CPIM Practice Exam

What type of data does a histogram represent?

1. Ordinal data

2. Frequency distribution in vertical bars

3. Qualitative data

4. Time-series data

The correct answer is: Frequency distribution in vertical bars

A histogram represents a frequency distribution through the use of vertical bars, which visually depict the distribution of continuous or discrete data. Each bar corresponds to a range of data values, known as 'bins,' and the height of each bar indicates the number of observations within that range. This graphical representation allows for an easy interpretation of the data distribution, identifying patterns such as skewness, multimodal distributions, or gaps. While ordinal data, qualitative data, and time-series data have their own distinct characteristics and ways they can be represented visually, they do not effectively convey frequency distribution in the same way that histograms do. Ordinal data can be represented in other formats, like bar charts, but does not convey frequency distribution quite like histograms. Qualitative data typically requires different analyses and visualization methods such as pie charts. Time-series data is often represented with line graphs to show trends over time, rather than with the rectangular bin structure of a histogram. Thus, the definition and application of histograms specifically align with the representation of frequency distributions through vertical bars.