Bar Graphs Notes & Questions | Class 5 Mathematics | Drishti OS

Bar Graphs

To read bar graphs with horizontal or vertical bars and labelled axes.
To interpret scales (1 unit = 1, 2, 5, 10, or 100) on the axis.
To draw bar graphs from a table and compare categories visually.
To use NCERT Math-Magic 5, Chapter 12 (Smart Charts) methods for school data projects.

Verbal: A bar graph uses rectangular bars whose height (or length) shows the value for each category.

Symbolic: Category on one axis; scale (numbers) on the other.

Part	Purpose
Title	What data is shown
Horizontal axis	Categories (days, fruits, names)
Vertical axis	Scale with equal intervals
Bars	One per category; equal width, gaps between

NCERT link: Math-Magic 5, Ch 12 — temperature across months, books read per week.

Verbal: If the scale is 1 cm = 5 books, a bar of height 4 cm represents 20 books.

Real-life: Monthly savings: Jan ₹200, Feb ₹350 — bar graph shows Feb bar 1.75 times Jan's if scale is ₹100 per unit.

Bar graph scale: 1 unit = 10 runs. Virat's bar = 6 units; Rohit's = 4 units. Difference?

Step 1 — Virat: 6 × 10 = 60 runs
Step 2 — Rohit: 4 × 10 = 40 runs
Step 3 — Difference: 60 − 40 = 20
Answer: 20 runs

Draw bars for: Maths 25, Science 40, English 15 (scale 1 unit = 5 marks)

Step 1 — Maths: 25 ÷ 5 = 5 units
Step 2 — Science: 40 ÷ 5 = 8 units
Step 3 — English: 15 ÷ 5 = 3 units
Answer: Bar heights 5, 8, 3 units respectively

Mistake	Why it happens	Fix
Unequal bar widths	Bars drawn freehand	Same width for every bar
Scale not starting at 0	Truncated axis distorts comparison	Start at 0 unless told otherwise
Misreading scale (1 = 10 as 1 = 1)	Not checking axis label	Read scale label first
Bars touch with no gap	Confused with histogram	Leave equal gaps between bars

Scale 1 = 5. A bar reaches 7 on the axis. Value?
Which is taller: 4 units at scale 10, or 6 units at scale 5?
List two advantages of bar graphs over pictographs for large data.
Stretch: Four subjects scored 30, 45, 60, 75. Choose scale 1 = 15 and state each bar height.

Revision tip: Trace a bar graph from your textbook with tracing paper — label axis, scale, and three "story" sentences the graph tells.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Bar Graphs.