In April, there were 43 volunteers in a cleanup project. Each volunteer was asked to choose a small gift labeled...

1. TRANSLATE what the question is asking

The question asks: "How many volunteers chose gift C?"

• We need to find the number of volunteers represented by bar C in the graph

2. TRANSLATE the bar graph to get the answer

• Look at the x-axis (horizontal) to locate the bar labeled "C"
  • The bars are arranged in order: A, B, C, D from left to right

• Once you've identified bar C, look at its height
  • Follow the top of bar C horizontally to the y-axis

• Read the value on the y-axis where the top of bar C aligns
  • The top of bar C reaches the line marked 18

• Therefore, 18 volunteers chose gift C

Answer: 18 (Choice D)

Why Students Usually Falter on This Problem

Most Common Error Path:

Weak TRANSLATE skill - Reading the wrong bar:

Students who rush through the problem may look at the graph but accidentally read the height of a different bar instead of bar C. This happens when they don't carefully match the x-axis label to the correct bar.

• Reading bar A (height 14) leads them to select Choice C (14)
• Reading bar B (height 8) leads them to select Choice B (8)
• Reading bar D (height 3) leads them to select Choice A (3)

Notice that each wrong answer choice corresponds exactly to the height of a different bar - this is intentional test design to catch careless errors.

The Bottom Line:

This problem tests fundamental graph literacy - the ability to accurately read information from a visual display. While conceptually simple, it requires careful attention to match the correct label (gift C) with its corresponding bar and accurately read the y-axis value. All three incorrect answer choices are trap answers corresponding to the other three bars, so precision in identifying bar C is essential.