82 practice questions on Bar Graphs from the Data Interpretation section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus.
82 come with a written explanation and 13 are actual previous year questions.
Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.
29 Easy43 Medium10 Hard13 from past papers
Sample questions
Q1
Previous year questioneasy
Study the data from two figures, given here as tables, and answer the item that follows.
Number of professors in selected disciplines in a University, by sex:
Discipline
Male
Female
Physics
32
8
Mathematics
28
8
Chemistry
16
22
Botany
10
14
Psychology
4
6
Economics
24
8
Age of Physics professors (from a pie chart):
Age group
Share of Physics professors
25-34 years
30%
35-44 years
40%
45-59 years
20%
60-65 years
10%
What percentage of all Psychology professors are females?
A40%
B50%
C60%
D70%
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - 60%
For Psychology, male professors are 4 and female professors are 6, so the total is 10. The percentage of females is (6 / 10) x 100 = 60%.
Q2
Previous year questionmedium
Directions: The following item is based on a bar graph, described below in text form, which shows imports of three different types of steel over a period of six months of a year. The graph (in thousands of tons imported) gives, for each month, three bars in the order Coil, Sheet and Scrap. The approximate values read from the graph are:
January: Coil 30, Sheet 40, Scrap 31
February: Coil 31, Sheet 37, Scrap 34
March: Coil 32, Sheet 35, Scrap 33
April: Coil 34, Sheet 35, Scrap 31
May: Coil 32, Sheet 34, Scrap 32
June: Coil 38, Sheet 34, Scrap 31
The figures in brackets indicate the average cost per ton over the six month period: Coil USD 320, Sheet USD 256, Scrap USD 175.
By how much (measured in thousands of tons) did the import of sheet steel exceed the import of coil steel in the first three months of the year?
A11
B15
C19
D23
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - 19
Sheet steel imports for the first three months (January, February, March) are about 40 + 37 + 35 = 112 thousand tons. Coil steel imports for the same months are about 30 + 31 + 32 = 93 thousand tons. The excess of sheet over coil is 112 - 93 = 19 thousand tons.
Q3
Previous year questionmedium
Consider the four age pyramids given below, namely A, B, C and D, representing four different countries. Each pyramid plots the percentage of population in each age class against age. Which one of them indicates the declining population?
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
AA
BB
CC
DD
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - D
A declining (constrictive) age pyramid is narrow at the base, meaning the proportion of children and young people is smaller than the proportion in the middle and older age classes. This low birth rate, with a larger ageing population, signals a shrinking population over time. Among the four pyramids, the one with the pinched, narrow base (pyramid D) represents a declining population.
Q4
Previous year questioneasy
Study the data from two figures, given here as tables, and answer the item that follows.
Number of professors in selected disciplines in a University, by sex:
Discipline
Male
Female
Physics
32
8
Mathematics
28
8
Chemistry
16
22
Botany
10
14
Psychology
4
6
Economics
24
8
Age of Physics professors (from a pie chart):
Age group
Share of Physics professors
25-34 years
30%
35-44 years
40%
45-59 years
20%
60-65 years
10%
Which one of the following disciplines has the highest ratio of males to females?
APhysics
BMathematics
CChemistry
DEconomics
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - Physics
Compute the male to female ratio for each listed discipline.
Physics: 32 / 8 = 4.0
Mathematics: 28 / 8 = 3.5
Chemistry: 16 / 22 = about 0.73
Economics: 24 / 8 = 3.0
The highest ratio is Physics at 4 to 1.
Q5
Previous year questionmedium
The following three items are based on a bar graph, described below in text form, which shows imports of three different types of steel (Coil, Sheet and Scrap) over a period of six months of a year. The values (in thousands of tons imported) read from the graph for each month are:
January: Coil 30, Sheet 40, Scrap 31
February: Coil 31, Sheet 37, Scrap 34
March: Coil 32, Sheet 35, Scrap 33
April: Coil 34, Sheet 35, Scrap 31
May: Coil 32, Sheet 34, Scrap 32
June: Coil 38, Sheet 34, Scrap 31
The figures in the brackets indicate the average cost per ton over the six months period: Coil (USD 320), Sheet (USD 256), Scrap (USD 175). Study the data and answer the items that follow.
By how much (measured in thousands of tons) did the import of sheet steel exceed the import of coil steel in the first three months of the year?
A11
B15
C19
D23
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - 19
Sheet steel in January to March = 40 + 37 + 35 = 112 thousand tons. Coil steel in the same months = 30 + 31 + 32 = 93 thousand tons. The excess of sheet over coil is 112 - 93 = 19 thousand tons. 11, 15 and 23 do not match this difference.
Q6
Previous year questionmedium
Directions: The following item is based on the same graph of steel imports over six months. The bars for each month are in the order Coil, Sheet and Scrap, with approximate values (in thousands of tons):
January: Coil 30, Sheet 40, Scrap 31
February: Coil 31, Sheet 37, Scrap 34
March: Coil 32, Sheet 35, Scrap 33
April: Coil 34, Sheet 35, Scrap 31
May: Coil 32, Sheet 34, Scrap 32
June: Coil 38, Sheet 34, Scrap 31
The average cost per ton over the six month period is: Coil $320, Sheet $256, Scrap $175.
What was the approximate ratio of sheet steel and scrap steel imports in the first three months of the year?
A1 : 1
B2 : 1
C1.4 : 1
D1.6 : 1
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - 1 : 1
Sheet steel imported in the first three months is about 40 + 37 + 35 = 112 thousand tons, and scrap steel is about 31 + 34 + 33 = 98 thousand tons. The ratio is 112 : 98, which is approximately 1.14 : 1, closest to 1 : 1 among the given options.
Q7
Previous year questionmedium
The following three items are based on a bar graph, described below in text form, which shows imports of three different types of steel (Coil, Sheet and Scrap) over a period of six months of a year. The values (in thousands of tons imported) read from the graph for each month are:
January: Coil 30, Sheet 40, Scrap 31
February: Coil 31, Sheet 37, Scrap 34
March: Coil 32, Sheet 35, Scrap 33
April: Coil 34, Sheet 35, Scrap 31
May: Coil 32, Sheet 34, Scrap 32
June: Coil 38, Sheet 34, Scrap 31
The figures in the brackets indicate the average cost per ton over the six months period: Coil (USD 320), Sheet (USD 256), Scrap (USD 175). Study the data and answer the items that follow.
What was the approximate total value (in USD) of sheet steel imported over the six months period?
A45,555
B50,555
C55,550
D65,750
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - 55,550
Sheet steel over the six months = 40 + 37 + 35 + 35 + 34 + 34 = 215 thousand tons. At the average cost of USD 256 per ton, the value is 215 x 256 = 55,040 (in thousands of dollars, the unit the options use). The nearest option is 55,550. The values 45,555 and 50,555 are far too low, and 65,750 is far too high.
Q8
Previous year questioneasy
Study the data from two figures, given here as tables, and answer the item that follows.
Number of professors in selected disciplines in a University, by sex:
Discipline
Male
Female
Physics
32
8
Mathematics
28
8
Chemistry
16
22
Botany
10
14
Psychology
4
6
Economics
24
8
Age of Physics professors (from a pie chart):
Age group
Share of Physics professors
25-34 years
30%
35-44 years
40%
45-59 years
20%
60-65 years
10%
If the Psychology professors in the University constitute 2% of all the professors in the University, then what is the number of professors in the University?
A400
B500
C600
D700
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - 500
The number of Psychology professors is 4 + 6 = 10. If these 10 are 2% of all professors in the University, then the total number of professors = 10 / 0.02 = 500.
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