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7th grade Which average fits: mean, median or range? worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Which average fits: mean, median or range?

Grade 7 Math Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Ari recorded minutes to solve a puzzle for seven students. One student was far from the rest (the puzzle fought back). Which center fits the typical time better?

    • Either one, because the mean and the median are both centers of the data
    • The mean, because it uses every dot.
    • The range, because it shows how big the typical dot is.
    • The median, because the far dot pulls the mean away from most dots.
  2. Bo recorded cans brought to a food drive for seven families. One family was far from the rest (one box needed two people). Which center fits the typical number of cans better?

    • The median, because the far dot pulls the mean away from most dots.
    • The mean, because it uses every dot, and the far dot should count as well
    • Either one, because the mean and the median are both centers.
    • The range, because it shows how big the typical dot is.
  3. Esme recorded stickers collected for seven club members (the stickers sparkled). They will share all of it equally. Which center tells how many each member gets?

    • The mean, because it shares the total equally among all the dots.
    • The range, because it shows how big the typical dot is.
    • The median, because the far dot pulls the mean away from most dots.
    • Either one, because the mean and the median are both centers.
  4. Jun recorded minutes spent walking to school for seven students. One student was far from the rest (the backpacks kept up). Which center fits the typical walk better?

    • The mean, because it uses every dot.
    • The range, because it shows how big the typical dot is in this data set
    • Either one, because the mean and the median are both centers.
    • The median, because the far dot pulls the mean away from most dots.
  5. Luz recorded minutes on the bus for seven riders (the bus hummed along). One rider was far from the rest. How much lower is the mean without the far dot?

  6. Noah recorded cookies baked for a sale for seven bakers (the cookies smelled great). One baker was far from the rest. How much lower is the mean without the far dot?

  7. Pia recorded apples picked for seven pickers (one ladder wobbled). One picker was far from the rest. How much greater is the mean than the median?

  8. Ren recorded minutes of piano practice for seven students (the metronome kept the beat). One student was far from the rest. How much greater is the mean than the median?

  9. Tala recorded minutes of bike riding after school for seven riders (the bells rang). One rider was far from the rest. How much greater is the mean than the median?

  10. Ari recorded shells collected on the beach for seven students. One student was far from the rest (one pail overflowed). Which center fits the typical number of shells better?

    • The median, because the far dot pulls the mean away from most dots.
    • The range, because it shows how big the typical dot is.
    • The mean, because it uses every dot.
    • Either one, because the mean and the median are both centers.
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7th grade Which average fits: mean, median or range? worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Which average fits: mean, median or range?. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can say why one far dot pulls the mean but hardly moves the median, and report the median as the typical value when a far dot is there.
  • I can say when the mean is the right one anyway: when the question is about an equal share of a total.
  • I can choose the range for the whole stretch and the IQR for how spread out most of the dots are, and say how much a far dot changes each.

Standard: state-only (CCSS 6.SP.B.5d)

Words to know

far dot (outlier): A dot that sits far from all the others on the plot.

mean: The balance point: add every dot, then divide by the number of dots.

median: The middle dot; with two middle dots, halfway between them.

range: How far the plot stretches: right-most dot − left-most dot.

IQR: How far the middle half of the dots stretches: Q3 − Q1.

equal share: The amount each one gets if the total is shared out evenly.

typical: Like most of the dots: a value from the middle of the group.

Common mistakes

Your child picked the mean because it uses every dot.

Your child picked the median even though the question asked for an equal share of a total.

Your child picked the range as a typical value.

What to say

Ask: does one far dot pull the mean away from where most dots sit? Compare it with the middle dot.

Ask: if everything is shared equally, which center tells how much each one gets?

Ask: does the range tell where most dots sit, or how far across they stretch?

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with which average fits: mean, median or range??

Your child picked the mean because it uses every dot.

How can I help my child with which average fits: mean, median or range??

Ask: does one far dot pull the mean away from where most dots sit? Compare it with the middle dot.

Are these 7th grade math worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 7 math

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