The following three items (11-13) are based on the graph given below which shows imports of three different types of steel over a period of six months of a year. Study the graph and answer the three items that follow.

The figures in the brackets indicate the average cost per ton over six months period.

What was the approximate total value (in $) of sheet steel imported over the six months period?

The correct option is 55,550.

To find the approximate total value of sheet steel imported over the six-month period, we first need to read the imports (in thousands of tons) for sheet steel from the bar graph for each of the six months.
Based on the legend of the graph, sheet steel is represented by the vertically striped bars, and its average cost per ton is given in brackets as $256.

By carefully observing the height of the vertically striped bars (Sheet steel) on the y-axis (representing thousands of tons imported) for each month, we get the following values:
- January: 40 thousand tons
- February: 37 thousand tons (midway between 36 and 38)
- March: 36 thousand tons
- April: 36 thousand tons
- May: 34 thousand tons
- June: 34 thousand tons

Now, we calculate the total amount of sheet steel imported over these six months:

$\text{Total Imports}=40+37+36+36+34+34=217\text{thousand tons}$

Since the average cost per ton of sheet steel is $256, the total value (in thousands of dollars) is calculated by multiplying the total tonnage by the average cost per ton:

$\text{Total Value (in thousands of \$)}=217\times 256=55552$

Therefore, the approximate total value of sheet steel imported is 55,552 thousand dollars. Among the given options, this is closest to 55,550 (representing $55,550,000 when accounting for the unit scaling).