Plot Patrol Worksheet Mathematics • Data Displays
PLOT PATROL
Worksheet
Name:
Date:
Graph Detective Guide:
Histogram: Adjacent (touching) bars representing adjacent numerical ranges.
Bar Chart: Gaps separate bars representing separate categorical items.
1
The histogram below represents the daily study hours of a sample of eighth-grade students during final exams. How many total students are included in this histogram?
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 2 4 6 8 10
A) 100
B) 120
C) 115
D) 130
Show Your Calculations:
2
What kind of graph is used to display the actual count of textbooks stored across 5 different middle school classrooms?
0 20 40 60 80 100 Room A Room B Room C Room D Room E
A) Histogram
B) Bar Graph
C) Pareto Chart
D) Dot Plot
Explain: Why are there gaps between these bars?
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Mathematics • Data Displays
Plot Patrol Worksheet
Page 2
3
The histogram below displays the heights of a sample of organic plants grown in a controlled greenhouse. How many total plants are included in this dataset?
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 10 20 30 40 50
A) 55
B) 60
C) 50
D) 65
Show Your Calculations:
4
What kind of graph is used to display the actual count of daily visitors across 5 different museum exhibits over a holiday weekend?
0 100 200 300 400 500 Dino Space Ocean Egypt Art
A) Dot Plot
B) Histogram
C) Bar Graph
D) Pareto Chart
Explain: Why are these bars separated by spaces?
Plot Patrol Reflection
Summarize how to tell whether a graph is a histogram or a bar chart just by looking at the spacing between the bars and the type of variables displayed:
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Plot Patrol Quiz Mathematics Class Assessment
QUIZ: PLOT PATROL
Form A
Name:
Date:
Period:
Directions: Read each question carefully. Analyze the data displays and select the best multiple-choice answer. Fill in the corresponding option and write down your brief calculations in the spaces provided.
1
Histogram Sample Size
How many total students are included in the daily study hours histogram below?
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 2 4 6 8 10
A) 100
B) 120
C) 115
D) 130
Work:
2
Identify Display Type
What type of graph is shown below to display the count of textbooks in 5 classrooms?
0 20 40 60 80 100 A B C D E
A) Histogram
B) Bar Graph
C) Pareto Chart
D) Dot Plot
Reason:
3
Histogram Distribution
How many total greenhouse plants are represented in the height histogram below?
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 10 20 30 40 50
A) 55
B) 60
C) 50
D) 65
Work:
4
Identify Display Type
What type of graph is used to display the visitor counts of 5 different museum exhibits?
0 100 200 300 400 500 Dino Space Ocean Egypt Art
A) Dot Plot
B) Histogram
C) Bar Graph
D) Pareto Chart
Reason:
Plot Patrol Assessment • Form A Page 1 of 1
Plot Patrol Teacher Key Mathematics • Teacher Resources
PLOT PATROL
Teacher Answer Key
Instructional Focus:
This answer key corresponds to the Plot Patrol Worksheet and Plot Patrol Quiz . Use these detailed explanations to help students identify the visual structures of data displays, extract numerical data accurately, and justify why distinct categorical variables require separated bars (Bar Charts) while continuous intervals require adjacent bars (Histograms).
Worksheet Detailed Solutions
1
Daily Study Hours (Histogram)
CORRECT OPTION: B (120)
Frequencies of each interval:
Interval [0–2) hours: 15 students (bar height is exactly halfway between 10 and 20)
Interval [2–4) hours: 45 students (bar height is exactly halfway between 40 and 50)
Interval [4–6) hours: 30 students
Interval [6–8) hours: 20 students
Interval [8–10) hours: 10 students
Mathematical Calculation: \(15 + 45 + 30 + 20 + 10 = 120\)
Common Student Error: Students may misread interval [0-2) as 10 or 20 and [2-4) as 40 or 50, resulting in 110 (Option A) or 130 (Option D).
2
Textbooks in 5 Classrooms (Bar Chart)
CORRECT OPTION: B (Bar Graph)
Rationale: The data represented on the horizontal (X) axis represents 5 distinct classrooms (Room A, Room B, etc.). Because classrooms represent categorical (discrete qualitative) data , a Bar Graph must be used.
Visual Justification: Unlike histograms, bar graphs contain distinct visual gaps between the columns. These gaps denote that the categories are separate and have no natural numerical progression or continuity.
Key Misconception: Students often mistake any vertical rectangular graph for a histogram. Emphasize that histograms require continuous numerical bins (intervals) along the X-axis.
Plot Patrol Key • Section 1 Page 1 of 2
Mathematics • Teacher Resources
Plot Patrol Teacher Key
Page 2
3
Greenhouse Plant Heights (Histogram)
CORRECT OPTION: B (60)
Frequencies of each interval:
