Read a trend from the low end
- The idea
- Predict
- See it
- Why
- Check
The idea
“If the numbers get bigger as I read down the table, that thing is going up.”
We read pages top to bottom, so the top row feels like the start. Tables don't always put the earliest year or the lowest value first.
The short version
The mistake: If the numbers get bigger as I read down the table, that thing is going up.
What's actually true: A trend is how one variable changes as another rises, so read it starting from the row where that variable is lowest.
- A trend links two columns. Find the ordered one, like year, elevation or dose, and check which end of the table is low.
- Start at the row where that variable is lowest or earliest. Read the other column from there.
- Say the trend with both end values, like "from 1,000 to 3,000 m, species fell from 31 to 4." Then match a choice to it.
On the exam: Find where the ordered column is lowest or earliest, and read from that row.