Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Variables are measured on four scales of measurement: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio.
The nominal scale represents the most basic level of measurement, used for labeling variables without any quantitative value.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us evaluate the statements regarding nominal scale variables:
• Statement (A): Has no order and there is no distance: This is true. Nominal variables (such as gender, religion, or eye color) represent mutually exclusive categories with no inherent rank or quantitative differences between them.
• Statement (B): Has a meaningful zero point: This is false. A meaningful zero point is only a characteristic of the ratio scale (e.g., weight, height). Nominal variables do not have numeric values, let alone a meaningful zero point.
• Statement (C): May assume negative values: This is false. Since nominal variables are qualitative, they cannot take negative or positive numeric values.
• Statement (D): Cannot have more than two categories: This is false. Nominal scales can have multiple categories (e.g., blood types: A, B, AB, O). It is not restricted to binary variables.
Since the question asks for statements that are NOT true (i.e. false statements), statements (B), (C), and (D) are the correct selections.
Step 3: Final Answer
The false statements about the nominal scale are (B), (C), and (D).