The bar graph shows the distribution of 414 books collected by 10 different groups for a book drive. How many...

1. TRANSLATE the question into what to look for

The question asks for the number of books collected by group 1, so I need to:

• Locate the bar labeled "1" on the x-axis
• Determine the height of that bar using the y-axis scale

2. TRANSLATE the bar height to a numerical value

• Find group 1's bar: It's the first bar on the left side of the graph

• Read the y-axis carefully:

• The scale goes from 0 to 70
• Grid lines mark intervals of 10 (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70)
• The top of group 1's bar aligns exactly with the 30 mark

• Therefore: Group 1 collected 30 books

Answer: 30

Why Students Usually Falter on This Problem

Most Common Error Path:

Weak TRANSLATE skill: Misreading the y-axis scale or miscounting grid lines

Students may:

• Estimate the bar height carelessly and read it as 20 or 40 instead of 30
• Misalign their eye level with the top of the bar, causing parallax error
• Not notice that each grid line represents an increment of 10
• Confuse group 1 with another group by looking at the wrong bar

This leads to stating an incorrect answer like 20, 25, or 40 instead of 30.

The Bottom Line:

This problem tests the fundamental skill of accurately reading data from a bar graph. The key is careful visual alignment—ensuring you're looking at the correct bar and precisely matching its height to the y-axis scale. Take your time to verify which bar corresponds to group 1 and where exactly the top of that bar aligns on the scale.