A graph question about a conclusion tests whether you can use numbers to support what researchers say. Read the conclusion first, and ask which groups it compares and what change over time it needs. Then read the title, axes, and key so you know what the numbers measure. Check every part of the claim, using differences or changes when the claim calls for them. Accurate numbers aren't enough if they don't show the claimed pattern.
Hints
- Hint 1
Look for what changes across the decades in the researchers' conclusion. Which council type represents resident concerns?
- Hint 2
Compare the first and last averages for each council type. How much does each series change over the full study?
- Hint 3
Subtract the earlier neighborhood average from the later one for each pair of decades. How do those increases fit the change the researchers describe?
Step-by-step
Compare growth and check the timing
Step 1Turn the conclusion into a comparison
The conclusion says mayors became increasingly attentive to resident concerns beyond business interests. What would show that change across the decades studied? Both council types send recommendations directly to the mayor, so let's compare their growth over time. Neighborhood councils are the ones addressing resident concerns.
- Step 2
Read the averages and find total growth
The title and vertical axis show average numbers of advisory councils, and the key uses light gray for business-focused councils and dark gray for neighborhood-focused councils. Which type grows more? Across the decades, business averages are about 2.6, 2.8, and 2.9, while neighborhood averages are about 1.9, 3.0, and 4.6. That's growth of about 0.3 for business councils versus 2.7 for neighborhood councils.
- Step 3
Check the decade-to-decade details
When do neighborhood councils grow most, and when do they first move ahead? Their gains are about 1.1 and then 1.6, so the bigger jump comes later, ruling out the version that puts most of that increase in the first interval. The version with surpass business-focused councils only in 2000–2009 also misreads the graph: neighborhood councils already lead in the 1990s, at 3.0 versus 2.8.
- Step 4
Use the trend, not only the final decade
The choice with by the final decade shows only that decade, while across the decades studied calls for evidence of change over time. Which description shows that change? The phrases increase only slightly and rise sharply overall show how differently the two types grew, supporting increasing attention beyond business interests. The description of the largest jump also puts that gain in the later interval. Choice D.