To best improve the display of a scatter plot that has overlapping shapes, you should adjust the _____________ of the marks.

Question

Options

• Amark size
• Bmark borders
• Ccolor opacity
• Dcolor palette

• A
  4% (1)
• B
  7% (2)
• C
  89% (24)

Explanation

Adjusting color opacity (transparency) is the best solution for overlapping marks because it allows you to visually perceive density - where many points overlap, the area appears darker, while sparse areas remain lighter, preserving all data points without hiding any.

• A (mark size): Making marks smaller reduces overlap but can make individual points harder to see; making them larger worsens the overlap problem entirely.
• B (mark borders): Adding or changing borders makes marks more distinct from each other visually, but does nothing to reveal points hidden underneath other points.
• D (color palette): Changing colors distinguishes categories, not overlapping instances of the same data - it doesn't solve the overplotting problem.

Memory tip: Think of opacity as "see-through stacking" - like layering translucent stickers. The more stickers pile up, the darker the spot, so you can count the crowd rather than just seeing the top layer.

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