Misleading Graphs

Explain why this graph may be misleading?

• the x-axis does not have equal intervals
• San Fransisco is not a real city
• you cannot have percents in a line graph
• the y-axis does not have equal intervals

The graph shows the results of a survey to determine student's favorite pets. Why is this graph misleading?

• The slices are the wrong color
• The slices are not the correct size
• The percents do not add up to 100
• Not misleading

What is misleading about this graph?
**choose the best answer

• Nothing is misleading about this graph.
• The democrats are too high.
• The y-axis does not start at zero, so it makes the democrats look much higher than the other two parties.

Why is this graph misleading?

• x axis intervals are different

• y axis intervals are different

• y axis doesn't start at 0

• you can't use different colors

This graph shows the number of children interested in different activities in a class. Why is it misleading?

• uneven spacing of values in the vertical scale

• the graph is not misleading

• vertical scale starts at 8, instead of 0

• none of the above

This graph represents the number of different types of bird species in a zoo. Why is it misleading?

• broken scale

• values on the y axis scale are not uniform (the same)

• uneven spacing of values on the y axis

• none of the above

What is the error in this graph?

• Title for the bar graph

• width of a bar

• key is not appropriate

• scale is not even

Which graph is misleading?

• Neither graph is misleading.
• The graph on the left is misleading because the y-axis does not start at zero.
• The graph on the right is misleading because the difference should be more than what the graph shows.

What is the best way to protect yourself against misleading graphs?

• A.) Look at the visual representation only.

• B.) Never trust graphed data again.

• C.) Read the labels, the scale, the numbers, and the context.

• D.) Look only at the curves and the trend of the data.

Why might a person trying to persuade you toward their point of view use a graph to present information?

• A.) They can exclude certain data so the graph supports their view.

• B.) They can manipulate the scale to make the differences in data appear to be larger.

• C.) They can change the labels to support their view.

• D.) All of the above.