Misleading Graphs Answers

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1
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What gives the impression that one group has twice as many endangered species as mammals?

Question illustration
A
The intervals of the horizontal axis.
B
The break in the vertical axis.
C
The break in the horizontal axis.
D
The intervals of the horizontal axis are not labeled correctly.
2
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Car A and Car B were in a race. The driver of Car B claimed that his car was twice as fast as Car A. Car Speeds Do you agree with this claim? Why or why not?

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A
Yes, because the bar for Car B is twice as tall as the bar for Car A.
B
Yes, because the speed of Car B is twice that of Car A.
C
No, because Car B was only 10 mi/hr faster than Car A.
D
No, because the vertical scale exaggerates the differences in speed.
3

Three printing companies were rated on their performance using a percentage scale. This graph shows how they were rated. Printing Company Ratings KEY Q = Quicky Printing Company R = Reliable Printers, Inc. S = Superior Printing, Inc. Which company was rated the best?

Question illustration
A
There is insufficient information to determine which company was rated best.
B
Superior Printing was rated best, because the bar is wider.
C
Quicky Printing was rated best, because the bar comes first in the series.
D
All three companies were rated to be equal.
4

The makers of Brand Z paper towel claim that their brand is twice as strong as Brand X and they use this graph to support their claim. Paper Towel Strength Do you agree with this claim? Why or why not?

Question illustration
A
Yes, because the bar for Brand Z is twice as tall as the bar for Brand X.
B
Yes, because the strength of Brand Z is twice that of Brand X.
C
No, because paper towel brands are all alike.
D
No, because the vertical scale exaggerates the differences between brands.
6

The following graphs show the performance of two stocks over the first five months of the year. Which graph appears to show the best performance? Which scale makes the graph appear to be rising more slowly?

Question illustration
A
Stock XYZ shows the best performance. The scale of Stock ABC makes the graph appear to be rising more slowly.
B
Stock ABC shows the best performance. The scale of Stock ABC makes the graph appear to be rising more slowly.
C
Stock XYZ shows the best performance. The scale of Stock XYZ makes the graph appear to be rising more slowly.
D
Stock ABC shows the best performance. The scale of Stock XYZ makes the graph appear to be rising more slowly.
7

This graph appeared in a local newspaper after a recent election. Roberts Wins by Wide Margin Do you agree with the message in the graph title? Why or why not?

Question illustration
A
No, the three candidates were only separated by a margin of about 2%.
B
Yes, Roberts had twice as many votes as Johnson and four times as many as Gomez.
C
No, newspapers are always slanted towards the candidate they favor.
D
Yes, the bar for Roberts is a lot taller than the bars for Johnson and Gomez.
8

In every bar graph, line graph, or scatter plot, the vertical axis should include the following:

A
zero
B
bars to represent the data
C
missing elements
D
horizontal axis
10

Describe how the graph below is deceptive. How would you change it so that it is not misleading?

Question illustration
A
It appears that Mike’s grade point average for the second quarter is 3 times his first quarter average. Change the intervals on the vertical scale so they are consistent.
B
It appears that Mike’s grade point average for the second quarter was significantly larger than his first quarter average. Change the width of the bars to display the correct scale.
C
It appears that Mike’s grade point average for the second quarter is 2 times his first quarter average. Change the intervals on the horizontal scale so they are consistent.
D
There is no way to change the graph so it is not misleading.
11

A news channel on cable T.V. polled politicians on an issue to find out who agreed with a court decision. This is the graphic they used in their report. Results by Party Source: mediamatters.org What makes this graph misleading?

Question illustration
A
The horizontal scale only shows three parties. It needs to show every party.
B
The vertical scale is too broad. It needs to focus in on a narrower range.
C
The horizontal scale exaggerates the differences between the parties.
D
The vertical scale is too narrow. It needs to be a wider range, such as 0 to 100.
12

A sales representative for a new soft drink is trying to convince a chain of food stores to order a much larger quantity. The salesperson uses the graph below in the sales pitch. How would you change the graph so that it is not misleading?

Question illustration
A
The vertical scale needs more intervals between values.
B
The horizontal scale needs more intervals between values.
C
Diameters should be the same, so only the heights are compared.
D
The labels should be changed to reflect the greater sales.
13

In analyzing a line graph, why is slope important?

A
The slope should be negative.
B
The slope of the line reflects the actual trend of the data.
C
The spacing for each axis must be chosen so that the line reflects a positive slope.
D
The slope of a line is not important in analyzing a line graph.
14

"Just look at the graph," the player's agent said. "Phil's hits have doubled since last year. We are looking for a large raise and a long contract." Look at the graph. How can you redraw this graph so it appears that Phil's hits have quadrupled since last year.

Question illustration
A
Use the same scale and make the top bar twice as thick as the bottom bar.
B
Alter the scale so the top bar appears four times as long as the bottom bar.
C
Both a and b.
D
Neither a or b.

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