Chapter 2 Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why might you want to avoid using pie charts wherever possible?

Humans are not good at comparing the relative areas of pie segments.

Any data you could use to produce a pie chart could be expressed more compactly and in an easier-to-assimilate form.

Unless your qualitative data is in percentage form (and those percentages add up neatly to 100%), there is no logical reason to present values as though they constitute relative 'parts' of some 'whole' value.

All of the above

2. What methods might you consider using to make the interpretation of a pie chart presenting nominal data more intuitive?

Arranging the segments of the pie by size, grading sequentially from the largest value category to the smallest value category

Calculating and presenting the relative percentage each segment of the pie represents if the data was originally presented as raw values

Arranging the segments of the pie so that they run clockwise starting at '12 o'clock'

All of the above

3. What methods might you consider using to make the interpretation of a pie chart presenting ordinal data more intuitive?

Arranging the segments of the pie by size, grading sequentially from the largest value category to the smallest value category

Selecting colours that form a sequential (or diverging) colour palette

Arrange the segments of the pie so that they run clockwise starting at '12 o'clock'

Calculating and presenting the relative percentage each segment of the pie represents, if the data was originally presented as raw values

4. If your pie chart would have more than _____ segments, consider combining segments that could logically be grouped (without misleading readers) or producing a different figure type altogether.
(Please enter the correct number as a word.)

5. Match the general aims of effective table design with some of the methods you can use to achieve them.

5a.

Minimize the use of cell borders; do not repeat units or information across multiple cells within a table, but instead explain this in the table caption or a footnote; do not add colour, underlining, or emboldening unless it is informative and important.

5b.

Arrange the categories of the data that you want the user to compare in columns; right-align numeric data; add totals to the end of rows or bottom of columns if useful; consider using alternate shading in larger tables.

5c.

Provide informative headings; use consistent formatting, ordering, and nomenclature if you have multiple tables; ensure that numerical data are in the same units, rounded appropriately, and have the same number of decimal places (where applicable).

5d.

Clearly differentiate headings from data (but not so much that they are distracting); align column headings to match the alignment of their data; if using shading, carefully select background colours that contrast highly enough with the text.

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