SKILLBUILDERHANDBOOKR27
3.5 Interpreting Charts
CHARTSare visual presentations of materials. Historians use charts to organize,
simplify, and summarize information in a way that makes it more meaningful or
easier to remember. Several kinds of charts are commonly used.
SIMPLE CHARTSare used to summarize information or to make comparisons.
TABLES are used to organize statistics and other types of information into columns
and rows for easy reference.
DIAGRAMSprovide visual clues to the meaning of the information they contain.
Venn diagrams are used for comparisons. Web diagrams are used to organize supporting
information around a central topic. Illustrated diagrams or diagrams that combine
different levels of information are sometimes called INFOGRAPHICS.
Understanding the Skill
STRATEGY: STUDY ALL THE ELEMENTS OF THE CHART.The infographic below
conveys a great deal of information about the three estates, or classes, that existed
in 18th-century France. The infographic visually combines a political cartoon, a
bulleted chart, a pie graph, and a bar graph.
STRATEGY: WRITE A SUMMARY.
Applying the Skill
WRITE YOUR OWN SUMMARY.Turn to Chapter 13, page 361, and look at the chart
titled “Feudalism.” Study the chart and write a paragraph in which you summarize
what you learn from it.
Section 3:Exploring Evidence: Print, Visual, Technology Sources
Read the title.
Identify the symbols and col-
ors and what they represent.
Here, three colors are used consis-
tently in the infographic to repre-
sent the three estates.
Study each of the elements of
the infographic. The political car-
toon visually represents the power
of the First and Second Estates
over the Third Estate. The bulleted
chart gives details about the estates.
The two graphs give statistics.
Look for the main idea. Make
connections among the types
of information presented. What
was the relationship among the
three estates?
Look for geographic patterns and distributions. Pose questions about the way land
is distributed among the three estates. Include your answers in your summary paragraph.
The Three Estates0%97% (Third Estate)less than 1%
(First Estate)
2% (Second Estate)Percent of Income Paid in TaxesPopulation of France, 178720% 40% 60% 80% 100%2% (First Estate)
0% (Second Estate)
50% (Third Estate)B
ACFirst Estate- made up of clergy of Roman
Catholic Church - scorned Enlightenment ideas
- owned about 15% of the land
Second Estate - made up of rich nobles
- held highest offices in government
- disagreed about Enlightenment ideas
- owned about 20% of the land
Third Estate - included bourgeoisie, urban lower
class, and peasant farmers - had no power to influence government
- embraced Enlightenment ideas
- resented the wealthy First and
Second Estates - owned about 65% of the land
CBAWrite a paragraph to summa-
rize what you learned from
the chart.
In 1787, French society was unevenly divided into three estates. Ninety-seven percent of the
people belonged to the Third Estate. They had no political power, paid high taxes, and
owned only 65 percent of the land. The First Estate, made up of the clergy, and the Second
Estate, made up of rich nobles, held the power, the wealth, and more than their share of
the land. Both opposed change and took advantage of the Third Estate.