Drawing conclusions from data

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which is a conclusion that uses numbers as evidence?

A Most of our class likes pizza best: 18 out of 25 students chose it.

B Pizza is just the best food ever.

2. A class survey asks: Which pet do students like most? The results are dogs 12, cats 8, fish 5. Which conclusion answers the question?

A Dogs are the most liked pet, with 12 votes.

B Fish are boring because only 5 students picked them.

3. Our survey only asked 20 students in Year 5. Which conclusion stays within the data's limits?

A Most Year 5 students we asked prefer swimming.

B Everyone in Australia prefers swimming.

4. True or false: A conclusion can include things the data does not show.

A True. A conclusion can include guesses with no evidence.

B False. A conclusion only says what the data shows.

5. A graph shows 15 students walk to school and 10 students ride a bike. Which conclusion is correct?

A Students who walk are healthier than students who ride.

B More students walk to school than ride a bike.

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Most students chose pizza (12 of 20), so pizza is the favourite lunch in this class.		ADogs got 15 votes and cats got 5 votes, so dogs are more popular.
2This survey only asked Year 5 students, so we cannot say what the whole school thinks.		BQuestion: Which sport is most popular? Conclusion: Soccer is most popular with 9 votes.
3A good conclusion uses numbers from the data as evidence		CA conclusion that answers the question using numbers as evidence from the data
4A conclusion answers the question that was asked		DA statement about data limits: the conclusion should only cover who was asked
5Only 10 kids were surveyed, so everyone in Australia loves soccer.		EThe conclusion goes beyond the data's limits. Ten kids cannot show what everyone in Australia thinks.
6Pizza is the best lunch because it is yummy.		FThere are no numbers or evidence from the data. It is only an opinion.

Definitions

conclusion

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

A __________ answers a question using data.

A conclusion uses numbers as ________.

Data: cats 12 votes, dogs 8 votes. Conclusion: Cats got ____ votes than dogs.

A conclusion must stay within the data's ______.

Class A read 30 books. Class B read 22. Class A read _ more books than Class B.

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A Q: Which pet is the cutest?

B Data: Cat 12, Dog 9, Fish 4

C Conclusion: Cats got the most.

Question 2

A Q: Which day was warmest?

B Data: Mon 21, Tue 24, Wed 19

C Conclusion: Wed was warmest.

Question 3

A Data: 15 yes, 5 no (20 pupils)

B Conclusion: All kids like it.

C Limit: Only Year 6 was asked.

Question 4

A Q: Which lunch sells the most?

B Data: Pie 30, Roll 45, Salad 8

C Conclusion: Rolls sold most.

D Limit: Rolls will always win.

Question 5

A Total: 8 + 5 + 11 = 22 books

B Conclusion: We read 24 books.

C Limit: Only 3 pupils counted.

Answer Key

Drawing conclusions from data

Section A: Quick Questions

A — Most of our class likes pizza best: 18 out of 25 students chose it.

A — Dogs are the most liked pet, with 12 votes.

A — Most Year 5 students we asked prefer swimming.

B — False. A conclusion only says what the data shows.

B — More students walk to school than ride a bike.

Section B: Match the Pairs

Most students chose pizza (12 of 20), so pizza is the favourite lunch in this class. → A conclusion that answers the question using numbers as evidence from the data

This survey only asked Year 5 students, so we cannot say what the whole school thinks. → A statement about data limits: the conclusion should only cover who was asked

A good conclusion uses numbers from the data as evidence → Dogs got 15 votes and cats got 5 votes, so dogs are more popular.

A conclusion answers the question that was asked → Question: Which sport is most popular? Conclusion: Soccer is most popular with 9 votes.

Only 10 kids were surveyed, so everyone in Australia loves soccer. → The conclusion goes beyond the data's limits. Ten kids cannot show what everyone in Australia thinks.

Pizza is the best lunch because it is yummy. → There are no numbers or evidence from the data. It is only an opinion.

Section C: Definitions

conclusion — A statement that answers a question using evidence from the data, such as numbers. It should only say what the data shows and stay within the data's limits.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

A conclusion answers a question using data.

A conclusion uses numbers as evidence.

Data: cats 12 votes, dogs 8 votes.
Conclusion: Cats got more votes than dogs.

A conclusion must stay within the data's 
limits.

Class A read 30 books. Class B read 22.
Class A read 8 more books than Class B.

Section E: Spot the Error

A — The question must be one the data can answer. The data counts votes, so it cannot show which pet is cutest. It should ask which pet got the most votes.

C — The conclusion goes against the data. Wednesday was 19 degrees, which is the coolest day. The warmest day was Tuesday at 24 degrees.

B — The data shows 15 of 20 pupils said yes, not all kids. A conclusion should only say what the data shows, such as 15 of 20 like it.

D — A limit says what the data cannot tell us. One week of data cannot prove rolls will always win. It should say the data is only from one week.

A — The number used as evidence is wrong. 8 + 5 + 11 equals 24, not 22. The conclusion then says 24, so the evidence must match.