Variance of 2, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 9.

**The reasoning** Variance measures how spread out numbers are from their mean (average). **Step 1:** Find the mean Mean = (2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 7 + 9) ÷ 8 = 40 ÷ 8 = **5** **Step 2:** Find how far each value is from the mean, then square those distances (2−5)² = 9 (4−5)² = 1 (appears 3 times = 3) (5−5)² = 0 (appears 2 times = 0) (7−5)² = 4 (9−5)² = 16 **Step 3:** Add all squared distances 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 0 + 0 + 4 + 16 = **32** **Step 4:** Divide by the number of values Variance = 32 ÷ 8 = **4** **Why the wrong options tempt you** **Option A (2):** You might pick this if you forgot to square the differences or divided incorrectly. **Option C (5):** That's the mean, not the variance! Don't confuse them. **Option D (7):** That's just one of the data points—completely different concept. **Quick takeaway** Variance = average of squared distances from the mean. Always square first, then average!