Which of the following is NOT one of the five goals of descriptive statistics?

The rationale for selecting "conduct hypothesis testing" as the option that does not belong among the five goals of descriptive statistics is grounded in the fundamental purposes that descriptive statistics serve. The primary goals include organizing data to present it in a meaningful way, identifying central values to summarize the data set, and highlighting variability to describe the spread or distribution of data points.

Descriptive statistics focus on summarizing and describing the features of a data set without making inferences or predictions about a wider population. Conducting hypothesis testing, on the other hand, is a component of inferential statistics. This process involves making assumptions or predictions based on sample data and checking these assumptions against a larger population, which is outside the scope of descriptive statistics.

Understanding these distinctions is key for applying statistical methods correctly, as it clarifies the purpose of different statistical tools and when to use them appropriately.