Which term is defined as the number that appears the MOST often in a data set?

• A. Mode
• B. Mean
• C. Range
• D. Tally chart

Answer: (A)

Mode is the number that appears most often in a data set. To find it, look for the value with the highest frequency—the one that shows up more times than the others. For example, in 2, 3, 3, 5, 3, the number 3 occurs three times, more than any other number, so it is the mode. Remember, mean is the average of all values, and range is the difference between the largest and smallest values. A tally chart helps you count how many times each value occurs, which makes it clear which number is the most frequent. Sometimes there can be more than one mode if two numbers tie for the highest frequency, or no mode if all values occur the same number of times.