Questions that combine graphs, tables, or diagrams with a passage explaining them are a standard feature of the Common Test. You need the skill to accurately check which parts of the chart correspond to the claims in the passage.
Basic Rules
Basic procedure for matching charts:
① Check the type of chart (line, bar, or pie chart), its title, the axis labels, and the units
② Find the sentence in the passage that refers to the chart (such as Figure 1 shows / As the graph indicates)
③ Compare the claims in the passage with all data points in the chart (check the whole chart, not just one point)
④ Check whether an option correctly reflects only part of the chart but contradicts another part
Common trap patterns:
- Confusing the axes (misreading the vertical and horizontal axes)
- Overlooking the units (such as the difference between % and percentage points)
- Deciding that a statement such as "the highest/the lowest" is true based on only one data point without checking other years or categories
- Only part of the claim in the passage matches the chart, while the option as a whole does not
Passage: "According to the graph, the number of users increased every year except for one."
→ Check the data for every year in the chart and compare both the years in which the number continued to increase and the one year in which it decreased. Missing even one exception will lead to a wrong answer.
Points to Note
① Briefly check the chart before reading the passage; this makes numbers and trends mentioned in the passage easier to understand.
② You cannot judge whether options containing definitive words such as "most," "only," or "all" are correct without checking every data point in the chart. Do not decide based on only one point.
③ Always check the units (number of people, percentage, or rank). In questions comparing graphs with different units, confusing the units is a major cause of wrong answers.
④ Options that match the chart "only in part" are likely to be incorrect. Break the sentence in each option into all its elements and check whether each one matches the chart.
- Check the chart title, axes, and units first
- Find the sentence referring to the chart and compare it with all data points
- Check all the data before judging options containing definitive words such as "most/only/all"
- Watch for confused units and options that match only part of the chart
Practice
- When checking an option that says "the highest" in a chart-matching question, name one thing you should confirm.
- Explain with a specific example why confusing units can lead to a wrong answer.
- Explain why an option in which only part of the passage matches the chart is likely to be incorrect.