Question

question #3
the average monthly temperatures and precipitation data from the past 25 years for spartanburg, south carolina are recorded in the table.
spartanburg, south carolina weather

month	jan	feb	mar	apr	may	jun	jul	aug	sep	oct	nov	dec
precipitation (inches)	4.5	4.2	4.5	3.6	3.6	4.6	3.9	4.4	3.3	4.2	3.6	4.1

marty was asked to make a bar graph using the precipitation data in the chart. which graph shows the correct placement of variables?
a
graph a: precipitation on y - axis, temperature on x - axis
b
graph b: month on y - axis, precipitation on x - axis
c
graph c: temperature on y - axis, month on x - axis
d
graph d: precipitation on y - axis, month on x - axis

Explanation:

To create a bar graph for precipitation data, the independent variable (months, a categorical variable) should be on the horizontal (x) axis, and the dependent variable (precipitation, the measured value) should be on the vertical (y) axis. We eliminate options that use unrelated variables (temperature) or swap the axis placement incorrectly.

Answer:

D. (Graph with Precipitation on the vertical axis and Months on the horizontal axis)