A distribution with a long tail to the right is described as which?

A distribution with a long tail to the right is described as which?

• A. Positive Skew
• B. Negative Skew
• C. Symmetric
• D. Outlier

Answer: (A)

A distribution with a long tail to the right is described as positively skewed, also called right-skewed. This shape means most of the data cluster on the left while a few unusually large values stretch the tail toward higher values. Those large values pull the mean upward, so the mean is typically greater than the median (and the mode is often the smallest of the three). This contrasts with a left tail in negative skew, a balanced shape in a symmetric distribution, or the term outlier which refers to an individual extreme value rather than the overall shape.

A distribution with a long tail to the right is described as positively skewed, also called right-skewed. This shape means most of the data cluster on the left while a few unusually large values stretch the tail toward higher values. Those large values pull the mean upward, so the mean is typically greater than the median (and the mode is often the smallest of the three). This contrasts with a left tail in negative skew, a balanced shape in a symmetric distribution, or the term outlier which refers to an individual extreme value rather than the overall shape.