A picture graph shows 3 stars in the 'basketball' row. The key says ★ = 5 students. How many students chose basketball?
A3 students — there are 3 stars
B8 students — add 3 and 5
C15 students — multiply 3 stars × 5 students each
D2 students — subtract 5 minus 3
In a scaled picture graph, each symbol represents the scale value, not 1. So 3 stars × 5 students per star = 15 students. Reading each star as '1 student' is the most common mistake with scaled graphs — it ignores the key entirely and treats the graph like a one-to-one picture graph.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
A survey of 40 students asks about their favorite season. The most popular season has 20 responses. Which scale would make the most readable picture graph?
A1 — one symbol per response gives the most accurate picture
B2 — each symbol represents 2 responses
C5 — each symbol represents 5 responses
D20 — each symbol represents 20 responses
A scale of 5 means the largest category uses 20 ÷ 5 = 4 symbols — compact and readable. A scale of 1 requires 20 symbols in one row (crowded and slow to draw). A scale of 20 gives exactly 1 symbol for the largest category and less than 1 for smaller ones — too little detail. A scale is chosen so the graph is accurate and legible; scales of 2, 5, and 10 are most common because they align with skip-counting fluency.
Question 3 True / False
If you don't read the key of a scaled picture graph, you cannot correctly interpret the data shown.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
The key tells you what each symbol is worth. Without it, you have no way to know whether a star means 1, 2, 5, or 10 units. Two graphs with identical arrangements of symbols but different keys represent completely different data. Reading the key is the first required step — it is the decoding tool that connects symbol count to real quantity.
Question 4 True / False
A scaled picture graph and a regular picture graph (where each symbol = 1) generally show the same number of symbols for the same data.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Scaling is specifically designed to reduce the number of symbols. If 30 students chose soccer and the scale is 5, you draw only 6 symbols. On a one-to-one graph, you'd draw 30 symbols. The fewer symbols are the whole point of scaling — it makes large data sets manageable and graphs with many categories readable without becoming crowded.
Question 5 Short Answer
A student looks at a scaled picture graph, counts 4 sun symbols in the 'sunny days' row, and says 'there were 4 sunny days.' What information is the student missing, and why does it change the answer?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: The student hasn't checked the key (scale). Without knowing what one sun symbol represents, you cannot determine the actual count. If the key says 1 sun = 3 days, then 4 suns represent 4 × 3 = 12 sunny days, not 4. The key is essential: you must multiply the number of symbols by the scale value to get the real quantity.
Every symbol in a scaled picture graph is a compressed representation of multiple items. The key is the tool that decompresses it. Skipping the key and reading symbols as single units treats a scaled graph like a one-to-one graph — which will give the wrong answer whenever the scale is anything other than 1.