To determine which statement best explains why Austria-Hungary's casualty rate was higher than Germany's, we'll analyze the given data more closely:
1. Total casualties for Austria-Hungary:
- Total forces: 7,142,558
- Casualties: 7,020,000
2. Total casualties for Germany:
- Total forces: 975,000
- Casualties: ?
Using these pieces of data, we'll explore the possible reasons one by one:
### Comparison of Casualty Rates:
1. Germany had a lower percentage of forces killed than forces wounded:
- This statement is more about the composition of the casualties (killed vs. wounded) rather than the total casualty rate. The given data does not provide detailed information on the percentages of forces killed versus wounded for Germany.
2. Germany had a lower number of total forces than Austria-Hungary did:
- According to the data, Germany had "lower number of total forces" (975,000) compared to Austria-Hungary (7,142,558). While this is true, lower total forces alone do not necessarily explain the casualty rate without also considering the percentage changes.
3. Austria-Hungary had a higher percentage of total forces killed and wounded than Germany did:
- To verify this, we calculate the casualty percentages:
- For Austria-Hungary:
[tex]\[
\text{Casualty Rate} = \left(\frac{7,020,000}{7,142,558}\right) \times 100 \approx 98.29\%
\][/tex]
- For Germany: Without the exact number of German casualties, this cannot be calculated directly from the given data. However, significantly higher values for Austria-Hungary suggest a relatively lower percentage for Germany.
4. Austria-Hungary had a higher number of total forces than Germany did:
- This statement is factual based on the provided data. However, it emphasizes the total number rather than the rate, which might not necessarily directly explain the rate of higher casualties without knowing the percentage of casualties.
### Conclusion:
The statement that most closely addresses the higher casualty rate directly is:
Austria-Hungary had a higher percentage of total forces killed and wounded than Germany did.
This is supported by the high percentage of casualties (98.29%) out of the total forces for Austria-Hungary. Hence, it best explains the reason behind the higher casualty rate in a more direct manner compared to the other statements.
