The normal curve is described as which of the following?

• A. A bell-shaped, symmetrical, and unimodal curve. The majority of cases are concentrated close to the mean, with 68% of the scores falling between one standard deviation below the mean and one standard deviation above the mean
• B. A skewed distribution
• C. A flat distribution
• D. A bimodal curve

Answer: (A)

The normal curve is a bell-shaped, symmetric, unimodal distribution. It peaks in the center, with scores spreading out evenly on both sides, so the mean, median, and mode are all equal. A practical feature often taught is the empirical rule: about 68% of scores fall within one standard deviation of the mean, with the rest spread out over larger ranges. This combination—bell shape, symmetry, and a single central peak—matches the description given.

The other options don’t fit because a skewed distribution would lean to one side, a flat distribution would lack a peak, and a bimodal curve would show two peaks rather than one.