Final answer:
A measure that objectively describes the quantity of the sport skill is quantitative (option a). This type of measure can be continuous or discrete and is numerical in nature, providing specific amounts or counts opposed to qualitative measures which describe characteristics without numbers.
Step-by-step explanation:
A measure that objectively describes the quantity of the sport skill is quantitative. Quantitative measurements are those that express a certain quantity, amount, or range. These are typically numerical in nature and can be either continuous, such as time which has a potentially infinite number of values, or discrete, such as the count of something which can only take on certain fixed values. For instance, the duration of a run in a sport event would be a quantitative continuous measure, whereas the number of goals scored would be a quantitative discrete measure.
Distinguishing between quantitative and qualitative descriptions is also crucial in science and other disciplines. A quantitative description gives us numerical information about 'how much', 'how many', 'how often', etc. In contrast, a qualitative description provides information about the quality or characteristics of something, without using numbers.
For the measure scales provided, baking temperatures are an example of an interval scale since they refer to exact measurements with a meaningful order, but no true zero point. On the other hand, classifying soccer players by athletic ability uses an ordinal scale, where there is a rank order. Finally, colors of crayons would be an example of a nominal scale which merely names or categorizes items without implying any numerical order.