Mode as most frequent value – UGC NET Question

This option is correct because the mode is defined as the value that appears most often in a data set. It focuses on frequency rather than magnitude or order. In many practical situations, the mode represents the most common or popular value. Therefore, the most frequent value is called the mode.

Option A:
The mean is the arithmetic average of all values in the data set. It is obtained by summing all observations and dividing by the count. It does not specifically represent the most frequent value, so it is not the correct term here.

Option B:
The median is the middle value when the data are arranged in order. It divides the data into two equal halves but does not necessarily correspond to the most frequent observation. Hence, median is not the right answer.

Option C:
The range measures the spread of the data by subtracting the smallest value from the largest. It does not identify any particular value in terms of frequency. Therefore, range is unrelated to the notion of "most frequently occurring value."

Option D:
The mode is the observation with the highest frequency in the data. Datasets can have one mode, multiple modes or sometimes no mode if all values occur equally. Since the question focuses on the most frequent value, mode is the accurate term.