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Reading picture graphs: multi-step

​Interpret picture graphs (pictographs) to answer multi-step questions about a context.

Reading picture graphs: multi-step

A picture graph is a type of graph that uses pictures and symbols to represent data.
Mary the mouse loves cheese. She created a picture graph to display how much cheese she ate last week.
A picture of cheese equals 2 grams.
A picture graph shows the horizontal axis labeled Days and the vertical axis labeled Grams of cheese. Each day is listed along the horizontal axis from left to right as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The grams of cheese eaten each day is represented by the number of pictures of cheese plotted on the graph. Monday is represented by 6 pictures of cheese, Tuesday is represented by 3 pictures of cheese, Wednesday is represented by 4 pictures of cheese, Thursday is represented by 3 pictures of cheese, and Friday is represented by 7 pictures of cheese.
Read the picture graph above to answer the following questions.
Practice Problem 1A
How many grams of cheese did Mary eat last Wednesday?
Choose 1 answer:

Practice Problem 1B
Cheese costs $3 per gram. How much did Mary pay for the cheese she ate on Wednesday?
$
  • Your answer should be
  • an integer, like 6
  • a simplified proper fraction, like 3/5
  • a simplified improper fraction, like 7/4
  • a mixed number, like 1 3/4
  • an exact decimal, like 0.75
  • a multiple of pi, like 12 pi or 2/3 pi

Example 1: Dancing cow

Manny the cow is a great dancer! The picture graph below shows how many hours Manny spent practicing four different types of dance.
A picture of a cow equals 3 hours.
A picture graph shows the horizontal axis labeled Types of dance and the vertical axis labeled Number of hours. Each type of dance is listed along the horizontal axis from left to right as follows: Ballet, Hip-hop, Ballroom, and Tap. The number of hours for each dance is represented by the number of pictures of cows plotted on the graph. Ballet is represented by 3 pictures of cows, Hip-hop is represented by 5 pictures of cows, Ballroom is represented by 4 pictures of cows, and Tap is represented by 5 pictures of cows.
Practice Problem 3
How many more hours did Manny spend practicing ballroom and tap combined than practicing hip-hop?
  • Your answer should be
  • an integer, like 6
  • a simplified proper fraction, like 3/5
  • a simplified improper fraction, like 7/4
  • a mixed number, like 1 3/4
  • an exact decimal, like 0.75
  • a multiple of pi, like 12 pi or 2/3 pi
hours

Example 2: Bugs

Isabelle counted insects in her yard for a science project. She made a picture graph of the number and type of insects she saw.
A picture of a ladybug equals 4 insects.
A picture graph shows the horizontal axis labeled Number of insects and the vertical axis labeled Types of insects. Each type of insect is listed along the vertical axis from bottom to top as follows: Beetle, Cricket, Ant, Mosquito, and Bee. The number of insects for each type of insect is represented by the number of pictures of ladybugs plotted on the graph. Beetle is represented by 5 pictures of ladybugs, Cricket is represented by 4 pictures of ladybugs, Ant is represented by 3 pictures of ladybugs, Mosquito is represented by 6 pictures of ladybugs, and Bee is represented by 3 pictures of ladybugs.
Practice Problem 4A
Which insect did Isabelle count more often than crickets but less often than mosquitoes?
Choose 1 answer:

Practice Problem 4B
Isabelle counted 4 more ants and wanted to add them to the picture graph.
After adding the 4 additional ants, which 2 types of insects did Isabelle count the same number of?
Choose all answers that apply:

Challenge question

Let's look at two picture graphs and compare them.
Jadyn loves animals! The picture graphs below show the number of monkeys and seals Jadyn counted at the zoo last week.
A picture of a monkey equals 3 monkeys.
A picture graph shows the horizontal axis labeled Number of monkeys and the vertical axis labeled Days of the week. Each day of the week is listed along the vertical axis from bottom to top as follows: Friday, Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, and Monday. The number of monkeys for each day of the week is represented by the number of pictures of monkeys plotted on the graph. Friday is represented by 4 pictures of monkeys, Thursday is represented by 4 pictures of monkeys, Wednesday is represented by 3 pictures of monkeys, Tuesday is represented by 6 pictures of monkeys, and Monday is represented by 5 pictures of monkeys.
A picture of a seal equals 4 seals.
A picture graph shows the horizontal axis labeled Number of seals and the vertical axis labeled Days of the week. Each day of the week is listed along the vertical axis from bottom to top as follows: Friday, Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, and Monday. The number of seals for each day of the week is represented by the number of pictures of seals plotted on the graph. Friday is represented by 4 pictures of seals, Thursday is represented by 6 pictures of seals, Wednesday is represented by 2 pictures of seals, Tuesday is represented by 3 pictures of seals, and Monday is represented by 4 pictures of seals.
Practice Problem 5A
On which day(s) did Jadyn count fewer monkeys than seals?
Choose all answers that apply:

Practice Problem 5B
On which day did Jadyn see the most seals and monkeys combined?
Choose 1 answer:

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