Measures of central tendency – mean, median, mode MCQs With Answer

Measures of central tendency – mean, median, mode MCQs With Answer

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Measures of central tendency — mean, median, mode MCQs With Answer

Measures of central tendency like the mean, median, and mode are fundamental in B.Pharm for summarizing and interpreting quantitative data from pharmacology, pharmaceutics, biostatistics, clinical trials, and quality control. The arithmetic mean helps compute average dose-response, bioavailability (AUC), and formulation properties; the median gives a robust middle value for skewed clinical measurements; the mode identifies the most frequent outcome such as common adverse reactions. Mastering calculation for raw and grouped data, weighted means, and choosing the appropriate measure in presence of outliers ensures accurate data analysis and regulatory reporting. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What is the arithmetic mean of a dataset?

  • The sum of all observations divided by the number of observations
  • The middle value after ordering the observations
  • The most frequent observation
  • The square root of the product of observations

Correct Answer: The sum of all observations divided by the number of observations

Q2. How is the median defined for a dataset with an odd number of observations?

  • The average of all observations
  • The middle value after arranging observations in order
  • The most frequent observation
  • The sum divided by the square root of N

Correct Answer: The middle value after arranging observations in order

Q3. Which statement best defines the mode?

  • The average of the highest and lowest values
  • The value that occurs most frequently in the dataset
  • The middle value after sorting
  • The total number of observations

Correct Answer: The value that occurs most frequently in the dataset

Q4. For a highly skewed distribution of serum drug concentrations, which measure of central tendency is most appropriate?

  • Arithmetic mean
  • Median
  • Mode
  • Range

Correct Answer: Median

Q5. Which measure is most affected by extreme outliers in pharmaceutical data?

  • Median
  • Mode
  • Arithmetic mean
  • Interquartile range

Correct Answer: Arithmetic mean

Q6. What is the mean of the dataset: 2, 4, 6, 8?

  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 20

Correct Answer: 5

Q7. What is the median of the dataset: 3, 7, 9, 12?

  • 7
  • 9
  • 8
  • 10

Correct Answer: 8

Q8. What is the mode of the dataset: 2, 3, 3, 4, 5?

  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • No mode

Correct Answer: 3

Q9. In a perfectly symmetric normal distribution of pharmacokinetic parameters, which relationship holds?

  • Mean > Median > Mode
  • Mean = Median = Mode
  • Median > Mean > Mode
  • Mode = 0

Correct Answer: Mean = Median = Mode

Q10. Calculate the weighted mean of two batches with values 80 (weight 2) and 90 (weight 1).

  • 85
  • 83.33
  • 86.67
  • 170

Correct Answer: 83.33

Q11. Which central tendency measure is commonly used to report average AUC in bioavailability studies?

  • Median AUC
  • Mode AUC
  • Arithmetic mean AUC
  • Harmonic mean AUC

Correct Answer: Arithmetic mean AUC

Q12. Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

  • Mean
  • Median
  • Mode
  • Variance

Correct Answer: Variance

Q13. When computing the mean from grouped frequency data, which value is used for each class?

  • Class width
  • Class frequency
  • Class midpoint (class mark)
  • Lower class boundary only

Correct Answer: Class midpoint (class mark)

Q14. Which mean is most appropriate for averaging rates like speed or dosage rates?

  • Arithmetic mean
  • Geometric mean
  • Harmonic mean
  • Median

Correct Answer: Harmonic mean

Q15. Which mean is preferred for multiplicative biological data or log-normal distributions (e.g., concentration ratios)?

  • Arithmetic mean
  • Harmonic mean
  • Geometric mean
  • Mode

Correct Answer: Geometric mean

Q16. If a constant of +5 mg is added to every measured blood concentration, how do the mean and median change?

  • Mean increases by 5 mg, median unchanged
  • Median increases by 5 mg, mean unchanged
  • Both mean and median increase by 5 mg
  • Both decrease by 5 mg

Correct Answer: Both mean and median increase by 5 mg

Q17. If every observation is multiplied by a factor of 2, how do mean and median change?

  • Mean doubles, median unchanged
  • Median doubles, mean unchanged
  • Both mean and median double
  • Both become halved

Correct Answer: Both mean and median double

Q18. A dataset shows two distinct peaks in the histogram of adverse event counts. Which measure best highlights this feature?

  • Mean
  • Median
  • Mode (bimodal interpretation)
  • Standard deviation

Correct Answer: Mode (bimodal interpretation)

Q19. What are the common symbols for sample mean and population mean?

  • x̄ for sample mean and μ for population mean
  • μ for sample mean and x̄ for population mean
  • σ for sample mean and s for population mean
  • Both use x̄

Correct Answer: x̄ for sample mean and μ for population mean

Q20. Which central tendency minimizes the sum of squared deviations from itself?

  • Median
  • Mode
  • Arithmetic mean
  • Geometric mean

Correct Answer: Arithmetic mean

Q21. Which central tendency minimizes the sum of absolute deviations?

  • Mean
  • Median
  • Mode
  • Harmonic mean

Correct Answer: Median

Q22. In quality control of tablet weight where one or two extreme defective tablets inflate the average, which statement is true?

  • Mean is robust to these defects
  • Median is affected more than mean
  • Mean is more sensitive to extreme defects than median
  • Mode will reflect the extreme values

Correct Answer: Mean is more sensitive to extreme defects than median

Q23. For ordinal scale measurements (e.g., pain ranked 1–5), which central tendency is most appropriate?

  • Arithmetic mean
  • Median
  • Geometric mean
  • Harmonic mean

Correct Answer: Median

Q24. When a frequency distribution has open-ended classes (e.g., “≥100”), which central tendency can still be reasonably estimated?

  • Arithmetic mean without assumptions
  • Median (using cumulative frequencies)
  • Exact mean is always computable
  • Mode cannot be found

Correct Answer: Median (using cumulative frequencies)

Q25. How is the mean computed from a frequency table?

  • Sum of class boundaries divided by number of classes
  • Sum of (frequency × class midpoint) divided by total frequency
  • Average of class widths
  • Median of midpoints

Correct Answer: Sum of (frequency × class midpoint) divided by total frequency

Q26. Identify the mode for drug potency readings: 10, 12, 12, 15, 18.

  • 10
  • 12
  • 15
  • 13.4

Correct Answer: 12

Q27. For grouped data with midpoints 5, 15, 25 and frequencies 2, 3, 5 respectively, what is the mean?

  • 15
  • 18
  • 20
  • 25

Correct Answer: 18

Q28. When analyzing multiplicative percent changes in plasma concentration, which average is most appropriate?

  • Arithmetic mean
  • Geometric mean
  • Mode
  • Median

Correct Answer: Geometric mean

Q29. For skewed clinic waiting times, which measure better represents a “typical” wait?

  • Arithmetic mean
  • Median
  • Mode
  • Range

Correct Answer: Median

Q30. To report the most commonly observed adverse drug reaction category (categorical data), which central tendency is most suitable?

  • Mean
  • Median
  • Mode
  • Geometric mean

Correct Answer: Mode

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