Alexandra made a tally chart shown below.
| Books Read in the Last Month | Tally |
|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | || 4|
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
Which would be a good statistical question Alexandra could have used to create the tally chart?
A. How many people read three books in the last month?
B. How many people read one or two books in the last month?
C. Did you read in the last month?
D. How many books did you read in the last month?
Answer (2)
The tally chart shows the number of people who read 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 books in the last month.
Evaluate each question to see if it matches the data in the tally chart.
The question 'How many books did you read in the last month?' allows for answers of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., which aligns with the tally chart.
Therefore, the best statistical question is: How many books did you read in the last month?
Explanation
Analyze the question Let's analyze the question. Alexandra created a tally chart about the number of books people read in the last month. The chart shows the number of people who read 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 books. We need to determine which question is the best statistical question for the given tally chart. A good statistical question should allow for a range of numerical answers that can be tallied.
Evaluate the options Now, let's evaluate the given options:
"How many people read three books in the last month?" This question is too specific, focusing only on one category (3 books). It doesn't allow for a range of answers.
"How many people read one or two books in the last month?" This question combines two categories (1 and 2 books) but doesn't cover the full range of the tally chart (1 to 5 books).
"Did you read in the last month?" This is a yes/no question, which doesn't provide the numerical data needed for the tally chart.
"How many books did you read in the last month?" This question allows for answers of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., which aligns perfectly with the tally chart's data.
Determine the best question Based on the analysis, the best statistical question is "How many books did you read in the last month?" This question allows for a range of numerical answers that match the data in the tally chart.
Examples
Imagine you're a librarian trying to understand the reading habits of your community. By asking 'How many books did you read in the last month?' and creating a tally chart, you can quickly see which number of books is most common among readers. This helps you decide what types of books to order more of and plan reading programs that suit the community's interests.
The best statistical question Alexandra could have used to create the tally chart is 'How many books did you read in the last month?' This question encompasses all reading categories from 1 to 5 books, aligning perfectly with the data in the tally chart. It allows for a range of numerical answers that accurately reflects the collected information.
;
