What percentage of the general U.S. population have bachelor's degrees? Suppose that the Statistical Abstract of the United States, 120th Edition, gives the following percentage of bachelor's degrees by state. For convenience, the data are sorted in increasing order. Illinois has a bachelor's degree percentage rate of about 18%. Into what quartile does this rate fall?
$$\begin{array} { l l l l l l l l l l }
17 & 18 & 18 & 18 & 19 & 20 & 20 & 20 & 21 & 21 \
21 & 21 & 21 & 22 & 22 & 22 & 22 & 22 & 23 & 23 \
24 & 24 & 24 & 24 & 24 & 25 & 25 & 25 & 25 & 26 \
26 & 26 & 26 & 26 & 26 & 27 & 27 & 27 & 28 & 28 \
28 & 29 & 29 & 31 & 31 & 32 & 32 & 34 & 35 & 38
\end{array}$$
A)second quartile
B)first quartile
C)third quartile
D)first quartile as well as second quartile
E)none of these choices

Question

What percentage of the general U.S. population have bachelor's degrees? Suppose that the Statistical Abstract of the United States, 120th Edition, gives the following percentage of bachelor's degrees by state. For convenience, the data are sorted in increasing order. Illinois has a bachelor's degree percentage rate of about 18%. Into what quartile does this rate fall?
$$\begin{array} { l l l l l l l l l l } 
17 & 18 & 18 & 18 & 19 & 20 & 20 & 20 & 21 & 21 \
21 & 21 & 21 & 22 & 22 & 22 & 22 & 22 & 23 & 23 \
24 & 24 & 24 & 24 & 24 & 25 & 25 & 25 & 25 & 26 \
26 & 26 & 26 & 26 & 26 & 27 & 27 & 27 & 28 & 28 \
28 & 29 & 29 & 31 & 31 & 32 & 32 & 34 & 35 & 38
\end{array}$$
A)second quartile
B)first quartile
C)third quartile
D)first quartile as well as second quartile
E)none of these choices

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Illinois, with a bachelor's degree rate of about 18%, falls into the first quartile. Quartiles divide the data set into four equal parts. The first quartile includes the lowest 25% of the data. Since there are 50 states listed, the first quartile consists of the lowest 12.5 states' data, rounded to 13 states for practical purposes. With rates of 17% and 18%, Illinois' rate is among the lowest 13 states, placing it in the first quartile.

What Percentage of the General U A)second Quartile B)first Quartile C)third Quartile D)first Quartile as Well

What Percentage of the General U A)second Quartile
B)first Quartile
C)third Quartile
D)first Quartile as Well