For each data set determine if it is quantitative or qualitative & which level of measurement best applies.
(C) Participants rate their symptoms as mild, moderate, or severe.

• A. Qualitative, Nominal
• B. Quantitative, Interval
• C. Qualitative, Ordinal
• D. Quantitative, Ratio

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data describes categories or qualities and cannot be measured numerically, while quantitative data represents numerical measurements or counts.
2. Step 2: Analyze the given data set: participants rate their symptoms as mild, moderate, or severe. These are descriptive categories representing levels of symptom severity, not numerical values.
3. Step 3: Since the data categories have a meaningful order (mild < moderate < severe), but the differences between categories are not necessarily equal or measurable, this indicates an ordinal level of measurement.
4. Step 4: Recall the four levels of measurement: nominal (categories without order), ordinal (ordered categories), interval (numerical with equal intervals but no true zero), and ratio (numerical with equal intervals and a true zero).
5. Step 5: Conclude that the data is qualitative because it describes categories, and the best level of measurement is ordinal because the categories have a natural order.