Which of the following scenarios would it not be appropriate to model with a normal distribution?
A) Height of an 18-year old male student at your university.
B) Actual weight of the contents of a 12-ounce can of dog food.
C) Number of fingers on the left hand of an 18-year female student at your university.
D) Verbal SAT score of a recent high school graduate.
E) None of the above.

Question

Which of the following scenarios would it not be appropriate to model with a normal distribution? 
A) Height of an 18-year old male student at your university.
B) Actual weight of the contents of a 12-ounce can of dog food.
C) Number of fingers on the left hand of an 18-year female student at your university.
D) Verbal SAT score of a recent high school graduate.
E) None of the above.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The number of fingers on the left hand of an 18-year female student at your university is a discrete variable and typically does not vary in a population (most people have 5 fingers), making it inappropriate for modeling with a normal distribution. The other options involve continuous variables that can be reasonably assumed to follow a normal distribution due to natural variation in the population.

Which of the Following Scenarios Would It Not Be Appropriate