Which option correctly pairs a common measurement scale with an example?

• A. Nominal: temperature in Celsius; Ordinal: shoe size; Interval: number of siblings; Ratio: IQ score.
• B. Nominal: gender; Ordinal: Likert rating; Interval: temperature in Celsius; Ratio: height in centimeters.
• C. Nominal: height in centimeters; Ordinal: temperature in Fahrenheit; Interval: GPA; Ratio: date of birth.
• D. Nominal: favorite color; Ordinal: class rank; Interval: age in years; Ratio: number of pets.

Answer: (B)

Understanding measurement scales means recognizing what each type allows you to say about data. The correct pairing uses a example that truly fits each scale: gender is a nominal category with no inherent order; a Likert rating (strongly disagree to strongly agree) is ordinal because it shows order but the intervals aren’t guaranteed to be equal; temperature in Celsius has equal interval steps but no true zero, so it’s interval; height in centimeters has equal units and a true zero, making it a ratio scale. This is why that option is the best fit: each example aligns with the defining properties of its scale.