DATA INTERPRETATION (DATA TABLE)

Any numerical data relating to any type of situation can be generally represented in the form of a table, it is one of the easiest and the most accurate way of presenting data in a non-graphical manner. In a table, data is arranged systematically in columns and rows. While reading a table the following parts need careful observation.

(a)   Title of the table: This gives a description of the contents of the table and precisely defines the kind of data and the period for which it occurred.

(b)   Column heading: This defines the information contained in various columns and also specifies the unit of measurement in some cases.

(c)    Head note: Invariably, the unit of measurement is specified in the head note. Foot notes are used to point out any exceptions in arriving at the data.

Difficulty with this type of data representation is that they require much closer reading as compared to other forms of data representations like bar graphs, Pie charts and hence they are difficult and time consuming to interpret. The calculations which are done on the basis of numerical table to draw the inferences are easy in terms of foumulae but they are much lengthy and time consuming.

The following examples will explain the way of representing data in numerical table form how different useful inferences can be drawn from these tables:

DIRECTIONS (1-5) The following table gives data of number of cars produced and sold by three companies. It also the number of cars that can be produced by the three companies. Capacity utilization is defined as the ratio of production to capacity and sales efficiency the ratio of sales to production.

Year	1988			1998
Company HM PAL MUL	Capacity 46000 36000 107500	Production 27000 29850 102500	Sales 26000 28770 101200	Capacity 40000 183900 485000	Production 21050 67400 425000	Sales 20080 67100 417000

EXAMPLE 1 the capacity utilization was the highest for which of the following category of cars?

(a) HM 1988                          

(b) MUL 1998

(c) MUL 1988                        

(d) HM 1998

EXAMPLE 2 the sales of three companies put together has risen by what percentage from 1988 to 1998?

(a) 223%                                  

(b) 115%

(c) 310%                                  

(d) 285%

EXAMPLE 3 The highest growth percentage in sales over the period was ….. between the three companies.

(a) 138% for PAL                   

(b) 230% for PAL

(c) 312% for MUL                  

(d) 405% for MUL

EXAMPLE 4 if all cars that remained unsold at the end of the year were ouctioned, which company has the biggest auction in terms of the number of cars put for sale? (Assume stock at the begging of each year is zero)

(a) HM 1998                          

(b) MUL 1998

(c) PAL 1998                         

(d) MUL 1988  

EXAMPLE 5 By what percentage has the capacity utilization for the car industry changed for the period 1988 – 98?

(a) 11.66%                               

(b) .30%

(c) 13.80%                              

(d) 25.78%

DIRECTION 6 – 10 Refer to the following table:

Projected Availability and Demand for Steel

(for the period 1994-95 and 1999-2000)' 000 tones

Sr. No.	Category	1994-1995		1990-2000
		Demand	Availability	Demand	Availability
1 2 3	Shapes Flats Railway Material	6960 4360 400	5725 5020 550	9745 6300 450	9360 6600 560

EXAMPLE 6 If the demand of each category of steel is to be met in 1999-2000, the additional quantity of steel that is to be produced is

(a)    110 thousand tonnes of Railway material

(b)   300 thousand tonnes of Flats

(c)    385 thousand tonnes of shapes

(d)   120 thousand tonnes of shapes.

EXAMPLE 7 In 1994-95 approximately, what percentage of the total demand for steel, is the demand for Flats?

(a) 37.2 approx.                       

(b) 35 approx.

(c) 25. 4 approx.                      

(d) 37.2 approx.

EXAMPLE 8 The percentage growth in the demand for Railway material over the five year period from 1994-95 to 1999-2000 is

(a) 15%                                    

(b) 20%

(c) 22%                                    

(d) 12.5%  

EXAMPLE 9 The percentage change in shortfall of shapes over the five year period from 1994-95 to 1999-2000 is expected to be approximately

(a) 70%                                    

(b) 65%

(c) 72%                                                

(d) 69%

EXAMPLE 10 Which of the following statements is necessarily true?

(a)    The demand for shapes as a percentage of the total demand for steel was almost the same for 1994-95 and 1999-2000.

(b)   The shortage of shapes is only due to excess availability of Flats and Railway Materials.

(c)    The rate of growth in demand for shapes is greater than the rate of growth in supply of shapes.

(d)   The total demand as a percentage of total availability of steel (all categories) in 1999-2000 is expected to be 125%.

DIRECTION (11-15) Study the given table carefully and answer the questions given below:

Employees working in various departments of A,B,C Ltd.

Years	Departments (Number of employees)
	Production	Mark	Corporate	Accounts	Research
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004	150 225 450 470 500 505	25 40 65 73 80 75	50 45 30 32 35 36	45 62 90 105 132 130	75 70 73 70 74 75

EXAMPLE 11 In which year did the total number of employees reach (approximately) twice the total of employees that the factory had in the year 1999?

(a) 2000                                   

(b) 2001

(c) 2002                                   

(d) 2003

Clearly figure of year  2001 is closed to the double of figure of the year 1999. Hence, option (b) is the correct choice.

EXAMPLE 12 In which department did the number of employees (approximately) remain the same during the year 1999 and 2004?

(a) Production                        

(b) Corporate

(c) Research                            

(d) None of these    

EXAMPLE 13 In how many years was the number of employees working in the production department more than 50% of the total employees?

(a) 2                                         

(b) 3

(c) 4                                         

(d) 5

EXAMPLE 14 in which year/s did each department have a larger number of employees that it had in the immediately preceding year?

(a) 2002                                   

(b) 2004

(c) 2001                                   

(d) 2003

EXAMPLE 15 Which department had less than 10% of the employees through all the years shown in the table?

(a) Marketing                          

(b) Corporate

(c) Accounts                            

(d) None of these

Direction (16-20) The questions are based on the following table:

Production of straight and complex Fertilisers in Tamil Nadu(in thousand tonnes)

Unit	End Product	1988-89	1989-90	1990-91
Madras Fertilizer Ltd Coimbatore Pioneer  SPIC Kothari Industrial Corp.  Shaw Wallace Indag Product EID Party Neyveli Lignite Corp.	Urea SSP Urea SSP SSP SSP Urea Urea	243.8 35.9 562.9 59.9   - 16.6 51.7 141.1	413.2 31.6 535.0 57.6 74.6 22.3 53.0 143.10	238.6 42.3 570.0 75.0 71.0 23.8 48.5 101.5

EXAMPLE 16 what was the approximate growth rate in Urea Production in Tamil Nadu between 1988-89 and 1990-91? 

(a) 6%                                      

(b) 3.5%

(c) – 6%                                   

(d) 4.9%

EXAMPLE 17 Which unit saw the maximum percentage increase in SSP production between 1989-90 and 1990-91?

(a) Coimbatore Pioneer

(b) Kothari Industrial Corporation

(c) Shaw Wallace

(d) Indag Production

EXAMPLE 18 Of the total fertilizer production in 1990-91, what was the approximate Contribution of Madras fertilizer Limited?

(a) 20.4%                                 

(b) 24.7%

(c) 25.8%                                

(d) 2.0%

EXAMPLE 19 The growth rate in fertilizer production from 1988-89 to 1989-90 was about?

(a) 16.5%                                 

(b) 17.6%

(c) 18.4%                                 

(d) 19.1%

EXAMPLE 20 The percentage increase required in SSP production in 1990-91, for it to equal urea production of that year is about

(a) 350%                                  

(b) 450%

(c) 45%                                                

(d) 300%

              

 

  

  

SOLUTIONS:

SOLUTION 1 The only way to the question is to calculate percentage of capacity utilization (as it is easy in terms of calculation as compared to ratio) for each of the four options.

% of capacity utilization of HM 1988

% of capacity utilization of MUL 1998

% of capacity utilization of MUL 1988

% of capacity utilization of HM 1998

Hence, the highest percentage of capacity utilization is MUL 1988. Therefore, option (c) is the correct choice.

SOLUTION 2 Sales of 1988

= 26000 + 28770 + 101200 = 155970

Sales of 1998 = 20080 + 67100 + 417000 = 504180

Increase percentage

Hence, the correct option is (a).

SOLUTION 3 From the table, we can find that maximum number increase

Hence, option (c) is the correct option.

SOLUTION 4 The difference in the production and sale is maximum of MUL 1998 i.e., (425000 – 417000) = 8000.

Hence option (b) is our answer. 

SOLUTION 5 In 1988, capacity utilization = 84.08%

In 1998 it is 72.42%

Percentage change 

SOLUTION 6 From the data given only shapes show a short fall of 385000 tonnes in 1999-2000. In all the other cases, availability is greater than demand. Hence, option (c) is the answer.

SOLUTION 7 In 1994-95, demand for flats = 4360. Total demand = 6960 + 4360 + 400 = 11720.

Therefore, required percentage

 approx.

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

SOLUTION 8 % growth in demand

Hence, correct answer is (d).

SOLUTION 9 Shortfall in shapes in 1994-95

Shortfall in shapes in 1999-2000

Therefore, % approximately

Hence, option (d) is the correct option.

SOLUTION 10 (a) For 1999-2000, required ratio for shapes

For 1994-95, required ratio for shapes

Hence, option (a) is correct answer.

(b) There is no information available on the reason for shortage of shapes and one cannot deduce option (b).

(c) Growth rate of demand for shapes

Growth rate of supply for shapes

Hence, option (c) is incorrect.

(d) In 1999-2000, total demand

Total availability = 9360 + 6600 + 560 = 16520

 Total demand as a% of total availability

Hence, this option is also incorrect.

Therefore, option (a) is the only correct option.

SOLUTION 11 Total number of employees in the year

1999 = 345, 2000 = 442, 2001 = 708, 2002 = 750,

2003, 821, 2004 = 825.

SOLUTION 12 Clearly, number of employees in Research department is the same in the year 1999 and 2004.

SOLUTION 13 As already calculated in example 11, clearly the number of employees working in production department exceeds 50% of the total strength in the year 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Hence, in 5 years it happens so.

Hence, option (d) is our answer.

SOLUTION 14 From the table it is clear that in the year 2003, each department has a larger number of employees than it had in the immediately preceding year, i.e., 2002. Hence, option (d) is our answer.

SOLUTION 15 Clearly marketing department had less than 10% of the employees through all the years shown in the table. Hence, option (a) is our answer.

SOLUTION 16 From the table it is clear that the urea production has decreased for all the units from 1988-89 to 1990-91. Therefore the answer should be negative. Hence, option (c) is the correct choice.

SOLUTION 17 Percentage change for

Coimbatore Pioneer

Kothari Industrial Corporation =

Shaw Wallance =

Indag production

Hence, Coimbatore Pioneer has the max. percentage increase in SSP production.

SOLUTION 18 Total fertilizer production in 1990-91

= 238.6 + 42.3 +570 + 71 + 23 .8 + 101.5

= 1170.70

% Contribution of Madras Fertilizer Limited

Hence, option (a) is the correct choice.

SOLUTION 19 Fertilizer production is 1988-1989 = 1131.6

Fertilizer production in 1989-90 = 1330.4

% growth

Hence, option (b) is our answer.

SOLUTION 20 SSP production in 1990-91 = 212.1

Urea production in 1990-91 = 958.6

Hence, % increase required