The scores given below were earned by 10 students on a recent biological test. What is the median score?
71, 94, 86, 77, 88, 94, 88, 80, 78,94

Options

A. 85
B. 86
C. 87
D. 88

Answer

To find the median score from the given data of 10 students, we will follow these steps:

### Step 1: Arrange the data in ascending order
The scores given are:
71, 94, 86, 77, 88, 94, 88, 80, 78, 94

Arranging these scores in ascending order gives us:
71, 77, 78, 80, 86, 88, 88, 94, 94, 94

### Step 2: Determine the number of data points
We have a total of 10 scores (n = 10), which is an even number.

### Step 3: Identify the median position
For an even number of data points, the median is calculated as the average of the two middle numbers. The positions of these middle numbers can be found using the formula:
- n/2 = 10/2 = 5 (5th term)
- n/2 + 1 = 10/2 + 1 = 6 (6th term)

### Step 4: Find the 5th and 6th terms in the ordered list
From our ordered list:
- The 5th term is 86
- The 6th term is 88

### Step 5: Calculate the median
Now, we find the average of the 5th and 6th terms:
Median = (5th term + 6th term) / 2
Median = (86 + 88) / 2
Median = 174 / 2
Median = 87

### Final Answer
The median score of the given data is **87**.

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