The mean of a data set is equivalent to

AThe first quartile of that data

BThe second quartile of that data ✓ Correct

CThe third quartile of that data

DThe interquartile range of that data

Correct answer: (B) The second quartile of that data

Explanation

The second quartile is the median, the value splitting an ordered data set into two equal halves.

In a perfectly symmetric distribution the mean coincides with this median, which is the intended equivalence.

The first quartile marks the lowest quarter, well below the centre.

The third quartile marks the point below which three-quarters of values fall.

The interquartile range is a spread measure, not a central value at all.

In skewed data the mean and median separate, so the equivalence holds only under symmetry.

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