Question 1

A line graph should be used to compare one item to another item.

Accepted Answer

To compare one item to another item, use a bar chart.

Question 2

A good story that is told by a visual might include something that is personally relevant to you and the audience.

Accepted Answer

A good story that is told by a visual might include something that is personally relevant to you and the audience.

Question 3

If the reader has to study the labels to get the right picture,the visual is unethical even if the labels are accurate.

Accepted Answer

If the audience has to study the labels to get the right picture, the visual is unethical even if the labels are accurate.

Question 4

Only a dot chart can be used to show correlations.

Accepted Answer

To show correlations, one can use a bar chart, a line graph, or a dot chart.

Question 5

Vesper has 250 clients in five local counties.She wishes to prepare a visual that shows the percentage of clients in each county.She could choose a pie chart to illustrate this data in a visual.

Accepted Answer

To compare a part to the whole, use a pie chart.

Question 6

Frasier would like to use a visual to show timelines for proposals that his department is working on.He could choose a dot chart to illustrate this data in a visual.

Accepted Answer

Gantt charts should be used to show timelines for proposals or projects.

Question 7

A truncated graph,where part of the scale is missing,is most acceptable when the audience does not know the basic data set well because it focuses in on the area of real interest.

Accepted Answer

Truncated graphs are most acceptable when the audience knows the basic data set well. For example, graphs of the stock market almost never start at zero; they are routinely truncated. This omission is acceptable for audiences who follow the market closely.

Question 8

If the data used are not reliable,it is better not to use visuals even if you have an included verbal disclaimer.

Accepted Answer

If the data may not be reliable, you're better off not using visuals. The visual picture will be more powerful than verbal disclaimers, and the audience will be misled.

Question 9

Even if you have created your own unique visuals for a document,you must cite the sources of the information used to create them if they were gathered and compiled by someone else.

Accepted Answer

Visuals usually contain the source of the data, if you created the visual from data someone else gathered and compiled (and if you reproduce a visual someone else created).

Question 10

The words in a written document should repeat the information that appears in a nearby visual.

Accepted Answer

In the final presentation or document, use visuals to present material more compactly and with less repetition than words alone would require. Words can call attention to the main points of the visual, without repeating all of the visual's information.

Question 11

Visuals can be effective tools for ensuring that ideas are presented completely.

Accepted Answer

In a rough draft, visuals and data displays can be used to see that ideas are presented completely.

Question 12

A visual that contains numbers and words arrayed in rows and columns is a figure.

Accepted Answer

Proposals and reports use formal visuals, which are typically divided into tables and figures. Tables are numbers or words arrayed in rows and columns. Figures are everything that isn't a table and may include graphs, charts, maps, drawings, and/or photographs.

Question 13

Visuals are design elements that help make data meaningful.

Accepted Answer

Visuals and data displays are design elements that help make data meaningful and support arguments in your proposals and reports.

Question 14

Visuals are highly interchangeable,so writers can choose those they prefer and are most comfortable designing.

Accepted Answer

Visuals are not interchangeable. Good writers choose the visual that best matches the purpose of the communication.

Question 15

Some data sets allow you to tell several stories.In this case,you should choose the story you wish to tell but include all of the available data in the data set so that readers have all possible information at their disposal.

Accepted Answer

Almost every data set allows you to tell several stories. You must choose the story you want to tell. Dumps of uninterpreted data confuse and frustrate your audience; they undercut the credibility and goodwill you want to create.

Question 16

A visual allows important information to be emphasized,even if the visual does not appear at the beginning or at the end of a document.

Accepted Answer

In the final presentation or document, use visuals to emphasize material that might be skipped if it were buried in a paragraph. The beginning and end are places of emphasis.

Question 17

Marion is comparing the sales volume in her region to the sales volumes in seven other regions in the country.She could choose a bar chart to illustrate this data in a visual.

Accepted Answer

To compare one item to another item, use a bar chart. To compare items over time, use a bar chart or a line graph.

Question 18

Audiences remember the labels on a graph or chart far better than they remember the shape of the visual.

Accepted Answer

Visuals communicate quickly; audiences remember the shape, not the labels.

Question 19

Color used in visuals may send signals that you do not intend because different cultures associate different meanings with different colors.

Accepted Answer

Color makes visuals more dramatic, but it also creates some problems. Colors may be interpreted positively or negatively depending on their context and the unique experiences of the people viewing them. Meanings assigned to colors differ depending on the audience's national background and profession.

Question 20

Since visuals can be created quickly and easily on a computer,there is no reason not to include at least one visual on every page of a written document.

Accepted Answer

The ease of creating visuals and data displays by computer may make people use them uncritically. Use visuals and data displays only to achieve a specific purpose. Never include them in your documents just because you have them; instead, use them to convey information the audience needs or wants.

Quiz 16: Creating Visuals and Data Displays

A line graph should be used to compare one item to another item.

A good story that is told by a visual might include something that is personally relevant to you and the audience.

If the reader has to study the labels to get the right picture,the visual is unethical even if the labels are accurate.

Only a dot chart can be used to show correlations.

Vesper has 250 clients in five local counties.She wishes to prepare a visual that shows the percentage of clients in each county.She could choose a pie chart to illustrate this data in a visual.

Frasier would like to use a visual to show timelines for proposals that his department is working on.He could choose a dot chart to illustrate this data in a visual.

A truncated graph,where part of the scale is missing,is most acceptable when the audience does not know the basic data set well because it focuses in on the area of real interest.

If the data used are not reliable,it is better not to use visuals even if you have an included verbal disclaimer.

Even if you have created your own unique visuals for a document,you must cite the sources of the information used to create them if they were gathered and compiled by someone else.

The words in a written document should repeat the information that appears in a nearby visual.

Visuals can be effective tools for ensuring that ideas are presented completely.

A visual that contains numbers and words arrayed in rows and columns is a figure.

Visuals are design elements that help make data meaningful.

Visuals are highly interchangeable,so writers can choose those they prefer and are most comfortable designing.

Some data sets allow you to tell several stories.In this case,you should choose the story you wish to tell but include all of the available data in the data set so that readers have all possible information at their disposal.

A visual allows important information to be emphasized,even if the visual does not appear at the beginning or at the end of a document.

Marion is comparing the sales volume in her region to the sales volumes in seven other regions in the country.She could choose a bar chart to illustrate this data in a visual.

Audiences remember the labels on a graph or chart far better than they remember the shape of the visual.

Color used in visuals may send signals that you do not intend because different cultures associate different meanings with different colors.

Since visuals can be created quickly and easily on a computer,there is no reason not to include at least one visual on every page of a written document.