Final answer:
Rene's project aims to understand the variations in rainfall compared to average values in four Texas cities over four months, using negative numbers for below-average rainfall and positive numbers for above-average amounts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The objective of Rene's research project is to track the rainfall variations from the average monthly rates in four Texas cities over a period of four months. Rene will be using negative numbers to indicate rainfall amounts below the average and positive numbers for amounts above the average. The focus is not to establish the impact on crops, compare rainfall to other states, nor determine the overall average rainfall in Texas. Instead, Rene is interested in understanding how much and how frequently the rainfall deviates from what is typical for each area, whether it is above or below the norm (C).