Final answer:
The statement is false because qualitative data cannot be discrete or continuous; these terms apply only to quantitative data. Qualitative data is categorical, while quantitative data can be either discrete (countable values) or continuous (measurable values within a range).
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that both qualitative and quantitative variables can be discrete or continuous is false. Qualitative data, also known as categorical data, includes non-numerical information that describes characteristics or attributes, such as the type of car you drive or the color of a house. These do not have a natural sense of ordering and cannot be considered discrete or continuous because they do not represent quantities that can be measured or counted.
On the other hand, quantitative data represent numerical values or counts and can indeed be either discrete or continuous. Quantitative discrete data are countable and often have a finite number of values, like the number of classes you take per school year or the number of correct answers on a quiz. In contrast, quantitative continuous data can take on any value within a range and are usually measured, such as weight or distance, for example, the weights of sumo wrestlers or the distance from your home to the nearest grocery store.
It is essential to correctly identify the type of data because it determines the appropriate statistical methods for analysis. For example, the number of times per week (quantitative discrete) or duration (amount of time, quantitative continuous) will influence how the data should be processed and interpreted.