What happened to the diesel proportion in 2016?

What happened to the diesel proportion in 2016?

• A. Larger proportion in diesel cars in 2016.
• B. No change in diesel proportion in 2016.
• C. Diesel proportion decreased in 2016.
• D. Data not available.

Answer: (A)

Interpreting how the share of diesel cars changes over time: you compare the proportion in 2016 with previous years. The data show a larger diesel portion in 2016, so the proportion increased that year. This means more of the cars counted in 2016 were diesel than in earlier years. If there were no change, the 2016 value would match earlier years; if it decreased, the 2016 share would be smaller; if data for 2016 were missing, you wouldn’t be able to judge. Since the figure shows the diesel segment growing in 2016, the diesel proportion rose in 2016.

Interpreting how the share of diesel cars changes over time: you compare the proportion in 2016 with previous years. The data show a larger diesel portion in 2016, so the proportion increased that year. This means more of the cars counted in 2016 were diesel than in earlier years. If there were no change, the 2016 value would match earlier years; if it decreased, the 2016 share would be smaller; if data for 2016 were missing, you wouldn’t be able to judge. Since the figure shows the diesel segment growing in 2016, the diesel proportion rose in 2016.