A prediction of the number of medals to be won by various countries in the 2014 Winter Olympics was made using past Olympics data.The predicted values are listed in the table below. $$\begin{array} { l | c }
\text { Country } & \text { Medals } \
\hline \text { Germany } & 37 \
\text { USA } & 36 \
\text { Norway } & 27 \
\text { Canada } & 24 \
\text { Austria } & 16 \
\text { Russia } & 16 \
\text { Italy } & 15 \
\text { France } & 15 \
\text { Switzerland } & 13 \
\text { China } & 10
\end{array}$$ $$\begin{array} { l | c }
\text { Country } & \text { Medals } \
\hline \text { Netherlands } & 5 \
\text { Finland } & 4 \
\text { Sweden } & 4 \
\text { Korea } & 3 \
\text { Bulgaria } & 3 \
\text { Great Britain } & 2 \
\text { Australia } & 2 \
\text { Japan } & 2 \
\text { Poland } & 1 \
\text { Spain } & 1
\end{array}$$ Which of the following displays is the most appropriate for these data?
I
II
III

A)I
B)III
C)II
D)All of these displays are equally appropriate.
E)None of these displays are appropriate.

Question

A prediction of the number of medals to be won by various countries in the 2014 Winter Olympics was made using past Olympics data.The predicted values are listed in the table below. $$\begin{array} { l | c } 
\text { Country } & \text { Medals } \
\hline \text { Germany } & 37 \
\text { USA } & 36 \
\text { Norway } & 27 \
\text { Canada } & 24 \
\text { Austria } & 16 \
\text { Russia } & 16 \
\text { Italy } & 15 \
\text { France } & 15 \
\text { Switzerland } & 13 \
\text { China } & 10
\end{array}$$ $$\begin{array} { l | c } 
\text { Country } & \text { Medals } \
\hline \text { Netherlands } & 5 \
\text { Finland } & 4 \
\text { Sweden } & 4 \
\text { Korea } & 3 \
\text { Bulgaria } & 3 \
\text { Great Britain } & 2 \
\text { Australia } & 2 \
\text { Japan } & 2 \
\text { Poland } & 1 \
\text { Spain } & 1
\end{array}$$ Which of the following displays is the most appropriate for these data? 
I 
 II  
III

A)I 
B)III 
C)II 
D)All of these displays are equally appropriate. 
E)None of these displays are appropriate.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most appropriate display for these data is a horizontal bar graph which is shown in display II. This is because the predicted values are categorical (countries) and the data is numerical (number of medals), making a bar graph the most appropriate choice. Display I is inappropriate because it shows data points on a two-dimensional scatterplot, which is not appropriate for this type of data. Display III is also inappropriate because it is a line graph, which is not appropriate for categorical data.

A Prediction of the Number of Medals to Be Won