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IAI Actuarial Core Principles · Actuarial Statistics · Exploratory data analysis

Which feature is a genuine advantage of a stem-and-leaf plot over a histogram for a small data set of 30 observations?

A stem-and-leaf plot keeps the individual data values while still displaying the shape of the distribution. Each leaf records an actual digit, so the original data can be read back, which a histogram loses by grouping. It is practical only for small data sets.

  1. AIt retains the individual data values while showing the shapeCorrect
  2. BIt handles unequal class widths automatically
  3. CIt works for very large data sets of millions of points
  4. DIt displays the relationship between two variables
  5. It shows the data in order of collection over time

Explanation

A stem-and-leaf plot shows shape like a histogram but keeps the actual digits, so values can be recovered. It is impractical for large data sets, does not show bivariate relationships, and does not show time order.

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