What term is used to describe the shape of a distribution in which the scores pile up on the left-hand side of the graph and taper off to the right?

What term is used to describe the shape of a distribution in which the scores pile up on the left-hand side of the graph and taper off to the right?

• A. Symmetrical
• B. Positively skewed
• C. Negatively skewed
• D. Normal

Answer: (B)

When a distribution has most scores clustered on the left and the graph tapers off to the right, the bulk of the data sits at lower values while a few high values extend the tail to the right. This pattern is known as positive skewness. In a positively skewed distribution, the mean is pulled upward by those higher scores, while the bulk remains on the left. By contrast, a left-tailed tail would be negative skewness, symmetry means the left and right sides mirror each other, and a normal distribution is a symmetric, bell-shaped special case. So the described shape is positively skewed.

When a distribution has most scores clustered on the left and the graph tapers off to the right, the bulk of the data sits at lower values while a few high values extend the tail to the right. This pattern is known as positive skewness. In a positively skewed distribution, the mean is pulled upward by those higher scores, while the bulk remains on the left. By contrast, a left-tailed tail would be negative skewness, symmetry means the left and right sides mirror each other, and a normal distribution is a symmetric, bell-shaped special case. So the described shape is positively skewed.