$\mathrm{Standard deviation}$ is a direct measure of which of the following in a data set?

• A. The skewness of the data distribution
• B. The central tendency of the data
• C. The spread or dispersion of the data values around the $\mathrm{mean}$
• D. The number of data points in the sample

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that standard deviation is a statistical measure used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of data values.
2. Recall that skewness measures the asymmetry of the data distribution, which is different from what standard deviation measures.
3. Recognize that central tendency refers to measures like the mean, median, or mode, which indicate the center of the data, not the spread.
4. Note that the number of data points (sample size) is simply a count and does not describe variability or spread.
5. Conclude that standard deviation directly measures how spread out the data values are around the mean, indicating the dispersion of the data.