StudyBrixFree worksheets, study guides and courses

Media literacy · Grades 9–12

Digital evidence, provenance and misleading charts

Ask where an image, quote or statistic originated. Reposts can strip context, date or attribution.

Make a worksheet

Prerequisites

Relevant school subject foundations and careful reasoning.

Study notes

Provenance

Ask where an image, quote or statistic originated. Reposts can strip context, date or attribution.

Charts

Check axes, units, sample size, time range and omitted categories. A truncated axis can amplify apparent differences.

Claims

Separate an observation from a causal or universal conclusion. Verify that the source actually supports the specific claim.

AI content

Generated media may look plausible. Appearance alone is not a reliable detector; corroboration and documented origin are stronger checks.

Worked examples

Which is a strong first step for an unattributed statistic?

Origin and context make verification possible.

Find its original source and context

A chart value rises from 50 to 55. Find percentage increase.

(55−50)/50×100=10%.

10 %

Check your understanding

  1. What can a truncated vertical axis do?

    1. Remove all measurement error
    2. Change the underlying numbers automatically
    3. Exaggerate the visual impression of a difference
    4. Prove causation

  2. Why is a screenshot of a headline weaker evidence than the complete article and underlying source?

  3. Does realistic appearance prove an image is an unaltered camera photograph?

    1. No
    2. Only when high resolution
    3. Yes, always
    4. Only when it has a watermark

  4. A poll has 25 responses among 100 invitations. Find response rate.

Answers and marking guidance

Answers and marking notes
  1. Exaggerate the visual impression of a difference

    Axis choice changes visual emphasis, not the data itself.

  2. It can omit date, qualifications, methods or context and can be altered. The fuller evidence chain is needed.

    Credit missing context and verification.

  3. No

    Visual realism is not proof of origin.

  4. 0.25

    25/100=0.25.

AI-assisted preview; independent educational review required. Level labels describe prerequisites, not accreditation or official curriculum alignment.