Exam Question 1

Part A: The sudden dip in the graph shown takes place in 2001. This is the same year that the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City took place. When these attacks happened, there were numerous results, both immediate and eventual. One of the biggest immediate causes was that all airports in the country shut down for the day of and the days after the attacks. This caused a huge loss in money when it came to America's air travel system. This prevented numerous flights to be running at the same time, so for a short amount of time afterwards, international air travel to and from the U.S. was extremely limited. It was also limited because after the devastation of all of the deaths caused by these attacks, the U.S. government made the decision to enforce safety precautions when it came not only to international air travel, but just traveling in and out of the country in general. New laws were issued and enforced, and many people were denied the opportunity to enter the country, because of their background, history, or associations with certain people or organizations.


Part B: Looking at data from any graph can be very educational and helpful when it comes to drawing conclusions about historical events or conditions. Sudden changes in data can make people question about events that happened in that span of time, and what caused the alteration on the graph. When we studied country development on the gapminder in class, we saw that there was a point where many countries became richer and healthier in a short amount of time. Looking at the year, and using prior knowledge, we determined that the sudden boost in health and income was because of the industrial revolution, which created many jobs for people all over the world. To many people, the industrial revolution is a significant event. However, when you see the changes it brought to the world on a physical display, the changes become more real and important, making any issue or event seem more serious and significant than it would have if numbers were given with no comparison.