DA0-002 Visualization and Reporting Practice Question
A data analyst has built a dashboard that tracks monthly website traffic. The dashboard currently uses a line chart to show the trend of total visits over time. The marketing team now wants to see how each of four traffic sources (organic, paid, social, referral) contributes to the total each month, while still being able to see the overall trend. Which chart type best meets this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that a pie chart can show trends over time because it displays proportions.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Stacked area chart
A stacked area chart is designed to show how multiple components contribute to a total over a continuous time period. It allows the viewer to see both the overall trend and the relative contribution of each traffic source. Other chart types either cannot show time trends or cannot show composition effectively.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Scatter plot
Why it's wrong here
A scatter plot displays the relationship between two continuous variables, such as ad spend and sales. It does not show composition or trends over time. Using a scatter plot here would not reveal how traffic sources contribute to total monthly visits. The data is time-series and compositional, so a scatter plot is inappropriate.
- ✓
Stacked area chart
Why this is correct
A stacked area chart plots each traffic source as a layer stacked on top of the others, so the total height represents overall visits. This shows both the overall trend and each source's contribution over time. It is ideal for showing how parts contribute to a whole across a continuous time axis, exactly matching the marketing team's requirement.
- ✗
Pie chart
Why it's wrong here
A pie chart shows parts of a whole at a single point in time, not change over months. It cannot display the monthly trend or compare multiple time periods. With four sources, a pie chart would show composition for one month only, failing to show how contributions evolve. The team needs to see both total trend and source breakdown across time, which a pie chart cannot provide.
- ✗
Bar chart
Why it's wrong here
A standard bar chart can show total visits per month but cannot simultaneously display the breakdown by traffic source unless it is a stacked bar chart. A grouped bar chart would show each source separately but would not show the total trend as clearly. A simple bar chart fails to show both total and composition over time in one view.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This DA0-002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DA0-002 exam.