DA0-002 Visualization and Reporting Practice Question
An analyst wants to show the trend of monthly sales over the past two years. Which chart type is most appropriate?
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
✓
Line chart
A line chart is best for showing trends over time.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Pie chart
Why it's wrong here
A pie chart encodes parts of a whole as proportional slices, so it cannot plot values against a time axis; two years of monthly sales would collapse into unreadable slivers. It is tempting because it displays category composition clearly, and would be correct for showing each region's share of total annual revenue.
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Bar chart
Why it's wrong here
Bars encode discrete categories, so plotting 24 monthly values as separate bars obscures the continuous direction of change. It is tempting because bar charts are the standard choice for comparing sales totals across categories, and would be right for ranking products or regions rather than showing a trend.
- ✗
Scatter plot
Why it's wrong here
A scatter plot displays the relationship between two numeric variables, not values ordered by time, so it cannot show a monthly trend. It is tempting because scatter plots are the correct choice for correlation analysis, such as examining whether advertising spend relates to sales revenue.
- ✓
Line chart
Why this is correct
A line chart plots values against a continuous time axis, so consecutive monthly points connect into a readable trend line. This makes direction, seasonality and turning points across the two-year span immediately visible, which categorical charts cannot convey.
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