Which statement best distinguishes a histogram from a bar chart?

• A. A histogram is for categorical data; a bar chart is for continuous data.
• B. Bar charts and histograms serve the same purpose.
• C. Histogram shows frequency distribution of continuous data; bar chart shows categories.
• D. Bar chart shows frequency distribution; histogram shows proportions.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how the two plots handle data types and how they display distribution. A histogram is used for a continuous variable, grouping data into consecutive ranges (bins) along the axis. The height of each bar shows how many observations fall into that range, and the bars touch because the ranges are continuous. A bar chart, on the other hand, is used for categorical or discrete data, with separate bars for each category and gaps between them, since each category is distinct.

So the statement that best captures the distinction is that a histogram shows the frequency distribution of continuous data, while a bar chart shows categories. The other options mix up data types or what each chart represents, as histograms aren’t for categorical data and bar charts aren’t inherently about continuous distributions.