DA0-002 Visualization and Reporting Practice Question
A data analyst needs to visualize sales per capita across U.S. states. States with small populations but high sales (e.g., Delaware) appear too prominent on a choropleth map. Which technique best addresses this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is thinking that changing the chart type (e.g., to a bar chart or bubble chart) solves the problem, but the core issue is the metric (raw sales vs. rate). The exam expects you to recognize that normalization is the key, not the visualization type.
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
✓
Use a choropleth map with rates instead of raw sales
Using a choropleth map with rates (e.g., sales per capita) instead of raw sales normalizes the data by population, preventing states with small populations from appearing overly prominent. This addresses the issue where Delaware, with high sales but low population, dominates the map. Rates allow for fair comparison across states regardless of population size.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Switch to a bar chart sorted by sales
Why it's wrong here
A sorted bar chart abandons the geographic layout entirely, so spatial patterns across states are lost rather than corrected. It tempts because bars remove area bias and rank values clearly, yet the task is a map-based per-capita comparison, which a cartogram preserves.
- ✓
Use a choropleth map with rates instead of raw sales
Why this is correct
Using rates—sales divided by population—normalises each state's value, so Delaware's small denominator no longer inflates its shading. This directly satisfies the stem's constraint: per-capita comparison across U.S. states. Raw sales choropleths encode magnitude, not intensity, which is why populous states dominate and small ones mislead.
- ✗
Use a bubble chart with size proportional to sales
Why it's wrong here
Bubble size encodes absolute sales, so Delaware's high per-capita figure still inflates its marker; the geographic-area distortion remains. It tempts because bubbles decouple value from land area, but the stem requires per-capita comparison, which a cartogram or proportional symbol of population handles.
- ✗
Apply a log scale to the color gradient
Why it's wrong here
A log scale compresses the colour gradient's numeric range but leaves each state's polygon area unchanged, so Delaware still dominates visually. It tempts because log scales do tame skewed values, yet the distortion here is geographic area, not magnitude.
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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.