EconomicsCBSE Class 11 · Presentation of Data

Tabular Presentation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Data can be presented in text, in tables and in diagrams. A table has a number, title, caption, stub, body, headnote, footnote and source. Bar diagrams (simple, multiple, component) compare values by bar length, and a pie diagram divides a circle into sectors whose angle is (value / total) x 360 degrees.

Read a table from top to bottom: number, title, headnote, then caption across the top, stub down the side, body figures, footnote and source.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams

Forms of presentation. (1) Textual: data written in sentences; suitable for a few figures but tiring for many. (2) Tabular: figures arranged in rows and columns, giving a compact view and ease of comparison. (3) Diagrammatic: bars, pies, graphs, which attract attention and show patterns at a glance but give less precise values than tables.

Parts of a table. Table number; title (what, where, when); caption (column headings); stub (row headings); body (the figures); headnote (units, e.g. Rs crore); footnote (explanations); source (origin of data). A table can be one-way or two-way depending on the number of characteristics shown.

Diagrams: general rules. Give a title, label axes with units, start the vertical axis from zero for bars, use a convenient scale and neat, uniform widths.

Bar diagrams.

Simple bar: one bar per observation (e.g. yearly sales); bars equal in width, equal gaps, the length shows the value.
Multiple bar: bars for two or more related variables placed side by side (e.g. exports and imports each year), with different shades.
Component (sub-divided) bar: each bar divided into parts showing components of a total (e.g. a household's spending on food, rent, other); the height of the whole bar is the total.

Pie diagram. A circle divided into sectors, each sector representing a component; shows proportions of a whole. Angle of a sector = (component ÷ total) × 360°. The angles must add up to 360°. Sectors are drawn in order, often largest first, from a horizontal radius.

Worked data (monthly household expenditure of Rs 20,000). Food 8,000; housing 5,000; education 3,000; health 1,500; others 2,500. Total = 20,000. Angles: food 8000/20000 x 360 = 144°, housing 90°, education 54°, health 27°, others 45°; sum = 360°. Percentages: 40, 25, 15, 7.5 and 12.5.

Choosing a diagram. Compare values across items: bar. Show shares of a whole: pie. Show trends over time: line graph (next page). Tables when exact figures matter.

Draw and label: a pie diagram with sector angles and labels, a component bar diagram with legend.

Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams: key facts

Pie angle: (Component / total) x 360 degrees; Angles sum to 360
Percentage share: Component / total x 100; Sum to 100
Component bar: Whole bar height = total | parts = components; Sub-divided bar
Parts of table: Number
title
caption
stub
body
headnote
footnote
source; Eight parts

How to answer Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams questions

Questions ask for a table design, a diagram type or angles.

1Compute the total first.
2For pie angles, divide each component by the total and multiply by 360, then check the sum.
3Choose the diagram by purpose: compare, proportion or trend.
4Label the diagram with title, units and legend.
5For tables, list the parts and give an example of each.

Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Pocket-money pie

Suppose a student gets Rs 800 a month: Rs 320 for books, Rs 200 for snacks, Rs 160 for transport, Rs 120 for savings.

Find the angle for each sector.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Total = 320 + 200 + 160 + 120 = 800.
Angles: 320/800 x 360 = 144; 200/800 x 360 = 90; 160/800 x 360 = 72; 120/800 x 360 = 54.
Check: 144 + 90 + 72 + 54 = 360.

Answer: 144, 90, 72 and 54 degrees.

Memory hook: Share of the whole times 360.

Tricks to remember Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

NT CS BH FS
Number, Title, Caption, Stub, Body, Headnote, Footnote, Source.
Use it when: Parts of a table
Pie = proportion
Pie shows share; bar compares.
Use it when: Choice
360 check
Pie angles must add to 360.
Use it when: Check

Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Parts of a table · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

Name any six parts of a statistical table.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Table number, title, caption (1 mark).
Stub, body, source (1 mark).

Answer: Any six of the eight parts.

Example 2: Pie diagram · 4 marks · Short answerBoard level

The monthly expenditure of Rs 20,000 is: food 8,000; housing 5,000; education 3,000; health 1,500; others 2,500. Find the sector angles of a pie diagram and check them.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Food = 8000/20000 x 360 = 144 degrees (1 mark).
Housing = 90, education = 54 degrees (1 mark).
Health = 27, others = 45 degrees (1 mark).
Sum = 144 + 90 + 54 + 27 + 45 = 360 (1 mark).

Answer: 144, 90, 54, 27, 45 degrees.

Example 3: Choose the diagram · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Suggest the best diagram for (a) exports and imports of a country for 5 years (b) the shares of five items in a family budget (c) total sales split into three products each year.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) Multiple bar diagram (1 mark).
(b) Pie diagram (1 mark).
(c) Component (sub-divided) bar diagram (1 mark).

Answer: Multiple bar; pie; component bar.

Example 4: Percentage and angle · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

In a survey of 400 students, 140 prefer cricket, 100 football, 80 hockey and the rest athletics. Find the percentage and angle for each sport.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Athletics = 400 - 320 = 80 (1 mark).
Percentages: cricket 35, football 25, hockey 20, athletics 20 (1 mark).
Angles: 126, 90, 72, 72 (1 mark).
Sum = 360 (1 mark).

Answer: 35, 25, 20, 20 per cent; 126, 90, 72, 72 degrees.

Example 5: Misleading diagram · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

A bar diagram of sales Rs 300 crore and Rs 330 crore begins its vertical axis at Rs 290 crore. Find the true percentage rise, explain how the diagram misleads, and the rule broken.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Rise = 30/300 x 100 = 10 per cent (1 mark).
With a baseline at 290, bar heights are 10 and 40, making the second look four times as tall (1 mark).
Rule broken: the vertical axis of a bar diagram must start from zero (1 mark).
This exaggerates change and misleads the reader (1 mark).

Answer: True rise 10 per cent; baseline error.

Where students lose marks in Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Pie angles not adding
No check.
Wrong working
Angles sum to 350.
Right working
Angles must sum to 360.
Do this: Verify.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Bar axis not from zero
Baseline.
Wrong working
Start the axis at 290.
Right working
Start the axis at zero.
Do this: Zero base.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Using bar for share
Wrong diagram.
Wrong working
Bars show shares of a whole.
Right working
A pie shows shares of a whole.
Do this: Pie for proportion.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Show the total and the angle calculation.
Always add the check that angles sum to 360.
Name the diagram with a reason.
List table parts in order.

Practice questions on Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The angle of a pie sector for a component of 25 per cent is
(a) 25 (b) 45 (c) 90 (d) 180 degrees
Hint
Quarter of 360.
Answer
(c).
Q2 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): A component bar diagram shows both the total and its parts.
Reason (R): Each bar is divided into segments whose sum is the bar's height.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Hint
Sub-divided.
Answer
(a).
Q3 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level
What is the difference between a stub and a caption in a table?
Hint
Rows vs columns.
Answer
The stub is the set of row headings, while the caption is the set of column headings.
Q4 · 4 marks · Case-basedHarder board level
Read and answer.
Suppose a school has 600 students: 270 in junior classes, 180 in middle and 150 in senior.
(a) Find the angle of each sector. (2)
(b) Name the diagram suited to show the shares. (1)
(c) Find the percentage in senior classes. (1)
Hint
x/600 x 360.
Answer
(a) Junior 270/600 x 360 = 162; middle 108; senior 90. (b) Pie diagram. (c) 150/600 x 100 = 25 per cent.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a table is given for the incomes (Rs lakh) of three firms over three years. Explain which two diagrams would show (i) comparison across firms each year and (ii) each firm's trend, and justify.
Hint
Multiple bar and line.
Answer
A multiple bar diagram suits comparison among firms in each year; a line graph (time series) suits each firm's trend over the three years since it joins points in time order.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Angle formula?Show answer
Component / total x 360.
2.Sub-divided bar?Show answer
Component bar.
3.What is a headnote?Show answer
Statement of units at the top.
4.Row headings?Show answer
Stub.
5.Where do sources go?Show answer
At the foot of the table.
6.Pie shows?Show answer
Proportions.

Tabulation, Bar Diagrams and Pie Diagrams: frequently asked questions

What is tabular presentation?

Arranging data in rows and columns.

What is a pie diagram?

A circle divided into sectors by share.

What is a multiple bar diagram?

Bars of related variables side by side.

What is a component bar?

A bar divided into parts.

What is a caption?

Column headings.