Which description captures the idea of a normal distribution of scores?

• A. Describes any behavior that clusters around a mean.
• B. Describes scores that are evenly distributed across all values.
• C. Describes a distribution with extreme skew.
• D. Describes a distribution with multiple distinct peaks.

Answer: (A)

Normal distribution is characterized by most scores clustering around the mean, forming a symmetric bell-shaped curve. This pattern means that values near the center are the most frequent, and frequencies decline smoothly as you move away from the mean in either direction. Because of this, the mean, median, and mode are all in the same place, and the spread is determined by the standard deviation. The description that emphasizes clustering around a central value best captures this idea. The other descriptions point to different patterns: a uniform distribution would have equal frequency across values, a distribution with extreme skew would lean heavily to one side, and a distribution with multiple peaks would be multimodal rather than bell-shaped.