Neco 2020 Geography Question 47

The line graph below shows the average monthly temperature (°C) on the left vertical axis (scale: 0-40 °C, 1 cm = 5 °C) and the average monthly rainfall (mm) on the right vertical axis (scale: 0-200 mm, 1 cm = 20 mm) for a coastal region. The data points are: January: 28 °C, 120 mm; February: 30 °C, 80 mm; March: 32 °C, 60 mm; April: 33 °C, 40 mm; May: 31 °C, 30 mm; June: 28 °C, 20 mm; July: 26 °C, 25 mm. A straight trend line is drawn joining the January temperature point to the July temperature point, and similarly for rainfall. (a) Determine the slope of each trend line in the graph units (cm per month). (b) Convert each slope to the actual rate of change per month (°C per month for temperature, mm per month for rainfall). (c) Which variable shows the greater absolute rate of change over the period?