Renita analyzed two dot plots showing the snowfall during the winter months for City A and for City B. She found that the median snowfall is 5 inches less in City A than in City B and the mean snowfall is about 2 inches less in City A than in City B.

Question

Which explains why there is a difference in the measures of center for the sets of data?
One set of data has more variation than the other.
There are no outliers in either set.
In each set, the distribution is clustered around one value.
The modes must be the same for each set.

Answer 1

The best explanation for the difference in the measures of center (median and mean) for the snowfall data in City A and City B is:

One set of data has more variation than the other.

This is supported by the fact that a difference in the measures of center (median and mean) suggests that one city's snowfall data may be more spread out (i.e., have greater variation) than the other. When data has more variation, it can lead to different means and medians, especially if the distributions are not symmetric.

The other options do not provide a valid explanation for the differences observed in the measures of center based on the information given.