ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH

An analytical paragraph is a form of descriptive writing which is written

on the basis of a given chart, graph, data, outline, clues, table etc. It
requires analysis and comparison of the given facts and drawing
conclusion based on the given data. When writing an analytical
paragraph, one should remember to describe the facts in the best
possible manner and cover the information provided. The paragraph
must use clear and crisp language along with providing complete
details of the data provided in the question.

FEATURES OF AN ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH:

●​ It describes the given chart, table, data, graph, cues etc.

●​ It should be brief and comprehensive but at the same time,
include complete information.
●​ It should state the facts that are provided.
●​ It should have simple and accurate language.
●​ It should mention figures and quantities appropriately.
●​ It should use the same tense throughout, as far as possible.
●​ It should not provide any personal observation or response.
●​ It should preferably use the passive form of the verb.

FORMAT OF AN ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH

Content in 100-120 words
The content of the paragraph must include the following:
​ Introduction (explain in one or two lines the context or what is
clearly evident from the chart or graph)
​ Body of the paragraph (explain in detail the figure and trends,
making comparisons and contrasts)
​ Conclusion (give the overall view or summary of the chart or
graph)

POINTS TO REMEMBER
​ We must not include any personal opinions, conclusions or
observations but simply stick to the facts.
​ We must choose wisely the important information, organize
it well, state the correct facts and summarize it properly.
​ For introduction, we can start with phrases such as-
The chart given above describes…/The given table suggests…/
The line graph shows…/ The data given provides information
about…/ The pie chart illustrates…, etc.
​ For body of the paragraph, we should organize the information
well. We should look for the large differences that are very
prominent. We can mention the aspect which is the smallest or
the largest in the data given. Any aspect that is similar should
mentioned next. We should further mention about the aspect
that has remained unchanged or is constant throughout.
​ If the chart or table mentions two different groups, we should
refer to both of them in the paragraph. If there is any contrast
or comparison that could be drawn, we must present it
effectively. If the chart is about a particular time period or
highlights trends of several years, we should mention about
each year in a concise manner. If any comparison or contrast
can be made for two or more years, we should write about that
too.
​ For describing the pattern of growth, we can use words and
phrases like- ‘rapidly doubled’, ‘skyrocketed’, ‘striking increase’,
‘peaked’, ‘soared’, ‘declined’, ‘plummeted’, ‘levelled off’,
‘stagnated’, ‘fluctuating’ , ‘starting to rise’, ‘starting to fall’, ‘drop
down’, ‘slightly’, etc.

​ Mentioning quantities: When including numbers and figures, the

accuracy must be ensured. Quantities can be described in a
number of ways, such as percentage, fraction, ratios etc. For
describing quantities, we can also use words and phrases like
‘one-third of’, ‘nearly one-fourth of’, ‘majority’, ‘on an average’,
‘twice as much’, ‘almost equal’, ‘the highest’, ‘the lowest’,
‘approximately’, etc.
​ For establishing relationship or contrast, we can make use of
words and phrases like- ‘similarly’, ‘in contrast with’, ‘ in
comparison to’, ‘however’, ‘whereas’, ‘as opposed to’, ‘while’, ‘a
striking difference’, ‘a noticeable difference’, etc.
​ For conclusion, we may use words and phrases like ‘overall’,
‘subsequently’, ‘in all’, ‘in a nutshell’, ‘in short’, ‘therefore’, etc.
Here we go….

Analytical Paragraph 10 Examples based on previous question

papers

Q1. The pie chart shows the proportion of people from different
households living in poverty in the UK in 2002. Write an
analytical paragraph to describe the information in 100-120
words.

Answer:​
The given pie chart illustrates seven different categories of households
living in poverty in the UK in 2002.It is clearly evident from the pie
chart that 26% of the total poverty-stricken households are those of
sole parents. Single people without children account for the second
highest proportion with 24%. In contrast to couples without children
that accounts for just 9%, couples with children account for 15% of
the poor households. Single aged persons and aged couples proportion
for 12% together for poor households. Overall, 14% of all households
in the UK were living under poverty. The younger generation had a
greater poor percentage than their aged counterparts. Couples without
children had better economic conditions than those with children. ​
Q2. Below given are three pie charts showing consumption
habits of India, China and World overall in 2008. Write an
analytical paragraph describing the pie charts (100-120
words).

Answer:​
The three given pie charts depicts types of food consumption in 2008
as compared in two countries- India and China. In general, processed
food is the major type of food eaten.​
Processed food comprises as high as 41% of the global consumption.
In China and India as well, processed foods are consumed the most,
the rate of consumption being 34% and 39% respectively. On an
average, vegetables and fruits constitute 29% of consumption. In
China, vegetables and fruits comprise 32% of food consumption which
is 9% more than that of India. For Indians, animal food accounts for
27% of their diet, exceeding Chinese food consumption by a striking
12%. However, nuts and seeds comprise almost one-fifth of Chinese
food habits. This is way more than the global consumption of 4% and
11% of India.​
Overall, world food consumption largely comprises processed food.
Chinese consumption of nuts and seeds is unbelievably higher than the
average percentage.
Q3. The following table shows details about the internet
activities for six categories for different age groups. Write an
analytical paragraph for the table given in around 150-200
words.

Answer:​
The given table suggests the internet activities of seven age groups
ranging from teens to those in their seventies for six different kinds of
activities. The table shows that the younger generation is more
interested in online games and news, while the older generation
spends time on the internet to research and buy products. It is evident
from the table that teens mainly use the internet for games (as high
as 81%), news and downloads and are interested in searching for
people or friends or doing any product research. The middle-age group
(people in 20s to 60s) is highly interested in getting news, doing
product research and buying products, the percentage ranging from
70-80%. The internet activity which gets the least time is searching for
people. All the age groups spend less than 30% of their internet time
on the same. The amount of time spent on downloads decreases with
age and gets as low as 6% (for people in 70s). Overall, the table
suggests that teenagers are most likely to spend time playing games
and doing downloads. On the other side, older people are interested in
researching and buying products. People spend the least amount of
time searching for other people online.
Q4. The graph given shows estimated sales of gold in Dubai in
2002. Write an analytical paragraph describing the line graph
in around 150 words.

Answer:​
The line graph depicts the estimated sales of gold in Dubai for a period
of twelve months in 2002 in millions of Dirhams. In January 2002, the
sales stood at 200 million Dirhams. It steadily increased through the
next month and peaked to 350 million Dirhams in the third month of
the year. However, the gold sales started to plummet over the next
three months and hit 110 million Dirhams in the month of July.
Unexpectedly, the sales doubled in August before coming down to the
same level as in July for the month of September. For the next two
months of the year, the gold sales levelled off to 180 million Dirhams
and then slightly increased in December. Overall, the estimated gold
sales fluctuated in 2002. The sales were the highest in the month of
March and lowest in the months of July and September. The sales at
the end of the year were almost the same as they were in the
beginning of the year.​
Here we conclude the topic of Analytical paragraphs. As it is a new
topic added to the syllabus of Class 10, students need to prepare it
well.
Q5. Below is a graph given showing birth and death rates in a
country from 1901 to 2101. Write an analytical paragraph
(100-150 words).

Answer:​
The graph shows birth and death rates starting from 1901 till
2101.Since 1901, the birth rate has remained more than the death
rate until 2041. Birth rate was 20000 in 1901 and started increasing
gradually. It peaked in 1961 to around 65000. From 1961, birth rate
has fluctuated multiple times between 50000 and 60000. It is
expected to decline for the coming years reaching approximately
42000 by 2101.On the other hand, the death rate stood at around
10000 in 1901 and then has increased steadily. It is expected to rise
strikingly from 2021 before levelling off to approximately 60000
between 2061 and 2081. The graph indicates a slight decline in deaths
in the year 2101. The graph shows the huge gap between birth rate
and death during 1961 to 2001. However, this gap is expected to
reduce in the later years. Overall, as opposed to the prevailing trends,
the death rate will be more than the birth rate in the later half of the
21st century.
​
Q6. The chart shows the division of household tasks by gender
in Great Britain. Write an analytical paragraph describing the
chart given in not more than 200 words.

Answer:​
The chart shows the number of minutes per day spent by British men
and women in doing household tasks. On an average, the women
spend about four hours doing household tasks whereas the men spend
less than two and half hours. The tasks on which women spend more
time than men include cooking, cleaning house, taking care of the
children and laundry. In doing all these tasks, women spend
approximately 200 minutes which is almost three times the time spent
by men in these tasks. On the other hand, men spend twice the time
than women in doing tasks like gardening and maintenance of odd
jobs in the house. Men spend the highest time, almost 50 minutes, in
gardening and petcare. While the women spend only 30 minutes for
these tasks. The time spent by men in washing, ironing and sewing
clothes is as low as 2 minutes per day as opposed to 25 minutes spent
by women. In short, women spend far more time doing household
chores than men whilst men prefer to do gardening, petcare and
maintaining odd jobs.
Q7. You asked people what they thought was the most valuable
thing. The given pie chart shows the analytics of the different
answers you received. Write an analytical paragraph for a
research project in 150-200 words.

Ans. The given pie chart displays the analytics of different answers to
the question of what people thought was the most valuable thing in
the world. The pie chart is divided into five sections, meaning that the
total number of responses to this question were five. The pie chart
shows that the majority of people think Knowledge to be the most
valuable thing to possess. Knowledge holds forty-eight percent of the
pie chart, which indicates that almost half of the responses said that
Knowledge is the most valuable thing. On the other hand, Power is the
most valuable possession according to the minority of the respondents.
Fame is almost on the same level as Power, only two percent more.
Love and Money hold twenty and eighteen percent of the pie chart
respectively. In a nutshell, Knowledge is said to be the most valuable
thing. Many people consider Love and Money to be almost equally
important. Very few people give importance to Power and Fame.
Q8. A research was conducted in order to see the maturity gap
between young people of 15-35 years old and older people of
36-60 years old. The respondents were asked which of the
following was the most important in order to be successful in
life. Conceptualise the given result in an analytical paragraph
having 150-200 words.

Ans. The given bar graph represents the research conducted to

observe the difference in the mentality of young and old people. The
respondents were asked which of the following items was the most
important in order to be successful in life. The respondents ranged
from young people of 15-35 years old to older people of 36-60 years
old. The bar graph is a grouped type bar graph, which shows the
side-by-side comparison of the two groups. Both the groups think Hard
Work to be the most important item required for success in life. On the
other hand, they think Contacts to be of lesser importance. The
younger group feels Talent and Intelligence to be the keys to success.
The older group thinks Hard Work, Honesty, Luck and Money to be the
major tools for success. The item Contacts got the same amount of
vote, slightly more from the younger group. Overall, the older group
believes that, using resources in sufficient amounts like money and
with luck and hard work, one can multiply that money into great
amounts. However, the younger group believes that, even if one does
not have a single penny, with talent, high IQ, and social interaction,
one can be successful.
Q9. As the Captain of the school’s Cultural Club, you have been
asked to study the given itinerary provided by a
tour-organising vendor.
A 3N/2D Educational Tour for the Senior School Students:​
Jabalpur and Kanha National Park (Vandhya Pradesh)

●​ Tour Travel & sightseeing by bus.

●​ Accommodation on quad sharing basis.
●​ One staff complimentary for every 20 students.
●​ Bottled mineral water throughout the tour.
●​ Dance Party on 22 November.
●​ Insurance policy of ₹ 20,000/- per head.
●​ Provision of Tour Manager’s assistance to all places.

Analyse this itinerary to either approve or reject the tour

proposal, while focusing on the students’ safety, interest, and
physical wellness. Write this analytical paragraph in about 120
words, by selecting features that support your analysis.​
You may begin like this : A thorough analysis of the itinerary
provided by the tour organising vendor reveals that the tour
proposal should be accepted / rejected.​
You may end like this: Therefore, the tour proposal for the
educational trip should be approved / rejected.

Ans. A thorough analysis of the itinerary provided by the tour

organising vendor reveals that the tour proposal should be accepted /
rejected. The given itinerary displays the timings and the activities of
the three nights and two days educational trip to Jabalpur and Kanha
National Park. This trip is for the senior students only. Vandhya
Pradesh is a good place for landscape and wildlife sightseeing.
Considering that the Kanha National Park holds dangerous animals like
tigers, it is a risky site for children. On the other hand, the senior
students are suitable for such a trip. However, one staff complimentary
with 15 students seems more suitable for the location. The insurance
is too low. There is no mention of the dance party in the given time
table. A seven hour trip in the park can be too exhausting. Along with
the bottled mineral water, some light refreshment should also be
provided. Interestingly, the tour trip, despite its flaws, will be a fun
and educational trip for the students. Therefore, the tour proposal for
the educational trip should be approved.

Q10.The given statistics display the spendings of the income of

an average household in the UK. Display the important points
in an analytical paragraph.
Ans. The given statistics display the spendings of an average
household in the UK. The spendings is divided into six categories –
Clothes, Grocery, Rent, Transportation, Education and Miscellaneous.
According to the given pie chart, an average UK household spends the
majority of its income on groceries, which holds twenty-three percent
of the pie chart. Next comes Education holding twenty percent of the
pie chart, meaning that school fees in the UK are generally high. Rent
holds the lowest fraction of the pie chart, which is just five percent,
meaning that in the UK, rent is not as high as the price of groceries,
basic commodities like food and water, and education. An average
household in the UK is observed to spend eighteen percent of their
income on miscellaneous items. In addition, no money is used for
savings. Therefore, an average household in the UK does not save
money for future prospects.