Look at this chart showing declines in industrial production during the Great Depression.

\begin{tabular}{|c|c|}
\hline
Country & Rate of Decline \\
\hline
United States & [tex]$46.8 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline
Great Britain & [tex]$16.2 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline
Germany & [tex]$41.8 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline
France & [tex]$31.3 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline
Sweden & [tex]$10.3 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Based on these figures, what can one most likely conclude about Sweden?

A. Sweden did not depend on industrial production.
B. Sweden's economy was less stable than most.
C. Sweden and Great Britain had similar economies.
D. Sweden had a lower unemployment rate than the United States.



Answer :

Certainly! Let's analyze the given chart step by step to draw a meaningful conclusion about Sweden's economy during the Great Depression.

Here are the decline rates in industrial production for each country:
- United States: \(46.8 \%\)
- Great Britain: \(16.2 \%\)
- Germany: \(41.8 \%\)
- France: \(31.3 \%\)
- Sweden: \(10.3 \%\)

To conclude something about Sweden, we carefully compare its decline rate with that of other countries listed.

1. United States: The United States had a significant decline of \(46.8 \%\) in industrial production, indicating a heavy reliance on industrial activities, which were severely impacted during the Great Depression.

2. Great Britain: Great Britain experienced a decline of \(16.2 \%\). This is significantly less than the United States but still notably higher compared to Sweden.

3. Germany: Germany had a decline rate of \(41.8 \%\), similar to the severe impact seen in the United States.

4. France: France saw a decline of \(31.3 \%\), indicating a substantial impact, but not as severe as the United States or Germany.

5. Sweden: The decline rate for Sweden was \(10.3 \%\), which is the lowest among all the countries listed. This implies a relatively minor impact on Sweden's industrial production.

Given these observations, let's evaluate the possible conclusions:

i. Sweden did not depend on industrial production.
- Since Sweden had the smallest decline (\(10.3 \%\)) in industrial production during the Great Depression, it most likely indicates that their economy was less reliant on industrial production compared to other countries.

ii. Sweden's economy was less stable than most.
- This is not supported by the data since the low decline rate suggests that Sweden’s economy was more stable in the context of industrial production.

iii. Sweden and Great Britain had similar economies.
- This is not accurate as the decline in Great Britain (\(16.2 \%\)) was notably higher than in Sweden (\(10.3 \%\)).

iv. Sweden had a lower unemployment rate than the United States.
- This conclusion does not directly follow from the given data about industrial decline rates; hence, it would be speculative to infer this without specific unemployment data.

By analyzing the decline rates, we can most likely conclude that:

Sweden did not depend on industrial production.

This conclusion aligns with the smaller decline in industrial production witnessed in Sweden relative to other countries during the Great Depression.