EAP Interpreting Academic Data 2

Question 1

A scatter plot shows data points clustered tightly around a line going from bottom-left to top-right. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

A strong positive correlation

Answer

Points clustered tightly around an upward-sloping line indicate a strong positive correlation between the two variables.

Question 2

In a research table, a p-value of 0.03 is reported alongside a result. What does this mean at the α = 0.05 significance level?

Accepted Answer

The result is statistically significant

Answer

A p-value of 0.03 is less than α = 0.05, so the result is statistically significant and the null hypothesis is rejected.

Question 3

A pie chart shows that one sector represents 45% of a dataset. A researcher claims this sector represents the majority. Is this claim accurate?

Accepted Answer

No, because a majority requires more than 50%

Answer

A majority requires more than 50%, so 45% does not constitute a majority even if it is the largest single segment.

Question 4

A bar graph displays error bars on each column. What do these error bars typically represent?

Accepted Answer

Variability or uncertainty in the data, such as standard deviation

Answer

Error bars represent variability or uncertainty in measurements, commonly showing standard deviation, standard error, or confidence intervals.

Question 5

When reading an academic graph, the y-axis does not start at zero. What concern does this raise?

Accepted Answer

Differences between values may appear exaggerated

Answer

A truncated y-axis can make small differences appear much larger than they are, potentially misleading readers.

EAP - English For Academic Purposes Practice Test