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:
Grapes received fewer votes than Apples because Grapes has more symbols.
Corrected: Grapes received fewer votes than Apples because Grapes has fewer symbols.
On a pictograph, more symbols always mean more votes — so if Grapes got fewer votes than Apples, the Grapes row must show fewer symbols, not more.
2. Fix the sentence:
On a bar graph with a scale of 5, a bar at 30 means 6 items.
Corrected: On a bar graph with a scale of 5, a bar at 30 means 30 items.
The number where the bar reaches on the scale already tells you the count — a bar that ends at 30 always means 30 items, no matter what the scale jumps by.
3. Fix the sentence:
If the key says each symbol equals 3, then 4 symbols show 7 items.
Corrected: If the key says each symbol equals 3, then 4 symbols show 12 items.
To find the total on a pictograph you multiply, not add — 4 symbols times 3 each equals 12 items, not 7.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A pictograph key says each heart equals 4 students. Six hearts means 24 students.
Multiply the number of symbols by the value in the key: 6 hearts times 4 students per heart equals 24 students.
2. On a bar graph, the category with the shortest bar has the lowest value.
Bar height shows amount, so the shortest bar reaches the smallest number on the scale — meaning it has the lowest value of all the categories.
3. A bar graph shows Soccer = 35 and Tennis = 20. Soccer has 15 more players.
To find how many more, subtract the smaller bar from the larger one: 35 minus 20 leaves 15 extra Soccer players.
4. In a pictograph where each symbol equals 10, half a symbol stands for 5.
Half of a symbol means half of its value, so taking 10 and splitting it in half gives 5.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. A pictograph and a bar graph can both show the same set of data.
True False
True — both graphs are simply different ways to display category counts, so the same data can be drawn either with picture symbols or with rectangular bars.
2. If each symbol stands for 3 and there are 5 symbols, the total is 18.
True False
False — multiply 5 symbols by 3 each to get the real total of 15, not 18.
3. On a bar graph, two bars of equal height represent the same amount.
True False
True — bar height shows the value, so two bars that reach the exact same line on the scale must stand for equal counts.