Final answer:
The mean is calculated by summing all the marks and then dividing by the number of students. The sum of the marks is 342, and there are 9 students, so the mean is 342 divided by 9, which is 38. Hence, the correct option is b) 38.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the mean of the data, which is the average, you need to add up all of the numbers and then divide by the count of numbers. In this case, the student has marks of 59, 46, 31, 23, 27, 40, 52, 35, and 29. We add these marks to get a sum: 59 + 46 + 31 + 23 + 27 + 40 + 52 + 35 + 29 = 342
Next, we divide this sum by the number of students, which is 9:
342 ÷ 9 = 38
Therefore, the mean of the marks obtained by 9 students is 38. So the correct option in the final part of the question is b) 38.