” list.
If you include “Rest of World” (4 017 M L) as though it were a country, you’d be violating the precise language of the question. Instead, you drop that bar and take the ten actual countries:

300 (Thailand), 350 (Germany), 376 (Spain), 390 (South Africa),
750 (Russia), 910 (France), 1,700 (India), 3 800 (China),
16,067 (Brazil), 16,214 (USA)

Ordering those gives the 5th and 6th values as 750 and 910, so the median is

\frac{750+910}{2}  = 830

eavero · Answer

official answer for part 2 
Thailand is the 10th country with 300, 11th country will be less than 300

so ratio of the volume of ethanol produced by the 11th country to the total volume of ethanol produced by China and India will be less than ​300/5,500 
which equals 0.0545​

0.0545 is less than 0.10.

Amity007 · Answer

Not sure about the answers, coz according to the answers in the first question we are not considering rest of the world as 11th country but in the second we do consider rest of the world as 11th country.
So the either questions wording needs to change or 1st questions answer options.

Bunuel · Answer

This doubt is addressed couple of times above. Here it is again:

“Top 10 ethanol-producing countries” means actual countries only.  “Rest of World” is not a country , it is an aggregate bucket, so it should be excluded from the “top 10 countries” list when computing the median.

But the second prompt, as written, says “the country that ranked 11th,” and the chart does not show an 11th country. We only know the 10th country is Thailand with 300. So the  11th country, whatever it is, must have less than 300 . China and India combined have 5,500, so the ratio of the 11th country to China + India must be less than 300/5,500, which is definitely under 0.1.

Hope it's clear.

Adit_ · Answer

Quite a few things to be careful of, can be considered as a 655-700 problem IMO

egmat · Answer

"Rest of the World" is NOT a country

The question specifically asks about the  "top 10 ethanol-producing COUNTRIES" . "Rest of the World" (4,017 million liters) is an aggregate of ALL other countries combined - it's not a single country.

The graph shows 11 bars, but only  10  represent individual countries. The 11th bar is a catch-all category.

CORRECT Top 10 Countries (in descending order):  
1. USA -  16,214 
2. Brazil -  16,067 
3. China -  3,800 
4. India -  1,700 
5. France -  910 
6. Russia -  750 
7. South Africa -  390 
8. Spain -  376 
9. Germany -  350 
10. Thailand -  300

Finding the Median: 
For 10 values, median = average of 5th and 6th values
5th value (France) =  910 
6th value (Russia) =  750

Median = (910 + 750) / 2 =  830

Answer for Dropdown 1: 830

For Part 2 - The 11th ranked country: 
Since Thailand is 10th with  300  million liters, any country ranked 11th would produce  LESS than 300  million liters.

China + India = 3,800 + 1,700 =  5,500  million liters

Ratio = (less than 300) / 5,500 < 300/5,500 =  0.054

Since 0.054 < 0.10, the answer is  less than 0.10

Answer for Dropdown 2: less than 0.10

JustKeepGoing · Answer

After going through all the solutions, I realised that nobody has mentioned a nuance in this question.

Both the prompts of the questions can be answered without any calculations at all.   How? Look below-

For the 1st prompt, the median will be calculated for 10 terms. Since, the countries are already arranged in decreasing order. We will find out the 5th and 6th data point i.e., 910 & 750. Hence, median will be something between 910 & 750. No need to add and half.   Check the drop down, only 830 makes sense.

For the 2nd prompt, we know the Ethanol production of India+China. No need to calculate. Let it be xyz. Now, we are sure that the 11th country will have a value of ethanol production of something   less than   300 (i.e. thailand). No need to calculate anything.   Check the drop down for some hint. Eureka!. There is only one option with a "LESS THAN". Hence, LESS THAN 0.1

The graphic provides data on world ethanol and biodiesel production

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The graphic provides data on world ethanol and biodiesel production

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