17. The cumulative relative frequency for a given class is defined to be (a) the proportion of values preceding the given class. (b) the proportion of values up to and including the given class. (c) the proportion of values for the given class. (d) the proportion of values below the given class.

The correct answer is (b) the proportion of values up to and including the given class.

Cumulative relative frequency is a statistical term that refers to the sum of the relative frequencies for all values up to and including the given value. It is used to determine the probability that a random variable will be less than or equal to a certain value.

Here's how you calculate it, step by step:

1. First, you need to calculate the relative frequency of each class. This is done by dividing the frequency of each class by the total number of observations.

2. Then, to get the cumulative relative frequency, you add up the relative frequencies of all the classes that come before the given class, as well as the given class itself.

3. The result is the cumulative relative frequency for the given class.

So, it's not just about the values preceding the class (option a), or the values of the class itself (option c), or the values below the class (option d). It's about all values up to and including the given class.