3–16
Name
Date
Use a Bar Graph
Imagine you are writing a report on the states that border the Gulf of Mexico.
You find the bar graph below in a geography book at the library.
Use the bar graph to list the states in order from the one with the longest Gulf
shoreline to the one with the shortest Gulf shoreline.
Gulf State Shorelines
7,721
mi
5,095
mi
3,359
mi
s
i
ip
p
iss
Te
xa
na
M
iss
sia
ui
Lo
or
id
a
359
mi
Fl
m
a
607
mi
ba
8,000
7,500
7,000
6,500
6,000
5,500
5,000
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
Al
a
Number of Miles (mi) of Gulf Shoreline
1.
State
2.
If the number of miles were not written at the end of each state’s bar on the
graph, could you write the exact length of each state’s Gulf shoreline in your
report? Explain.
3.
If you read this data in a paragraph, the numbers of shoreline miles of which
two states might be confused? Explain. How does seeing the numbers of miles
of those two states displayed on a bar graph avoid confusion?
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Write to Explain
3–16
Name
Date
Use a Bar Graph
Imagine you are writing a report on the states that border the Gulf of Mexico.
You find the bar graph below in a geography book at the library.
Use the bar graph to list the states in order from the one with the longest Gulf
shoreline to the one with the shortest Gulf shoreline.
5,095
mi
3,359
mi
607
mi
s
pi
ip
Te
xa
iss
M
iss
Lo
ui
or
sia
id
na
a
359
mi
Fl
Al
a
Mississippi
7,721
mi
m
a
Texas, Alabama,
Gulf State Shorelines
8,000
7,500
7,000
6,500
6,000
5,500
5,000
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
ba
Louisiana, Florida,
Number of Miles (mi) of Gulf Shoreline
1.
State
Write to Explain
If the number of miles were not written at the end of each state’s bar on the
graph, could you write the exact length of each state’s Gulf shoreline in your
report? Explain.
No; without numbers written above the bars, it would
be nearly impossible to get exact numbers for each
shoreline.
3.
If you read this data in a paragraph, the numbers of shoreline miles of which
two states might be confused? Explain. How does seeing the numbers of miles
of those two states displayed on a bar graph avoid confusion?
Mississippi and Texas; answers will vary.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
2.