When data contain extreme values, which measure is usually preferred?

When data contain extreme values, which measure is usually preferred?

• A. Mean
• B. Median
• C. Mode
• D. Range

Answer: (B)

Outliers or extreme values skew the average, making a simple mean less reliable as a measure of typical value. The median, which is the middle value when the data are ordered, stays centered in the data without being pulled toward the extremes. This robustness to outliers makes the median the better choice when data contain extreme values or are skewed. For example, with values like 1, 2, 3, 4, 100, the mean jumps to 22, while the median stays at 3, giving a more representative center of the bulk of the data. The mode reflects the most frequent value and can be uninformative for central tendency in many datasets, and the range describes spread, not center.

Outliers or extreme values skew the average, making a simple mean less reliable as a measure of typical value. The median, which is the middle value when the data are ordered, stays centered in the data without being pulled toward the extremes. This robustness to outliers makes the median the better choice when data contain extreme values or are skewed. For example, with values like 1, 2, 3, 4, 100, the mean jumps to 22, while the median stays at 3, giving a more representative center of the bulk of the data. The mode reflects the most frequent value and can be uninformative for central tendency in many datasets, and the range describes spread, not center.