Deck 5: General Charts and Graphs

Question 1

Histograms and bar charts can look similar. Which of the following statements is true?

A) The bars on histograms are joined; but they are not on a bar chart
B) The bars on histograms represent numerical data; they do not on a bar chart
C) The bars on histograms and bar charts can both represent non-numeric data
D) The bars on histograms and bar charts should always be equal widths

Answer 1

The bars on histograms are joined; but they are not on a bar chart

Question 2

Projected sales figures show that the rate of expansion of a small electronics firm should be constant over a 6 year period. Why does a semi-logarithmic graph provide a good solution to displaying this data?

A) Constant rates of change are shown as straight lines
B) It shows cumulative changes over time
C) It displays changes in the rate of change as positive or negative values
D) It is the clearest chart type for time series data

Answer 2

Constant rates of change are shown as straight lines

Question 3

A colleague suggests that a diagram could help illustrate the average market share held by 3 supermarkets over the last 10 years. Which chart type might be most appropriate?

A) Line diagram
B) Single bar chart
C) Pie chart
D) Z-chart

Answer 3

Line diagram

Question 4

Pie charts are used to represent proportions of the whole. In a report showing sales by region, one region had €420,000 out of a total of €1.2M sales. What size sector (in degrees) should represent this region?

A) 116
B) 126
C) 136
D) 146

Question 5

A Strata chart may also be called a cumulative line diagram. Which of the following data series might make best use of this chart type?

A) Production levels in a steelworks
B) The comparison of mobile phone sales in 5 countries
C) Comparison of the number of cars per household over the last 20 years
D) Count of the colour of cars driving over a particular bridge

Question 6

Which chart type might be used to display a single time-series data set?

A) Pie chart
B) Gantt chart
C) Line diagram
D) Pictogram

Question 7

A Z-chart is a particular way of displaying time series data. Which of the following options is NOT displayed on a Z-chart?

A) Moving totals
B) Accumulated time series values
C) Moving average values
D) Actual time series values

Question 8

Which of the following statements about bar charts is NOT true?

A) The bars may be horizontal or vertical
B) Back to back charts can be used for comparisons
C) They are easy for most readers to understand
D) They should not be used to represent negative values

Question 9

Which of the following general points about chart construction is NOT true?

A) Charts should be labelled clearly (including axes and titles)
B) Shading or colouring should be carefully used so as not to distract
C) Diagrams must always contain the minimum amount of data to be useful
D) Scales should always start at 0 and increase steadily to the maximum value

Question 10

What advantage do proportional pie charts have in comparison to straightforward multiple pie charts?

A) They can compare the size of class totals
B) They are easier to construct
C) They enable you to show time series changes
D) They are easier to read