Suppose you are using the following histogram to display the distribution of exam scores for a class. Which of the following statements about histograms is correct?

• A. The order of the bars in a histogram can be rearranged without affecting the interpretation.
• B. A histogram can be used to display categorical data.
• C. The bars in a histogram are always separated by gaps to show individual data points.
• D. The height of each bar in a histogram represents the frequency of data within each interval.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that a histogram is a graphical representation of the distribution of numerical data, where data is grouped into intervals called bins or classes.
2. Recall that the bars in a histogram are adjacent (no gaps) because the data intervals are continuous and ordered, reflecting the range of values.
3. Recognize that the height of each bar corresponds to the frequency (or sometimes relative frequency) of data points within that interval, showing how many data points fall into each bin.
4. Note that the order of bars in a histogram cannot be rearranged arbitrarily because the horizontal axis represents ordered intervals of data values; changing the order would distort the data's distribution.
5. Understand that histograms are not suitable for categorical data; instead, bar charts are used for categorical variables where bars are separated by gaps.