Suppose you use a graphing calculator to analyze a dataset containing college graduation rates for men and women. Which of the following statistics would best allow you to compare the central tendency of graduation rates between the two groups?

• A. Compare the $\mathrm{standard\; deviation}$ of graduation rates for men to that for women.
• B. Compare the $\mathrm{number\; of\; data\; points}$ for men to the number for women.
• C. Compare the $\mathrm{range}$ of graduation rates for men to the $\mathrm{range}$ for women.
• D. Compare the $\mathrm{mean}$ graduation rate for men to the $\mathrm{mean}$ graduation rate for women.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that the problem asks for a statistic that best compares the central tendency of graduation rates between men and women. Central tendency refers to a measure that represents the center or typical value of a dataset.
2. Recall the common measures of central tendency: mean, median, and mode. Among these, the mean is often used to compare average values between groups.
3. Recognize that standard deviation and range measure variability or spread in the data, not central tendency, so they are not the best choices for comparing typical graduation rates.
4. Note that the number of data points (sample size) indicates how many observations are in each group but does not describe the central tendency of the data.
5. Conclude that comparing the mean graduation rate for men to the mean graduation rate for women is the most appropriate method to compare the central tendency between the two groups.