A Level Biology Practice Exam

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What is the purpose of the correlation coefficient in statistics?

To measure the strength of a hypothesis
To analyze the relationship between two sets of data
To calculate the average of a data set
To determine the mode of a data set

The correct answer is: To analyze the relationship between two sets of data

The correlation coefficient is a statistical measure that quantifies the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. By reflecting how changes in one variable are associated with changes in another, it provides insights into the nature of their relationship. A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other tends to increase as well, while a negative correlation suggests that as one variable increases, the other decreases. The value of the correlation coefficient ranges from -1 to +1, where values closer to 1 or -1 signify a strong relationship, and values near 0 suggest a weak relationship. The other options focus on different aspects of statistical analysis. The first option refers to assessing the strength of a hypothesis, which is not what the correlation coefficient indicates. The third and fourth options pertain to methods of summarizing data—calculating the average and determining the mode, respectively—rather than exploring relationships between datasets. Therefore, the most accurate interpretation of the correlation coefficient is its role in analyzing the relationship between two sets of data.