Quiz 13: Creating Visuals and Data Displays

Because visuals can be easily added by computer, including them in your documents is always a good idea.

A visual allows important information to be emphasized only if the visual appears at the beginning or at the end of a document.

Soo-jung is creating a written presentation for a client who is new to her industry. In the presentation, she supports her text with visuals, letting them speak for themselves and providing little explanation of the material. This technique will help Soo-jung make a more positive impact on the client.

Steffi includes a graph on the cover of her post-graduate thesis. She wants the graph to show the readers what the thesis contains. She is able to summarize the graph in one sentence. She should use this sentence as the graph's title.

Ronak is creating a report on the user reviews for his company's new software program. He has been asked to use certain types of visuals from data that have already been collected. To increase the positive impact of his report, Ronak should choose only those visuals that he finds easy and comfortable to design.

When time is a variable on a line graph, it should be placed on the vertical axis.

Natalya is comparing the sales volume in her region to the sales volumes in seven other regions in the country. She should choose a bar chart because audiences find it easy to compare items in bar charts.

After viewing a line graph, audiences remember the labels on each axis far better than they remember the shape of the lines.

Visual information is always best organized from left to right.

Darrell is preparing an article on a new species of plant. He includes several photographs of the leaves, which are less than a centimeter long. To make an effective visual, he should also include a small object, such as a penny or paperclip, so that the reader can gauge the scale of the plant.

In a final presentation or document, visuals and data displays should be used to A) find relationships. B) present information without any words. C) ensure that important information is repeated. D) increase the time spent on understanding the presentation or document. E) emphasize material that might be skipped if it were buried in a paragraph.

Omar, a senior marketing manager, is preparing a presentation for the board of directors of his company. The presentation depicts the pattern of sales for the company's top products in different geographical areas. Omar uses graphs, charts, and tables to present the data. However, the evening before the presentation, he hears that the board of directors considers visuals and data displays a waste of time. In this scenario, which of the following should Omar do to ensure that his presentation is well-received? A) He should go ahead and use his visuals because a presentation should have very little text and lots of visuals. B) He should not use any of the visuals because he created them uncritically and not to achieve a specific purpose. C) He should not use any of the visuals because the audience does not appreciate them. D) He should replace all the visuals with paragraphs of text because understanding words takes more time. E) He should use only the important and necessary visuals because his purpose and the information call for them.

Giorgos, a sales manager, is required to present the annual sales report for his product at next month's senior management meeting. Before creating the visual for the report, he is making sure that no information is missing from key locations or demographic areas. Which guideline for creating effective visuals and data displays is Giorgos following in this scenario? A) Follow conventions. B) Determine the story you want to tell. C) Be ethical about citing sources. D) Check the quality of the data. E) Choose the right visual for the story.

Josue, the new sales manager of a local car dealership, is preparing the quarterly sales report for the cars in his locality. He is trying to decide whether he should use a bar chart or line graph to supplement his discussion in the report. Which guideline for creating effective visuals and data displays is Josue following in this scenario? A) Use color and decoration with restraint. B) Follow conventions. C) Choose the right visual for the story. D) Check the quality of the data. E) Be accurate and ethical.

Which of the following is a good practice when finding stories to tell through visuals? A) Simplify the data on a selected topic and convert numbers to easy-to-understand units. B) Present all of the data collected, discuss what is relevant, and allow the audience to interpret the rest on their own. C) Combine the data from several important stories into one visual. D) Tell all of the stories that a data set allows to avoid wasting any information. E) Focus on all the stories and topics related to the primary topic of research.

Five companies contributed different amounts to a local charity. Which of the following visuals would best illustrate the comparative contribution of each company to the total amount contributed? A) table B) bar chart C) line graph D) pie chart E) infographic

When you want an audience to be able to identify exact values in a set of data, you should use a A) pie chart. B) table. C) line graph. D) bar chart. E) dot chart.

When you want the audience to compare items or see a distribution or correlation, use a A) pie chart. B) line graph. C) drawing. D) bar chart. E) table.

In which of the following scenarios would a bar chart be most effective? A) to depict the amount of cotton grown in different geographical regions of a country B) to show a company's growth in net sales over time C) to identify the contribution of each division of a company to its total revenue D) to show the dimensions of a proposed product design E) to depict the step-by-step process of using a new software program

Which of the following visuals should you use to show a projected timeline for a project? A) table B) pie chart C) Gantt chart D) infographic E) dot chart

________ are numbers or words arrayed in rows and columns. A) Drawings B) Gantt charts C) Dynamic displays D) Tables E) Figures

Which of the following is a common component of visuals and data displays? A) edited photographs B) the source of the data if you obtained it yourself C) three-dimensional graphs D) a paragraph explaining the visual E) a title telling the story that the visual or data display shows

Which of the following statements about the use of color in visuals is true? A) Color should be used with restraint. B) The use of color does not change the way data is interpreted. C) Color makes visuals easier to understand. D) Color is always interpreted positively. E) Colors have the same meaning across different professions.

Which of the following statements about colors and their common connotations in the United States is true? A) Red is used to suggest danger. B) Orange suggests courage and love. C) Black is associated with luck. D) Blue is associated with royalty and honor. E) Purple is the color of mourning and death.

Which of the following software programs is most appropriate for creating a pie chart? A) Photoshop B) Publisher C) Excel D) Illustrator E) Google Drawing

Photoshop, Publisher, and Illustrator are best used for creating A) maps. B) bar charts. C) Gantt charts. D) line graphs. E) tables.

Which of the following statements about the connotations of colors according to professions is true? A) Red suggests "death" to healthcare professionals. B) Blue suggests "unreliability" to financial managers. C) Green suggests "healthy" to healthcare professionals. D) Red suggests "losing money" to financial managers. E) Green suggests "danger" to engineers.

When using visuals, you should A) use red and green for high contrast. B) use as little shading as possible. C) include as much color as possible. D) add clip art to make your document more artistic. E) use stripes and wavy lines to indicate different segments in black-and-white graphs.

Bernardo creates a written presentation in which he depicts most of his numerical data in black-and-white graphs. He uses as few lines as necessary and stripes and wavy lines to indicate different segments. He does not add any clip art to the graph. He strictly avoids using chartjunk. Which of the following should Bernardo do to improve the quality of his graphs further? A) He should use more colors to decorate the graph. B) He should use more lines because they increase clarity. C) He should add clip art to the graph to make it more visually appealing. D) He should use shades of grey instead of stripes and wavy lines. E) He should convert the graph into a picture to make it more artistic.

Alexei needs a dramatic visual to convey qualitative and quantitative data from two related research studies. He needs to make a big impact on an audience that will not be concerned with specific numbers and minute details. Which kind of graphic is the best choice for his presentation? A) infographic B) pie chart C) series of drawings D) table E) bar chart

Truncated graphs are most acceptable when A) material is new to the audience. B) used in a rough draft. C) audiences expect presentations to use lots of visuals. D) the values are not actual values, only estimates. E) audiences know the basic data set well.

To make map displays more accurate and ethical, you should A) use the common Mercator projection. B) consider how to reduce distortion. C) use a cartogram to substitute information for area. D) label all features on the map. E) leave data sources off of the map to reduce visual clutter.

Ghoti, a design executive, is preparing a design report for the industrial cooler to be manufactured by her department. In her report, she combines a few graphs with different scales but avoids all three-dimensional (3D) graphs. She includes breaks in the bars while using truncated scales and ensures that she differentiates between estimated and actual values. She also uses as little color as possible and limits the use of chartjunk in the visuals. Which of the following will make Ghoti's report misleading? A) the lack of 3D graphs B) the limited use of color C) the combination of graphs with different scales D) the use of breaks in the bars while using truncated scales E) the differentiation between the estimated and actual values

Ysabela works for firm that analyzes global rainfall and drought patterns. Her manager asks her to develop a graphic for their internal website that will be easy to update and will allow analysts to view a variety of data based on their needs. What kind of visual should Ysabela add to the website? A) map B) infographic C) series of photographs D) table E) dynamic display

Which of the following actions helps to make visuals more accurate? A) using truncated scales on graphs to highlight the information of interest to the reader B) using three-dimensional (3D) graphs to include more data C) altering images so that they more closely relate to the story you wish to tell D) differentiating between actual and estimated or projected values E) using photographs to convey a sense of authenticity

When integrating visuals and data displays into your text, a fuller explanation of a visual is necessary when A) similar material is presented to the audience quite frequently. B) the visual is simple and well designed. C) the visual is designed in black and white. D) the audience has little interest in the topic and the data. E) the material is new to the audience.

Keeping in mind the cultural differences between audiences, the most effective visual is likely to be a visual that A) organizes information according to the reading customs of the audience. B) uses punctuation marks consistently. C) always organizes information from left to right and top to bottom. D) uses periods to indicate decimal points. E) uses symbols consistently.

When preparing a document with visuals or data displays, you should A) use short and simple explanations for complex visuals. B) spell out numbers that fall at the beginning of a sentence. C) avoid referring to every visual in your text. D) present the visual before summarizing the main point it conveys. E) avoid using parentheses, as they make the text hard to read.

For the visual presentation of data to be effective, a table should A) always provide column and row totals or averages. B) be used primarily when you want to convey general correlations. C) have rows arranged closely together and no shading. D) contain numbers that show several decimal places for precision. E) place items that readers are to compare in columns rather than in rows.

Which of the following statements about pie charts as visuals or data displays is true? A) The data in a pie chart can be put in a bar chart. B) The data should be limited to 10 segments. C) The labels should appear inside the circle. D) They should be used to compare one segment to another segment. E) Using three-dimensional (3D) circles will avoid the distortion of data.

Which of the following statements about bar charts as visuals or data displays is true? A) Bar charts ask people to compare distance along different scales. B) Bar charts can be used to show correlations and to compare items over time. C) Grouped bar charts identify positive and negative values. D) Bar charts should use the three-dimensional (3D) perspective to make comparison easier. E) Bar charts should use different colors for different bars.

Damien is summarizing his thesis using bar charts. When creating the bar charts, he is careful about ordering the bars in chronological order, labeling both axes, and making the bars different colors when they refer to different items. Because he has long labels, he uses horizontal bars. He also places some labels inside the bars and some outside for clarity. In this scenario, which of the following actions taken by Damien is most likely to reduce the quality of his bar charts? A) ordering the bars chronologically B) labeling both horizontal and vertical axes C) using different colors for different items D) using horizontal bars E) placing some labels inside the bars and some outside

________ allow you to compare either several aspects of each item or several items over time. A) Grouped bar charts B) Segmented bars C) Subdivided bars D) Paired bar charts E) Histograms

________ identify positive and negative values, or winners and losers. A) Segmented bars B) Stacked bars C) Subdivided bars D) Paired bar charts E) Deviation bar charts

Which of the following correctly differentiates between pie charts and bar charts? A) Bar charts are more difficult to understand and interpret than pie charts. B) Bar charts use only external labels, while pie charts use internal labels. C) Pie charts require an audience to judge area, while bar charts require them to judge position or length. D) Pie charts are used to compare one segment to another segment, while bar charts are used to compare one segment to the whole. E) Pie charts can express data in a range of formats, while bar charts only convey data expressed in percentages.

Which of the following is a guideline for constructing bar charts? A) Only use horizontal bars. B) Vary the colors according to the values each bar represents. C) Put the bars close together to make comparison easy. D) Use different colors for each bar. E) Correlations speak for themselves and do not require additional explanation.

Farah is preparing a bar chart to depict the varying amounts of iron ore found in different geographic regions of the country. She adds a title to the chart and labels both the axes. All the labels are present inside the bars, and the width of the bars varies according to the value each of them represents. She ensures that the bars are placed close enough together to make comparison easy. Which of the following corrections to Farah's bar chart will help improve its quality? A) The labels of the axis should be removed because the title already explains them. B) The bars should not be placed close to each other. C) The labels should be placed outside the bars instead of inside. D) The width of all the bars should be the same. E) She should use a line graph instead of a bar chart.

Liwei, a sales manager, conducted a competition to see which of his team members sold the most products in the previous month. To decide the winner, he collects his data and creates a bar chart. Which of the following charts will best help him identify a winner? A) dynamic display B) pictogram C) deviation bar chart D) stacked bar chart E) table

Gabriela is collating the results of a survey she conducted. The purpose of the survey was to identify the number of people who felt strongly about recycling, those who did not feel strongly, and those who were indifferent to recycling. Now, she wants to depict the values as percentages as well as whole numbers. Which of the following bar charts is likely to be most useful for Gabriela? A) segmented bar chart B) subdivided bar chart C) paired bar chart D) Gantt chart E) histogram

Arisa constructs a line graph to depict the increasing productivity of her three team members over the past year. She puts time on the vertical axis and productivity on the horizontal axis. She labels both the axes and also gives the graph a title. She does not use perspectives because she feels they will make the values difficult to read. When she presents her graph to her manager, he is dissatisfied because he finds it difficult to read. Which of the following is the most likely reason for his dissatisfaction with the graph? A) She has depicted time on the vertical axis, not the horizontal axis. B) She has labeled the axes, which creates visual clutter. C) She has used a line graph instead of a bar chart. D) She has used more than two lines in the graph. E) She has avoided the use of perspectives.

When you want to emphasize specific numbers to your reader, use a(n) A) table. B) bar chart. C) infographic. D) pie chart. E) line graph.

Which of the following is recommended for creating an effective Gantt chart? A) Use only one color on the chart. B) Outline critical activities. C) Leave out progress reports to avoid chartjunk. D) When time is a variable, put it on the vertical axis. E) Frame correlations accurately and ethically.

Which of the following should you keep in mind when using photographs to display data visually? A) Photos on a website should be kept consistent. B) Photos should not be edited or altered. C) Photos should be cropped or trimmed. D) Photos cannot be divorced from their original source. E) Photos are more effective than drawings, especially for showing a process.

Latoya creates a visual for her presentation to Enviro Inc., an environmental conservation company. The visual demonstrates how various companies' pollution systems are destroying undersea life. She wants to ensure that her visual contains enough detail to make her point clear so that Enviro Inc. takes action. In this scenario, which visual or data display is Latoya most likely to use to display her data? A) drawing B) bar chart C) pictogram D) map E) table

________ are expanding the possibilities of data displays as many of them allow users to adapt data displays to personal needs. A) Infographics B) Bar charts C) Dynamic displays D) Edited photographs E) Software programs

When is it useful to use visuals in a written document?

Explain when it is appropriate to use each of the following types of visuals: table, bar chart, pie chart, and line graph.

Explain how to label and refer to visuals within the text of a document.

List at least three tips for properly designing a table as a visual in a document.

Antonio wants to use a visual to show the proposed schedule for his project. Which visual should he use, and what tips should he follow while using it?

Discuss the use of photographs as a visual or data display; explain their advantages and rules for use.

Why are drawings often more useful than photographs for depicting information visually?

Explain what maps are used for and what you should keep in mind when presenting data in the form of a map.

Differentiate between infographics and dynamic displays, and explain the uses for both.

Janise works for a software start-up and is preparing a presentation for potential investors. Her presentation must cover everything from the costs of product development to the target market for her products to potential revenue. Her audience has a range of business and technology backgrounds, and she wants her visual to be both easy to understand and memorable. What visual display will be most useful for Janise to use and why?