SAT One-variable data: distributions and measures of center and spread Practice Question 14 (Medium)

Question bank / One-variable data: distributions and measures of center and spread

Math · Problem-Solving and Data AnalysisMedium

Age (years)	Number of people
20–29	8
30–39	14
40–49	10
50–59	8

The table shows the distribution of ages of $40$ people at a community meeting. Which age interval contains the median age?

$20$ – $29$

$30$ – $39$

$40$ – $49$

$50$ – $59$

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B

With $40$ values, the median is the average of the $20$ th and $21$ st ages in order. The first interval contains the $1$ st through $8$ th ages, and the second contains the $9$ th through $22$ nd. So both the $20$ th and $21$ st ages are in the $30$ – $39$ interval.

Choice C is the middle-looking interval in the list, but the median depends on where the $20$ th and $21$ st values fall, not on the position of the intervals.

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