Question

Which measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme values (outliers)?

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

Hint:

{Mean is sensitive to outliers}, whereas {Median is more stable} when extreme values are present in the dataset.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: Measures of central tendency are statistical tools used to describe the center or typical value of a dataset. The three main measures are Mean, Median, and Mode. Among these, the Mean (Arithmetic Average) is highly sensitive to extreme values or outliers because it is calculated using all observations in the dataset.
Step 1: Understand the effect of extreme values on measures of central tendency.

• Median – Represents the middle value and is less affected by extreme values.
• Mode – Represents the most frequent value and is generally unaffected by outliers.
• Mean – Calculated using all values; extreme values significantly influence it.
• Quartile – Used to divide data into parts rather than measure central tendency.

Therefore, the measure most affected by extreme values is the Mean.