Which plot provides a box-like representation with whiskers to summarize a dataset?

Which plot provides a box-like representation with whiskers to summarize a dataset?

• A. Box-plots
• B. Stem-and-leaf plot
• C. Frequency polygon
• D. Histogram

Answer: (A)

Box plots convey a distribution compactly by showing the five-number summary: minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, and maximum. The box spans from Q1 to Q3, with a line inside marking the median; whiskers extend from the box to the minimum and maximum values (or to defined limits like 1.5 times the IQR), and outliers may appear as individual points. This box-and-whiskers shape is precisely what identifies a box plot. This visualization is distinct from other plots: a stem-and-leaf plot displays actual data values in stems and leaves, a histogram uses bars to show frequency in intervals, and a frequency polygon connects class frequencies with a line. The box plot’s box with whiskers uniquely summarizes central tendency, spread, and possible outliers at a glance.

Box plots convey a distribution compactly by showing the five-number summary: minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, and maximum. The box spans from Q1 to Q3, with a line inside marking the median; whiskers extend from the box to the minimum and maximum values (or to defined limits like 1.5 times the IQR), and outliers may appear as individual points. This box-and-whiskers shape is precisely what identifies a box plot.

This visualization is distinct from other plots: a stem-and-leaf plot displays actual data values in stems and leaves, a histogram uses bars to show frequency in intervals, and a frequency polygon connects class frequencies with a line. The box plot’s box with whiskers uniquely summarizes central tendency, spread, and possible outliers at a glance.