Question

united states population distribution
bar graph with red (urban) and blue (rural) bars for years 1850–1900, legend: “percentage of americans living in urban areas” (red), “percentage of americans living in rural areas” (blue)
which of the following conclusions are supported by the graph? select three.

• from 1850 to 1900, the percentage of americans living in urban areas steadily decreased.
• the urban population in the united states doubled between 1860 and 1900.
• by 1900, over half of americans still lived in rural communities rather than urban areas.
• in 1850, most americans lived in rural communities rather than urban areas.

Explanation:

1. Analyze "From 1850 to 1900, the percentage of Americans living in urban areas steadily decreased": The red bars (urban) show an upward trend from 1850 to 1900, so this is incorrect.
2. Analyze "The urban population in the United States doubled between 1860 and 1900": In 1860, urban percentage is ~20%, in 1900 it's ~45% - not a doubling, so this is incorrect.
3. Analyze "By 1900, over half of Americans still lived in rural communities rather than urban areas": The blue bar (rural) in 1900 is ~65%, which is over half, so this is correct.
4. Analyze "In 1850, most Americans lived in rural communities rather than urban areas": The blue bar (rural) in 1850 is ~85%, much higher than urban (~15%), so this is correct. Also, we need a third correct one. Wait, maybe a mis - analysis earlier. Let's re - check:

• For "The urban population in the United States doubled between 1860 and 1900": If 1860 urban is ~20% and 1900 is ~45%, it's more than doubled? Wait, maybe my initial calculation was wrong. Wait, 20% to 45%: 20*2 = 40, 45>40, so it did double? But the first option: urban percentage from 1850 (15%) to 1900 (45%) is increasing, so first option is wrong. Then the correct ones should be:
• "By 1900, over half of Americans still lived in rural communities rather than urban areas" (rural ~65%>50%).
• "In 1850, most Americans lived in rural communities rather than urban areas" (rural ~85%>urban ~15%).
• And let's check another. Wait, maybe the second option: if 1860 urban is 20% and 1900 is 45%, 20*2 = 40, 45 is more than 40, so it doubled. But the first option is wrong. So the three correct ones are:
• "The urban population in the United States doubled between 1860 and 1900" (assuming 20% to 45% is a doubling as 20*2 = 40 and 45>40).
• "By 1900, over half of Americans still lived in rural communities rather than urban areas".
• "In 1850, most Americans lived in rural communities rather than urban areas".
• Wait, but the first option is wrong as urban percentage is increasing. So the correct three are:
• "The urban population in the United States doubled between 1860 and 1900" (1860 urban ~20%, 1900 ~45%: 20*2 = 40, 45>40, so doubled).
• "By 1900, over half of Americans still lived in rural communities rather than urban areas" (rural ~65%>50%).
• "In 1850, most Americans lived in rural communities rather than urban areas" (rural ~85%>urban ~15%).

Answer:

• The urban population in the United States doubled between 1860 and 1900.
• By 1900, over half of Americans still lived in rural communities rather than urban areas.
• In 1850, most Americans lived in rural communities rather than urban areas.