prize7-8, Exercise 1: Reading a thematic map

Model answer (example: Minard's map of the 1812 campaign; check the details):

What it claims: that the French army suffered catastrophic losses in the Russian campaign, especially on the retreat in winter.

How it shows the claim: a band whose width is the size of the army, running from the start on the Niemen to Moscow and back. The band narrows dramatically. A second chart below gives the temperature during the retreat.

What it leaves out: the reasons for the losses beyond the weather (disease, hunger, battles, desertion), the other armies and fronts, the Russian losses, and the decisions of the commanders. It also depends on the numbers Minard used, which came from secondary sources (check).

Method to reuse: state the claim, name the visual device used to show it, then list what the map cannot tell you.