Question

multiple choice question
what is the purpose of descriptive statistics?

to calculate the distance between the highest and lowest scores in a data set
to show the overall characteristics of the data and any significant variations
to indicate how much scores vary, on average, around the mean of a sample
to indicate whether data sufficiently supports or confirms a research hypothesis

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Explanation:

Descriptive statistics aims to summarize and present data's main features, showing overall characteristics and significant variations. Calculating distance between highest - lowest scores is just one measure (range). Indicating score - variation around mean is related to standard deviation. And testing hypothesis is for inferential statistics.

Answer:

to show the overall characteristics of the data and any significant variations