Final answer:
The critical value z* for constructing an 85% confidence interval is approximately 0.96.
Step-by-step explanation:
The critical value z* for constructing an 85% confidence interval can be found by looking up the z-score associated with the desired confidence level. In this case, the confidence level is 85%, which corresponds to an area of 0.425 in the middle of a standard normal distribution. The area in the far right tail is (1-0.425)/2 = 0.2875. Using a standard normal distribution table or calculator, we can find that the z-score associated with an area of 0.2875 is approximately 0.96.