Bar Graphs and Pictographs — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
Soccer has 6 students because there are 6 symbols.
Corrected: Soccer has 30 students because each symbol equals 5.
The first sentence forgot to use the key. Each symbol stands for 5 students, so 6 symbols mean 6 x 5 = 30 students for Soccer.
2. Fix the sentence:
Dogs and Fish together equal 35 pets.
Corrected: Dogs and Fish together equal 40 pets.
The original sum was off by 5. Recounting Dogs and Fish from the pictograph and multiplying by the key gives 40 pets together, not 35.
3. Fix the sentence:
A half symbol on a pictograph means nothing.
Corrected: A half symbol on a pictograph means half the key value.
A half symbol is not empty space; it represents half of whatever the key shows. If the key is 10, a half symbol means 5.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. If each flower symbol equals 2, then 6 tulip symbols represent 12 tulips.
Each tulip symbol is worth 2, so 6 symbols mean 6 x 2 = 12 tulips in all.
2. A bar reaching 25 is 15 more than a bar reaching 10.
Subtract the shorter bar from the taller bar: 25 - 10 = 15, so the taller bar shows 15 more.
3. If each symbol equals 10 votes, then 5 pizza symbols show 50 votes.
Multiply the number of symbols by the key value: 5 x 10 = 50 votes for pizza.
4. The scale on a bar graph helps you read the exact value each bar shows.
The numbered marks running up the side of a bar graph form the scale, and the scale is what tells you the exact value each bar reaches.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. If each symbol equals 5 and one row has 7 symbols while another has 3, the difference is 20.
True False
True. 7 symbols make 7 x 5 = 35 and 3 symbols make 3 x 5 = 15, and 35 - 15 = 20 is the correct difference.
2. A bar graph uses pictures instead of bars to show data.
True False
False. Bar graphs use bars of different heights to compare data; pictographs are the ones that use pictures or symbols.
3. In a pictograph with a key of 2, four symbols equal 6.
True False
False. With a key of 2, four symbols mean 4 x 2 = 8, not 6.