Which type of visual representation is best for comparing data as $\mathrm{percentages}$ of a $\mathrm{whole}$?

• A. Line graph
• B. Pie chart
• C. Scatter plot
• D. Histogram

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the purpose of the visual representation: when comparing parts of a whole, the goal is to show how each category contributes to the total.
2. Recall that a pie chart is designed to display data as slices of a circle, where each slice represents a percentage or proportion of the whole dataset.
3. Consider other options: a line graph is best for showing trends over time, a scatter plot is used to show relationships between two variables, and a histogram is used to display frequency distributions of continuous data.
4. Recognize that since the question asks for comparing data as percentages of a whole, the pie chart is the most appropriate choice because it visually emphasizes the relative sizes of parts to the whole.
5. Therefore, the best visual representation for comparing data as percentages of a whole is a pie chart.