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Read Charts and Link Them to a Text: Does the Data Match the Claim?

A text says something. A chart shows numbers. To relate them, read the chart (title, labels, numbers, shape), then check each word of the claim against the numbers.

🎬 Step-by-step story

  1. A text makes a claim: "Cycling grew every year." A chart sits beside it. We will check if the claim is true.
  2. Step 1: read the chart. First the title and unit, then the years under the bars, then the number on each bar.
  3. Step 2: look at the shape. The bars climb from 20 to 70. The tallest bar is 2024. The trend is rising.
  4. Step 3: link claim and data. Compare each year with the year before: 20, 30, 45, 55, 70. Each is bigger, so the claim holds.
  5. Change the data: 2023 drops to 40. Now the red bar is lower than 2022. "Every year" is false. Test the exact words.
  6. Free play: tap + or - under any bar. Watch the claim turn green or red as the numbers change.

Tip: drag the 3D scene to turn it. Use two fingers to zoom.

🤔 Common doubts, cleared

Why do I need the chart if the text is clear?

The chart is the proof. Without it, you only have the writer's word. In the 3D the gold claim waits until the bars are read.

What do I look at first on a chart?

The title and unit, then the labels and numbers. In the 3D, the title and years appear first.

How can the shape help me?

It shows the trend quickly. Rising bars mean growth. In the 3D the tallest bar is gold.

How do I link a claim to the numbers?

Compare the numbers one by one with the claim. The green arrow joins them, and every year is bigger.

What if just one number breaks the claim?

Then the whole claim with "every" is false. The red bar shows this.

Does the claim change when the data changes?

The words stay the same, but the answer changes. Try it in free play.

Text and data: two ways to say one thing

A text uses words. Data uses numbers, in a table or a chart. Writers use both. The text gives the idea, and the data gives the proof.

Your job as a reader: find the claim in the text (what the writer says is true), then find the numbers that show it. If they agree, the claim is supported. If not, the claim is not supported.

Reading charts: title, labels, numbers, shape

Read a chart in this order:

  1. Title: what is counted, and the unit (hundreds, per cent, kg).
  2. Labels: what the bottom line (years, places) and the side line mean.
  3. Numbers: the value on or next to each bar.
  4. Shape: going up, going down, flat, or one very tall bar.

Types: a bar chart compares groups, a line graph shows change over time, a pie chart shows parts of a whole.

Check the claim against the numbers

Look at the exact words of the claim. "Every year" needs every step to go up. "Most" needs more than half. "Doubled" needs the number to become twice. Do the small sum: for "doubled", is 70 at least 2 times 20? Yes, 70 is more than 40.

Also check the unit and the years. A claim about 2020 to 2024 must use those years.

When data and text do not match

Sometimes the chart says something different. Then trust the numbers and say so: "The text says it grew every year, but the chart shows a fall in 2023." Also watch for charts that hide facts, such as a side line that does not start at zero.

Try it

  1. Find a chart in a newspaper or a school book.
  2. Write its title, unit and two numbers.
  3. Write one sentence that is true for the chart and one that is false.
  4. Ask a friend to find the false one.

Key formulas and definitions

Worked examples

1. A bar chart shows books read: Mon 4, Tue 6, Wed 9. Text: "Reading rose each day." Is it supported?

4, 6, 9: each is bigger than the one before. Yes, supported.

2. Sales (hundreds): 2022 = 45, 2023 = 40. Text: "Sales grew every year." What do you say?

2023 (40) is lower than 2022 (45). The data does not support "every year".

3. Bicycles sold rose from 20 to 70 hundred. By how many bicycles did sales go up?

70 - 20 = 50 hundred = 5,000 bicycles.

4. Sales rose from 20 to 30 hundred. What is the per cent change?

Change = 10. (10 ÷ 20) × 100 = 50 per cent.

Common mistakes

Practice quiz

1. What do you read FIRST on a chart?
2. A claim is supported when:
3. Which chart is best for showing change over time?
4. Text says "doubled". Old value 20. Which new value fits?
5. If the chart and the text disagree, you should:

Practice: answer these yourself

Type or choose your answer, then press Check. Use a hint if you are stuck; the full solution appears after you answer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a text and data?

A text uses words to give an idea. Data gives numbers that can be counted or measured. Together they make a stronger message.

How do I find the claim in a text?

Look for the sentence that says what is true or what should happen. It is often near the start or the end. Ask: what does the writer want me to believe?

Can a chart be wrong?

A chart can be drawn in a misleading way, for example by cutting the side line so small differences look big. Always read the numbers, not only the bar heights.

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