Question

describe a situation in which a relatively large standard deviation is desirable.
choose the correct answer below.
o a. a company is more productive when its employees have similar ages.
o b. a group of students learns better when their mean standardized test scores are higher.
o c. a class is easier to teach when students standardized test scores have a large standard deviation.
o d. a university produces better learning outcomes when its students have diverse backgrounds.

Explanation:

To determine when a large standard deviation is desirable, we analyze each option:

• Option A: A company with employees of similar ages (low standard deviation in age) might have more consistent work styles, but this doesn't relate to desiring a large standard deviation.
• Option B: A group of students learning better with higher mean standardized test scores is about the mean, not standard deviation.
• Option C: A class being easier to teach with a large standard deviation in test scores would mean a wide range of abilities, which is not easier to teach (a large standard deviation here would be undesirable for teaching ease).
• Option D: A university producing better learning outcomes with diverse student backgrounds implies a large standard deviation in student backgrounds (since diverse backgrounds represent a wide range of values in the "background" variable), and this diversity is desirable for better learning outcomes. So a large standard deviation in student backgrounds is desirable here.

Answer:

D. A university produces better learning outcomes when its students have diverse backgrounds.