Which term is a range of values used to estimate a population parameter and is associated with a specific confidence level?

Which term is a range of values used to estimate a population parameter and is associated with a specific confidence level?

• A. Point Estimate
• B. Interval Estimate
• C. Margin of Error
• D. Confidence Interval

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is using a range of plausible values for a population parameter that comes with a stated level of confidence. A confidence interval is built from sample data as an interval with a lower and upper bound, and it explicitly labels the confidence level (for example, 95%). This means that, in repeated sampling, a certain proportion of such intervals would contain the true parameter. This is why the best term is confidence interval: it describes both the range of values and the associated confidence level that quantifies how reliable that range is. In contrast, a point estimate is just a single value, not a range; the margin of error is the amount added and subtracted to form the interval but is not the interval itself; an interval estimate is a general term, but the phrase that specifically emphasizes the confidence level is the confidence interval.

The idea being tested is using a range of plausible values for a population parameter that comes with a stated level of confidence. A confidence interval is built from sample data as an interval with a lower and upper bound, and it explicitly labels the confidence level (for example, 95%). This means that, in repeated sampling, a certain proportion of such intervals would contain the true parameter.

This is why the best term is confidence interval: it describes both the range of values and the associated confidence level that quantifies how reliable that range is. In contrast, a point estimate is just a single value, not a range; the margin of error is the amount added and subtracted to form the interval but is not the interval itself; an interval estimate is a general term, but the phrase that specifically emphasizes the confidence level is the confidence interval.