Which of the following is not true about the tails in a distribution?

• A. The length of the tails can affect the skewness of the distribution.
• B. The tails always contain the majority of the data points.
• C. The tails represent the extreme values of the data.
• D. The tails can indicate the presence of outliers.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand what 'tails' in a distribution refer to. Tails are the parts of the distribution that extend farthest from the center, representing extreme values or observations that are unusually high or low compared to the rest of the data.
2. Step 2: Recognize that the length and shape of the tails can influence the skewness of the distribution. Skewness measures the asymmetry of the data, and longer tails on one side can cause the distribution to be skewed in that direction.
3. Step 3: Know that tails often contain extreme values, which can be potential outliers. Outliers are data points that differ significantly from other observations and can affect statistical analyses.
4. Step 4: Evaluate the statement 'The tails always contain the majority of the data points.' Since tails represent extreme values, they typically contain fewer data points compared to the center of the distribution, where most data are concentrated.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the statement about tails always containing the majority of data points is not true, because the bulk of data usually lies near the center, not in the tails.