If a distribution for a quantitative variable is thought to be nearly symmetric with very little variation, and a box and whisker plot is created for this distribution, which of the following is true?
A) The box will be quite wide but the whisker will be very short.
B) The left and right-hand edges of the box will be approximately equal distance from the median.
C) The whiskers should be about half as long as the box is wide.
D) The upper whisker will be much longer than the lower whisker.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Given the distribution is nearly symmetric with very little variation, the distances from the median to the left and right edges of the box (which represent the first and third quartiles, respectively) would be approximately equal. This symmetry around the median is characteristic of a symmetric distribution.

If a Distribution for a Quantitative Variable Is Thought to Be