Final answer:
Exploratory data analysis is the statistical method that discovers previously unknown patterns or relationships in the data. It differs from descriptive and inferential statistics, which organize and summarize data and make population inferences from samples, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statistical method that uses various analysis tools to discover previously unknown patterns in the data or relationships among variables is C) Exploratory data analysis. While descriptive statistics involve organizing and summarizing data, using tools like graphing and calculating averages, exploratory data analysis goes further to uncover hidden patterns and associations. Inferential statistics, on the other hand, use probability to make conclusions about a population based on sample data. For example, from a sample's statistics, inferential methods may estimate that 4 percent of the population has a particular characteristic.
In contrast, predictive analytics involves using historical data to make predictions about future outcomes, and is not focused solely on discovering unknown patterns or relationships. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is C) Exploratory data analysis.
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