Data on the change in the cost of tuition, a shared dormitory room, and the most popular meal plan from the 2007-2008 academic year to the 2008-2009 academic year for a sample of 100 public universities are collected. Below is the boxplot for the change in cost in dollars. The distribution of the change in cost is
A) right-skewed
B) left-skewed
C) symmetrical
D) none of the above

Question

Data on the change in the cost of tuition, a shared dormitory room, and the most popular meal plan from the 2007-2008 academic year to the 2008-2009 academic year for a sample of 100 public universities are collected. Below is the boxplot for the change in cost in dollars. The distribution of the change in cost is 
A) right-skewed 
B) left-skewed 
C) symmetrical 
D) none of the above

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The boxplot shows that the right whisker is longer than the left whisker, indicating that there are more extreme observations on the right side of the distribution (i.e. higher increases in cost). Additionally, the median (represented by the line in the box) seems to be closer to the lower end of the box, further suggesting that the distribution is right-skewed. Therefore, the best choice is A) right-skewed.

Data on the Change in the Cost of Tuition, a Shared