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Claim Verification against a Graph or Table

Maths · Stage 3
Year 5
Lesson Guide
Explanation
The method never changes. Read every value off the graph first and write it down, so the claims become plain arithmetic. Then take the statements one at a time and mark each one right or wrong beside it, remembering that one being true says nothing about the next. Only when all three are marked do you look at the options and pick the one that matches your marks.
Your Turn
From the graph, how much rain fell in April and in June? Check: 90 mm and 120 mm.
Watch Out
Do not pick the option as soon as you find one true statement. Check all three first.
Explanation
Two phrases do most of the damage. More than twice needs strictly bigger, so June's hundred and twenty against May's sixty — exactly twice — makes that claim false. At least twice allows equal, so the same numbers make that one true. Turn it into a sum and the ambiguity disappears: is a hundred and twenty greater than two times sixty? No. Is it greater than or equal to? Yes. April's ninety against July's thirty is exactly three times, so the same pair of readings applies.
Your Turn
Apr 90, Jul 30. Is "April had more than three times July's rain" true? Check: no — exactly three times.
Watch Out
"More than twice" is false when it is exactly twice. Read the phrase as a sum before deciding.
Explanation
A claim about the most or the least is only true if it beats every other value, so you have to scan the whole list rather than glance at a neighbour. June's hundred and twenty does beat forty, ninety, sixty and thirty, so June had the most. March at forty looks small next to June, but July's thirty is smaller, so the claim that March had the least is false. And if two values tie for highest, a claim that one of them had the most is false, because it did not have more than everything.
Your Turn
Which month had the least rain? Check: July, 30 mm.
Watch Out
Compare against every value. A claim can be beaten by one you did not look at.
Explanation
Some claims cannot be judged by looking — they need a calculation first. April and May together are ninety plus sixty, a hundred and fifty, which is more than June's hundred and twenty, so that claim is true. The drop from June to July is a hundred and twenty take thirty, ninety, so a claim naming ninety is true. Do the arithmetic, write the number down, then compare it with what the claim says.
Your Turn
What is the total rainfall across the five months? Check: 40 + 90 + 60 + 120 + 30 = 340 mm.
Watch Out
Read whether the claim is about one month or several added together. They are different numbers.
Explanation
Put together, the routine is: read the data, mark each claim on its own, then match your marks to an option. In this set the first and third are true and the second is false — and the false one is the one that sounds most convincing, which is exactly why it is there. Never decide the answer from how a statement reads; decide it from the numbers you wrote down. Quiz and exercises now.
Your Turn
Claims 1 ✓, 2 ✗, 3 ✓. Which option matches? Check: "1 and 3".
Watch Out
Match your marks to the option carefully. "1 and 3" and "1, 2 and 3" sit next to each other on purpose.
📌 Key Points — this lesson in a nutshell
  • Test each statement separately. One being true says nothing about the others.
  • Read the numbers off the data first, then check the claim against them.
  • "More than twice" needs strictly more: exactly twice makes it false. "At least" allows equal.
  • A claim about the most or the least needs you to check every value, not just two.
Step 1: Introduction
Step 1 of 5
Rainfall over five months 020406080100120MarAprMayJunJul write the numbers down first Mar 40 · Apr 90 · May 60 Jun 120 · Jul 30 now every claim is arithmetic Read every value off the graph before looking at the statements. Then take the statements one at a time and mark each ✓ or ✗ beside it. Statement 1 being true tells you nothing at all about statement 2. Only when all three are marked do you look at the answer options.
The words that decide it Jun 120, May 60120 = 2 × 60exactly twice "June had more than twice May's rain" — 120 is exactly twice 60, so this is FALSE. "June had at least twice May's rain" — equal counts, so this is TRUE. "More than" needs strictly bigger. "At least" and "no less than" allow equal. "Twice as much as" on its own usually means exactly twice. Test it as a sum: is 120 > 2 × 60? No. Is 120 ≥ 2 × 60? Yes. Apr 90 against Jul 30: 90 = 3 × 30, so "three times as much" is true and "more than three times" is false. These are the statements test writers use to separate careful readers from quick ones.
Check every value, not just two 020406080100120MarAprMayJunJul "June had the most rain" 120 against 40, 90, 60, 30 → TRUE "March had the least" 40, but July had 30 → FALSE A claim about "the most" or "the least" is only true if it beats EVERY other value. March looks small next to June, but July is smaller still, so the March claim fails. Two values tied for the highest makes "X had the most" false, because X did not have more than everything. Scan the whole list. These claims are wrong more often than they look.
Claims that need a calculation monthMarAprMayJunJulrain (mm)40906012030 Apr + May90 + 60150 mm Jun − Jul120 − 3090 mm Some claims need a sum before they can be judged. Do the sum, then compare. "April and May together had more than June" → 150 > 120, so TRUE. "The rain fell by 90 mm from June to July" → 120 − 30 = 90, so TRUE. And the total for the five months is 340 mm.
Three statements, three checks 1 · June had the most rain✓ 120 beats all 2 · June had more than twice May's rain✗ exactly twice 3 · April and May together beat June✓ 150 > 120 Marked one at a time: ✓, ✗, ✓ — so the answer is "1 and 3". Notice the wrong one is the one that sounds most convincing. That is the point of it. Read the data · mark each claim · then match your marks to an option. Quiz and exercises now.
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