DA0-002 Data Governance Practice Question
Which type of chart is most suitable for showing the distribution of a single continuous variable?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse a histogram with a bar chart, assuming both are interchangeable for showing frequencies, but a histogram is specifically for continuous data with no gaps between bars, while a bar chart is for discrete categories with gaps.
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
✓
Histogram
A histogram is the most suitable chart for showing the distribution of a single continuous variable because it groups the data into bins (intervals) along the x-axis and displays the frequency or count of observations within each bin on the y-axis. This allows you to see the shape, spread, and central tendency of the data, such as whether it is normally distributed, skewed, or has multiple modes. For a single continuous variable, a histogram directly visualizes the probability density or frequency distribution, which is its primary purpose in data analysis.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Histogram
Why this is correct
A histogram bins a continuous variable into intervals along the x-axis and plots frequency on the y-axis, revealing shape, spread and modality. No other standard chart type represents a single continuous variable's distribution as directly.
- ✗
Line chart
Why it's wrong here
A line chart plots a continuous variable against a sequential axis, typically time, to show trends. Distribution of a single variable needs a histogram or box plot, which groups values into bins and shows frequency. Line charts assume an ordered progression, which distribution data does not inherently have.
- ✗
Scatter plot
Why it's wrong here
A scatter plot displays the relationship between two continuous variables, plotting paired values on x and y axes to reveal correlation. Showing the distribution of a single variable requires a histogram or box plot, which bins or summarises one variable's frequency. Scatter plots need a second variable to be meaningful.
- ✗
Bar chart
Why it's wrong here
A bar chart uses discrete categories on the x-axis, not a continuous scale, so it cannot accurately represent the distribution of a single continuous variable without artificially binning the data into intervals, which loses granularity. It is tempting because bar charts are commonly used to compare frequencies across groups, and they would be correct for summarising a continuous variable if the question explicitly asked for a histogram-style binned frequency display.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,004 original DA0-002 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.