Read the following chart, which shows the percentage of the world's gross domestic product over time.

Which of the following conclusions is supported by the data?

\begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|}
\hline \begin{tabular}{l}
Region or \\
State
\end{tabular} & [tex]$1820$[/tex] & [tex]$1870$[/tex] & [tex]$1913$[/tex] & [tex]$1950$[/tex] & [tex]$1973$[/tex] & [tex]$1990$[/tex] & [tex]$1998$[/tex] \\
\hline \begin{tabular}{l}
Western \\
Europe
\end{tabular} & 23.6 & 33.6 & 33.5 & 26.3 & 25.7 & 22.3 & 20.6 \\
\hline \begin{tabular}{l}
United States, \\
Canada, \\
Australia, New \\
Zealand
\end{tabular} & 1.9 & 10.2 & 21.7 & 30.6 & 25.3 & 24.6 & 25.1 \\
\hline Japan & 3.0 & 2.3 & 2.6 & 3.0 & 7.7 & 8.6 & 7.7 \\
\hline \begin{tabular}{l}
Asia (excluding \\
Japan)
\end{tabular} & 56.2 & 36.0 & 21.9 & 15.5 & 16.4 & 23.3 & 29.5 \\
\hline \begin{tabular}{l}
Latin America \\
and Caribbean
\end{tabular} & 2.0 & 2.5 & 4.0 & 7.9 & 8.7 & 8.3 & 8.7 \\
\hline \begin{tabular}{l}
Former \\
U.S.S.R. and \\
Eastern Europe
\end{tabular} & 8.8 & 11.7 & 13.1 & 13.0 & 12.9 & 9.8 & 5.3 \\
\hline Africa & 4.5 & 3.6 & 2.7 & 3.6 & 3.3 & 3.2 & 3.1 \\
\hline Total World & 100 & 100 & 100 & 100 & 100 & 100 & 100 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

A. The rise of globalization since the end of the Cold War has produced huge economic gains for Latin America.

B. The rise of globalization since the end of the Cold War has greatly increased U.S. economic dominance.

C. The rise of globalization since the end of the Cold War has greatly damaged Japan's economy.

D. The rise of globalization since the end of the Cold War has done little to improve economies in Africa.



Answer :

To address the given question, we will analyze the data from the chart to determine which conclusion is supported by the data regarding the effects of globalization since the end of the Cold War.

1. Latin America and Caribbean:
- 1990: 8.3%
- 1998: 8.7%
- Observation: There is a slight increase in the percentage of the world's GDP attributed to Latin America and the Caribbean from 8.3% in 1990 to 8.7% in 1998. Hence, the conclusion about huge economic gains for Latin America is not strongly supported by this data.

2. United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand:
- 1990: 24.6%
- 1998: 25.1%
- Observation: The percentage of the world's GDP attributed to these countries has increased slightly from 24.6% in 1990 to 25.1% in 1998. This indicates a moderate increase rather than a significant increase in economic dominance.

3. Japan:
- 1990: 8.6%
- 1998: 7.7%
- Observation: The percentage of the world's GDP attributed to Japan decreased from 8.6% in 1990 to 7.7% in 1998. This suggests a slight decline, but not enough to conclude that Japan's economy has been greatly damaged.

4. Africa:
- 1990: 3.2%
- 1998: 3.1%
- Observation: There is a very minimal change in the percentage of the world's GDP attributable to Africa, from 3.2% in 1990 to 3.1% in 1998. This indicates that the rise of globalization has done little to improve the economies in Africa during this period.

Given this analysis, the most accurate conclusion supported by the data is:

D. The rise of globalization since the end of the Cold War has done little to improve economies in Africa.