Question

According to the graph below, the greatest change in the profit of the Sports Shack occurred between which two consecutive months? 


 

• A. January and February
• B. February and March
• C. March and April
• D. April and May
• E. May and June

Hint:

Visually, the "greatest change" on a bar chart corresponds to the largest vertical jump between two adjacent bars. Notice the large gap between the bar for March (at -20) and the bar for April (at +20). This visual inspection can quickly point you to the correct answer, which you can then confirm with calculation.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks for the greatest *change* in profit between consecutive months. This means we need to calculate the difference in profit from one month to the next and find the largest of these differences (in absolute value).
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's read the profit value for each month from the bar chart. The profit is given in thousands of dollars.
- Month 1 (January): -10
- Month 2 (February): +10
- Month 3 (March): -20
- Month 4 (April): +20
- Month 5 (May): +50
- Month 6 (June): +40
Now, let's calculate the change in profit for each consecutive pair of months. The change is the profit of the later month minus the profit of the earlier month. We are interested in the magnitude (absolute value) of this change.
- January to February:
Change = (Profit Feb) - (Profit Jan) = 10 - (-10) = 20.
Absolute change = |20| = 20.
- February to March:
Change = (Profit Mar) - (Profit Feb) = -20 - 10 = -30.
Absolute change = |-30| = 30.
- March to April:
Change = (Profit Apr) - (Profit Mar) = 20 - (-20) = 40.
Absolute change = |40| = 40.
- April to May:
Change = (Profit Apr) - (Profit May) = 50 - 20 = 30.
Absolute change = |30| = 30.
- May to June:
Change = (Profit Jun) - (Profit May) = 40 - 50 = -10.
Absolute change = |-10| = 10.
Comparing the absolute changes: 20, 30, 40, 30, 10.
The greatest change is 40.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The greatest change of 40 (thousand dollars) occurred between March and April.