Cumulative frequency & box plots
AQA GCSE Maths revision on Cumulative frequency & box plots. Aligned to the AQA GCSE Mathematics 8300 specification. This bank has 16 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 16)
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Question 1
When plotting a cumulative frequency graph, which axis should represent the cumulative frequency values?
- A) The horizontal (x) axis
- B) The vertical (y) axis
- C) Both the x and y axes
- D) The diagonal axis
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Answer: The vertical (y) axis
By convention, cumulative frequency represents the running total of frequencies, which is a quantity that increases as we move along the data range. Therefore, it is placed on the vertical (y) axis, while the upper boundaries of the data classes are placed on the horizontal (x) axis.
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Question 2
If a student plots the frequencies of individual groups instead of the running total, what type of graph have they created instead of a cumulative frequency graph?
- A) A box plot
- B) A frequency polygon
- C) A scatter graph
- D) A stem and leaf diagram
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Answer: A frequency polygon
A cumulative frequency graph specifically tracks the accumulation of data. If you plot the raw frequency of each group against the midpoint or boundary, you are creating a frequency polygon or histogram, which shows the distribution shape rather than the total count.
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Question 3
In a box plot, what specific value does the line inside the box represent?
- A) The mean
- B) The range
- C) The median
- D) The interquartile range
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Answer: The median
The box plot divides data into four equal quarters. The line inside the box represents the 50th percentile, which is the median value of the data set.
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13 more questions on Cumulative frequency & box plots — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole Maths spec.