DA0-002 Visualization and Reporting Practice Question
A data analyst is creating a dashboard for a retail company. The dashboard should provide insights into sales performance across multiple dimensions. Which TWO chart types are best suited for showing the contribution of each product category to total sales?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose a line chart (Option D) for any sales data because they associate sales with trends, overlooking that the question specifically asks for contribution to total sales, not change over time.
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
✓
Pie chart
A pie chart is ideal for showing the contribution of each product category to total sales because it visually represents parts of a whole, making it easy to compare proportions at a glance. The stacked bar chart also effectively shows category contributions within a total, allowing for both absolute and relative comparisons across different time periods or segments. Both chart types directly address the need to visualize proportional breakdowns of a single aggregate metric.
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 numeric variables, so it cannot show each category's contribution to a total. It is tempting because it reveals correlation, and would be correct for examining whether advertising spend correlates with units sold across stores.
- ✗
Histogram
Why it's wrong here
A histogram bins continuous numeric data to show frequency distribution, so it cannot display categorical contribution to a total. It is tempting because it does summarise distribution shape, and would be correct for showing the spread of order values or transaction amounts rather than each category's share of sales.
- ✓
Pie chart
Why this is correct
A pie chart encodes each product category as a proportional slice of the whole, directly showing its percentage contribution to total sales. This satisfies the stem's requirement to display contribution across categories, since the slices sum to 100% of the sales total.
- ✗
Line chart
Why it's wrong here
A line chart plots a continuous measure against an ordered axis such as time, so categorical contribution to a total cannot be encoded. It is tempting because it excels at trend analysis, and would be the right choice for tracking monthly sales revenue across a year rather than each category's share.
- ✓
Stacked bar chart
Why this is correct
A stacked bar chart shows each product category as a segment within a bar, so segment lengths reveal each category's contribution to total sales. This directly satisfies the stem's requirement to show contribution across multiple dimensions.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.