Case-Based Critical Thinking Questions
Case 3-1

Column Chart Area Chart
Sarah has put together the same information in two different charts, shown in the figure above, to present to her boss. She is thinking through the pros and cons of each chart type.
-Which chart does a better job of illustrating the collective sales trend in the Equipment, Footwear, and Apparel categories over the eight years?
A) the column chart
B) the area chart
C) both a and b equally
D) neither a nor b does a good job

Question

Case-Based Critical Thinking Questions
Case 3-1
  
Column Chart Area Chart
Sarah has put together the same information in two different charts, shown in the figure above, to present to her boss. She is thinking through the pros and cons of each chart type.
-Which chart does a better job of illustrating the collective sales trend in the Equipment, Footwear, and Apparel categories over the eight years?
A) the column chart 
B) the area chart 
C) both a and b equally 
D) neither a nor b does a good job

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The area chart does a better job of illustrating the collective sales trend because it makes it easier to see the overall trend and the relative sizes of the categories over time. The bottom line of the area chart represents the total sales, and the different colors represent the different categories. In contrast, the column chart separates the categories into different columns, which makes it harder to compare and see the overall trend.