Producing Effective Tables and Figures Quick Quiz Answer Key

Quick Quiz Answer Key

1) Decide whether the following four situations are better suited to displaying data in a figure or a table (four marks):

a) You have sampled 35 different ponds in British Columbia and taken two measurements in each one (water temperature and O2 concentration (%)) = FIGURE (you want to show the pattern/trend between these two variables, ideally in a scatter plot)

b) You measured the length (cm) and weight (g), and counted the number of colourful spots on 25 different salmon caught in one lake and want to show the variation in these fish = TABLE (a data table would show all of this specific information most clearly)

c) You wanted to see which food type these salmon preferred when given a choice of worms, beetles, larvae, and bread, so you made all four types available to each salmon and recorded its first choice = FIGURE (a simple bar chart would show the pattern best here – which food types do salmon prefer, based on the frequency each one was chosen)

d) You noted whether each fish ate one of the food types within 30 seconds, whether it swam alone or in a shoal, and whether it was scared or curious when it heard a ‘plop’ in the water and want to display these data = TABLE (These are all Yes/No data, and as such, would be best displayed in a table)

2) There are three main problems with the table below (Table x). Suggest what these are (3 marks) and then re-draw the table to improve on these problems (3 marks). Hint: Refer back to the Introduction, and the Specific Tips for Producing Effective Tables sections; you might get some inspiration from these.

Table X: Table Showing The Effects of Treatment Dose.

Treatment Dose (mg)	Weight Gain After 2 Weeks (g)	Was The Patient Happy? (Yes/No), Was The Patient Sleeping Well? (Yes/No)
100	370	Yes, No
150	430	No, No
300	765	No, Yes
200	480	No, Yes
500	1060	Yes, No
250	490	Yes, Yes
350	740	Yes, No
400	900	No, Yes

Problem 1: Vague, non-descriptive title.
Problem 2: Treatment dose data are not in a logical sequence.
Problem 3: Third column is not formatted properly (hard to read) and/or the data are not divided logically (there should be two separate columns for the two questions).

EXAMPLE IMPROVEMENTS APPEAR IN TABLE X2 BELOW:

Table X2: Data showed that as treatment dose (g) increased, weight gain typically increased as well, but happiness and sleep did not seem to be related.

Treatment Dose (mg)	Weight Gain After 2 Weeks (g)	Was The Patient Happy? (Yes/No)	Was The Patient Sleeping Well? (Yes/No)
100	370	Yes	No
150	430	No	No
200	480	No	Yes
250	490	Yes	Yes
300	765	No	Yes
350	740	Yes	No
400	900	No	Yes
500	1060	Yes	No