17. A class has the following test scores: 85, 90, 92, 85, and 88. What is the mode of this data set?
Answer: B
The mode of the data set is 85.
The mode is the number that appears most frequently in a data set. In this case, the score of 85 appears twice, making it the mode.
A) 92
Option A is incorrect because, although 92 is a score in the data set, it only appears once. The mode is defined as the most frequently occurring number, which is not the case for 92.
B) 85
Option B is correct as the score of 85 appears twice in the data set, making it the most frequently occurring number. Therefore, it is identified as the mode.
C) 88
Option C is incorrect because the score of 88 appears only once in the data set. Since it does not occur more than any other number, it cannot be considered the mode.
D) 90
Option D is also incorrect. The score of 90 appears a single time in the data set, similar to 88, and does not meet the criteria for being the mode.
Conclusion
The mode of a data set is determined by the number that occurs most frequently, which in this case is 85, as it appears twice. All other options either occur less frequently or not at all in comparison to 85, reinforcing its status as the mode of the test scores.