Which exploratory data chart shows the median, central spread, and location of relative extremes?

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

Answer: (A)

Think of a chart that packs information about center, spread, and unusual values into one clean sketch. A box plot does this using the five-number summary: minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, and maximum. The line inside the box shows the median, the box height represents the interquartile range (the central spread where the middle 50% of data lie), and the whiskers extend to the extreme data points that aren’t outliers. Any points beyond the whiskers highlight the relative extremes. This combination lets you quickly read the center, how spread out the middle portion is, and where unusual values sit, all at once. Histograms and stem-and-leaf plots can show shape and some detail, but they don’t present the median, central spread, and outlier locations together as clearly as a box plot.