The following table lists sound quality rankings and prices (in dollars) for different brands of wireless earbuds (based on hypothetical data). Lower values of the sound quality rankings correspond to better audio performance.

Use the rank correlation coefficient to test for a correlation between the two variables. Use a significance level of $\alpha =0.05$. Do the more expensive brands appear to have better sound quality?

• A. Yes, a strong negative rank correlation indicates that more expensive brands tend to have better sound quality.
• B. No, there is no significant correlation between price and sound quality.
• C. No, the correlation is negative, suggesting more expensive brands have lower quality.
• D. The data is insufficient to determine a correlation between price and sound quality.

Answer: (A)