Using Graphs to Advertise Practice

What kind of graph is shown below? a. bar graph b. histogram c. scatter plot d. line graph

d. line graph

What is the difference between a line graph and a scatter plot? a. A line graph presents continuous and linked data, while a scatter plot presents unlinked data. b. A line graph is a smooth curve, while a scatter plot can have jumps or gaps. c. A line graph shows data from one source, while a scatter plot shows data from many sources. d. A line graph uses both the x- and y-axes, while a scatter plot only uses the y-axis.

a. A line graph presents continuous and linked data, while a scatter plot presents unlinked data.

Which of the three following graphs display the same data? (voters) a. I and II b. I and III c. II and III d. I, II, and III

a. I and II

Consider the following graph, which details a retailer's profits over the course of several years. Of the following, which option or options would help make this graph less misleading? I. The y-axis should be labeled. II. The scale on the y-axis should be resized. III. The scale on the x-axis should be resized. a. I only b. I and II c. II only d. I, II, and III

a. I only

Rachel has just completed a study of precipitation in three different locations over the course of a year. The data she wishes to present in graph form is shown in the table below, with precipitation listed in inches. Boston Phoenix Minneapolis January 3.27 0.45 1.04 February 3.44 0.48 .76 March 3.10 0.71 1.12 April 3.89 0.31 2.10 May 3.75 0.17 3.15 June 3.12 0.09 5.11 July 2.98 0.11 5.78 August 3.07 0.33 4.65 September 3.15 0.52 3.61 October 3.55 0.40 3.22 November 3.42 0.42 2.34 December 3.44 0.29 1.84 Rachel wants her graph to emphasize the relation of each city's precipitation to each other city's at each point in time. What kind of graph would be appropriate? a. bar graph b. line graph c. pictograph d. histogram

b. line graph

The following graph shows a bus's record of the number of passengers it picked up over the course of a day. How many people rode the bus over the course of the day? a. 75 b. 438 c. 570 d. 900

c. 570

What kind of graph is characterized by presenting values as coordinate points without any connecting element? a. bar graph b. line graph c. scatter plot d. histogram

c. scatter plot

Consider the following graph, which shows a store's sales of fruit over the course of one week. How could this graph be misleading? a. The units of measurement are unclear. b. The data should be presented in increasing or decreasing order. c. There might be other kinds of fruit that the graph does not list. d. The scale on the y-axis is very small.

d. The scale on the y-axis is very small.

Consider the following graph, which details one bookstore's sales over the course of one day, divided by genre. By percent, how much greater do sales of horror books appear to be than sales of cookbooks? How much greater are they in reality? a. There appear to be 50% more sales of horror books than cookbooks, but there are really only about 20% more. b. There appear to be 40% more sales of horror books than cookbooks, but there are really only about 5% more. c. There appear to be 20% more sales of horror books than cookbooks, but there are really only about 10% more. d. There appear to be 25% more sales of horror books than cookbooks, but there are really only about 2% more.

d. There appear to be 25% more sales of horror books than cookbooks, but there are really only about 2% more.

Consider the following graph, which indicates collected data on the weight of a certain species of swallow and the number of leaves it weaves into its nest. What aspect of this graph is likely being emphasized by the choice of graph style, choice of scale, and so on? a. the unrelated nature of the data b. the broad differences over short intervals c. the total values of the data as a whole d. the indirect connection between weight and leaf content

d. the indirect connection between weight and leaf content