Consider the distribution of mathematics SAT scores of students in honors calculus at a liberal arts college. What would you expect the shape and variation of the distribution to be?

A. Symmetric with little variation
B. Symmetric with large variation
C. Skewed right with large variation
D. Skewed left with little variation Reset Selection

Answer: B

To determine the shape and variation of the distribution of mathematics SAT scores of students in honors calculus at a liberal arts college, we can consider the characteristics of the sample.

Since the distribution is for mathematics SAT scores, we can assume that the scores will follow a relatively normal distribution. However, since the students in honors calculus are likely to be high-achieving students, we would expect the distribution to be symmetric with a high concentration of scores towards the upper end of the scale.

Additionally, since the students are in honors calculus, there may also be additional variation in the scores due to higher levels of difficulty in the coursework. This suggests that there would be a larger spread of scores and hence, more variation.

Combining these factors, we would expect the shape of the distribution to be symmetric (option A and B) and the variation to be large (option B). Therefore, the correct answer would be B - Symmetric with large variation.