Chapter Summary

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Much of the material covered in college textbooks and scholarly journals requires the student to interpret some type of graphics. These visuals not only condense and organize complicated information, but they help the reader to imagine trends, patterns, differences, and changes through the use of graphic displays. Approaches and exercises for reading the following types of visual displays are provided: circle graphs, bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, organizational charts, flowcharts, pictograms, diagrams, tables, maps, photographs, cartoons, and pictures.

Some of the questions answered in this chapter include: (1) Why are graphics included in your courses? (2) What steps should you take to read graphics more effectively? (3) How can you integrate graphics with their corresponding printed text? (4) What types of graphics are commonly used in textbooks and academic sources? (5) How do I read statistical information?

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