Mixed Graph DI: Bar-Line and Pie-Table Sets

In a mixed graph set, the data you need is split across two displays. A typical bank mains set gives a bar graph of totals and a line of percentages drawn on the same axes, or a pie chart of shares next to a table of ratios. Almost every question then asks you to take one number from each display and multiply them together.

The data on this page is invented practice data. The first set shows the number of accounts opened at five branches of a bank, in hundreds, as bars. The orange line shows what percentage of those accounts were savings accounts, read against the right-hand axis.

Bars: accounts opened (hundreds, left axis). Line: percentage that were savings accounts (right axis).

Before answering, note which axis each series uses. Reading a percentage off the left axis, or a count off the right, is an easy mistake to make in these sets.

To find the savings accounts at a branch, multiply its bar by its line value. It helps to build a small working table once and reuse it for the whole set.

Worked example 1: one branch

Branch R opened 60 hundred accounts, and 75% were savings accounts. Savings accounts at R = 60 × 75 ÷ 100 = 45 hundred, or 4,500.

Branch	Accounts (hundreds)	Savings %	Savings (hundreds)	Non-savings (hundreds)
P	40	60%	24	16
Q	55	40%	22	33
R	60	75%	45	15
S	35	80%	28	7
T	50	50%	25	25

Worked example 2: the complement

Non-savings accounts at Q use the other part of the percentage: 55 × (100 − 40) ÷ 100 = 33 hundred. Questions often ask for the complement to catch candidates who multiply by the plotted percentage out of habit.

Worked example 3: comparing two branches

By what percentage do R's savings accounts exceed P's? R has 45 and P has 24, so the increase is 21 on a base of 24: 21 ÷ 24 × 100 = 87.5%.

When a question asks for the overall percentage, add the counts, not the percentages.

Worked example 4: total savings accounts

From the working table, 24 + 22 + 45 + 28 + 25 = 144 hundred savings accounts.

Worked example 5: the overall percentage

All five branches opened 40 + 55 + 60 + 35 + 50 = 240 hundred accounts. The overall share of savings accounts is 144 ÷ 240 × 100 = 60%.

The simple average of the five plotted percentages is 61%, which is wrong because it gives the small branch S, with only 35 hundred accounts, the same weight as R with 60 hundred. Expect 61% to appear among the options.

Worked example 6: highest percentage is not highest count

S has the highest savings percentage, 80%, but only 35 × 80 ÷ 100 = 28 hundred savings accounts, far fewer than R's 45. Always multiply before ranking.

Total non-savings accounts are 240 − 144 = 96 hundred. Getting a total by subtraction is quicker than adding five complements and is a useful cross-check on the table.

The second common pairing gives shares of a total in a pie chart and a split within each share in a table. In this invented example, a company has 2,400 employees, divided by department as shown.

Share of the company's 2,400 employees by department.

Department	Men : Women
Sales	7 : 5
IT	3 : 2
Operations	5 : 3
Finance	2 : 1
HR	1 : 2

Worked example 7: women in one department

Sales has 30% of 2,400 = 720 employees. Women make up 5 of every 7 + 5 = 12 parts, so women in Sales = 720 × 5 ÷ 12 = 300.

Worked example 8: women across the company

Repeat the split for each department: HR 160, Sales 300, IT 240, Finance 120 and Operations 180. Total women = 1,000, so men number 2,400 − 1,000 = 1,400.

The habit that saves time here is converting each pie share to a head count first, then dividing by the ratio's total parts. Working with percentages of percentages invites slips.

✘ Reading the percentage line against the count axis, or the reverse.
✘ Averaging percentages that apply to different bases.
✘ Ranking branches by percentage when the question asks for numbers.
✘ Forgetting that the bars are in hundreds, so 45 means 4,500.
✘ Dividing by one side of a ratio instead of by the total parts.

Mixed sets combine skills from the single-chart pages. Revise bar graph DI, line graph DI and pie chart DI first, then use approximation for DI to speed up the multiplication. For ratio splits, see ratio and proportion.

Q1. Using the bar and line graph, how many savings accounts were opened in all five branches together? easy

(a) 12,000 (b) 14,400 (c) 14,640 (d) 15,200

✅ Answer: (b) 14,400

💡 Explanation: Savings accounts per branch, in hundreds: P 24, Q 22, R 45, S 28, T 25. They add to 144 hundred, which is 14,400.

Q2. Non-savings accounts at branch Q are what percentage of non-savings accounts at branch T? medium

(a) 75.76% (b) 88% (c) 132% (d) 120%

✅ Answer: (c) 132%

💡 Explanation: Q has 55 × 60% = 33 hundred non-savings accounts and T has 50 × 50% = 25 hundred. 33 ÷ 25 × 100 = 132%.

Q3. What is the average number of non-savings accounts per branch? medium

(a) 1,800 (b) 2,000 (c) 1,960 (d) 1,920

✅ Answer: (d) 1,920

💡 Explanation: Total accounts are 240 hundred and savings accounts are 144 hundred, so non-savings accounts are 96 hundred. 9,600 ÷ 5 = 1,920.

Q4. In how many branches were more than 2,500 savings accounts opened? easy

(a) 2 (b) 3 (c) 1 (d) 4

✅ Answer: (a) 2

💡 Explanation: Savings accounts were 2,400 at P, 2,200 at Q, 4,500 at R, 2,800 at S and exactly 2,500 at T. Only R and S are more than 2,500.

Q5. What is the ratio of savings accounts at P and S together to savings accounts at Q and T together? medium

(a) 47 : 52 (b) 52 : 47 (c) 13 : 11 (d) 26 : 25

✅ Answer: (b) 52 : 47

💡 Explanation: P and S give 24 + 28 = 52 hundred; Q and T give 22 + 25 = 47 hundred. The ratio is 52 : 47, which does not simplify further.

Q6. Using the pie chart and the ratio table, how many men work in IT? medium

(a) 240 (b) 300 (c) 360 (d) 400

✅ Answer: (c) 360

💡 Explanation: IT has 25% of 2,400 = 600 employees. Men to women is 3 : 2, so men are 3/5 of 600 = 360.

What is a mixed graph in data interpretation?

It is a DI set built on two linked displays, such as a bar graph with a percentage line, or a pie chart with a table of ratios. One display usually gives totals and the other gives the share or split, so most answers need one value from each.

Why can't I average the percentages directly?

Because each percentage applies to a different base. A branch with more accounts carries more weight. The correct overall percentage is total savings divided by total accounts, which is a weighted average; the simple average of the percentages is usually a trap option.

All problems and solutions on this page are original. No outside facts are relied on; every numeric answer is recomputed by software before publishing.

How this page was prepared. Drafted with AI assistance (Claude (Anthropic AI model)) from the sources listed above. 16 calculations on this page were recomputed by software and matched. Automated checks also covered structure, internal links and duplicate text. Software checks cannot confirm facts. Reviewed by praveenkumar on 2026-10-24 against the sources listed above.

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