Question

The table shows the record high temperatures of seven states on the East Coast of the United States and seven states on the West Coast.



Record High Temperatures (degrees Fahrenheit)
East Coast Temperature West Coast Temperature
New York 108° Washington 118°
New Jersey 110° Idaho 118°
Virginia 110° Oregon 119°
North Carolina 110° Utah 117°
South Carolina 111° Nevada 125°
Georgia 112° California 134°
Florida 109° Arizona 128°




Choose ALL statements about this data that are true.




The West Coast data vary more than the East Coast data.


The interquartile range is greater for the West Coast data.


The middle 50% is more concentrated for the East Coast data.


The median is a better descriptor of the East Coast data than the West Coast data.


The mode is a better predictor of West Coast temperatures than East Coast temperatures.

Answer 1

True:
- The West Coast data vary more than the East Coast data.
- The interquartile range is greater for the West Coast data.
- The middle 50% is more concentrated for the East Coast data.

False:
- The median is a better descriptor of the East Coast data than the West Coast data. (The West data are more skewed and have a large high value, so the median is a better descriptor for the West.)
- The mode is a better predictor of West Coast temperatures than East Coast temperatures. (East mode = 110 occurs 3/7 times; West mode = 118 occurs 2/7 times, so the mode predicts East values better.)

Quick numbers:
East sorted: 108, 109, 110, 110, 110, 111, 112 → range = 4, Q1 = 109, Q3 = 111, IQR = 2, mode = 110.
West sorted: 117, 118, 118, 119, 125, 128, 134 → range = 17, Q1 = 118, Q3 = 128, IQR = 10, mode = 118.