Marie made the box plot below. Which type of data is most appropriate to display using a box plot: $\mathrm{qualitative}$ data or $\mathrm{quantitative}$ data?

• A. Both $\mathrm{qualitative}$ and $\mathrm{quantitative}$ data equally
• B. $\mathrm{Qualitative}$ data
• C. Neither $\mathrm{qualitative}$ nor $\mathrm{quantitative}$ data
• D. $\mathrm{Quantitative}$ data

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative data: Qualitative data describes categories or qualities (like colors or types), while quantitative data represents numerical values that can be measured or counted.
2. Recall that a box plot (or box-and-whisker plot) visually summarizes the distribution of numerical data by showing the median, quartiles, and potential outliers.
3. Recognize that since a box plot displays measures like median and quartiles, it requires numerical data to calculate these statistics.
4. Conclude that box plots are most appropriate for quantitative data because qualitative data cannot be ordered or measured numerically to create such summaries.
5. Therefore, the correct type of data to display using a box plot is quantitative data.