Final answer:
The mean is the correct statistical measure for the average miles per gallon of the 2003 Honda Civic on the highway, which is stated to be 38 miles per gallon. The correct answer is option a).
Step-by-step explanation:
The statistical measure that best describes the average miles per gallon of the 2003 Honda Civic on the highway is the mean. The mean is the arithmetic average of a set of values and is calculated by adding up all the values and then dividing by the count of the values.
In this case, the average mileage, or mean, is given as 38 miles per gallon. This figure represents the typical mileage a driver might expect under standard conditions. Other statistical measures like median, mode, and standard deviation provide different types of information.
The median is the middle value when all mileages are ordered from least to greatest, the mode is the most frequently occurring mileage, and the standard deviation measures the variability or spread of the mileages from the mean. Since we're dealing with an average, the mean is the most appropriate measure in this context.