A graph question about a study’s conclusion tests whether you can connect data to a claim. Read the conclusion first to find which groups and times matter, then check the graph’s title, axes, and key. Compare groups at the same measurement time so you don’t mix separate results. If you need to measure a gain, subtract the starting value from the later value. Check every part of each choice, because a statement with one false part cannot support the claim.
Hints
- Hint 1
Read the conclusion and identify the two grant groups it compares. Those are the groups to track in the graph.
- Hint 2
Use the graph’s key to find those groups’ bars, then check the baseline and the two later measurement times.
- Hint 3
Compare the groups at matching times. If you calculate a productivity gain, which starting value should you subtract for each group?
Step-by-step
Compare grant sizes at matching times
Step 1Name the comparison
The researchers say a larger grant might not yield a greater productivity benefit than providing a moderate grant. Which groups does that ask us to compare? We need large grants versus moderate grants at matching times after distribution, not either group versus no grant.
- Step 2
Read the matched bars
The title and axes show an output index (higher values indicate more output per labor hour), and the key marks moderate grants in medium gray and large grants in black. What are the values for each group? For the moderate and large grant groups, the values are 100 versus 101 at baseline, 120 versus 115 at three months, and 125 versus 110 at nine months. The large grant group starts slightly higher.
- Step 3
Test the added claims
Do the added claims match those values? Begins slightly higher at baseline misreads the moderate group’s 100, which is below the large group’s 101. A larger increase turns the comparison around: by three months after distribution, the large group gained 115 − 101 = 14 points versus 120 − 100 = 20 for the moderate group, so the moderate group gained more. And nearly the same output index misreads the values nine months after distribution, when the groups are 15 points apart.
- Step 4
Connect the results to the claim
Why does this comparison support the researchers’ claim? More grant money didn’t lead to more output per labor hour here, so the large grant might not yield a greater productivity benefit. The choice referring to workshops receiving the $20,000 grant says their output index is higher at both later times. Choice D.