The answer is side-by-side box plots and violin plots. These two EDA techniques are appropriate for understanding the relationship between a categorical feature and a continuous target because they directly visualize how the distribution of the continuous variable shifts across different categories. Side-by-side box plots display medians, quartiles, and outliers for each group, while violin plots add a kernel density estimate to reveal multimodality or skewness. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty MLS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to match visualization types to variable pairings—a common trap is confusing scatter plots (for two continuous variables) or bar charts of counts (which ignore the target) with relational plots. Remember the memory tip: "Categorical vs continuous? Box and violin are the obvious."
MLS-C01 Exploratory Data Analysis Practice Question
This MLS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of exploratory data analysis. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A data scientist is exploring a dataset with categorical variables. Which TWO EDA techniques are appropriate for understanding the relationship between a categorical feature and a continuous target? (Choose TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Violin plots
Options A and C are correct. Box plots show distribution of continuous variable across categories. Violin plots combine box plot and density. Option B is wrong because scatter plot is for two continuous variables. Option D is wrong because bar chart of counts shows frequency, not relationship with target. Option E is wrong because correlation matrix is for numerical features.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Correlation matrix
Why it's wrong here
Correlation matrix is for numerical features only.
✓
Violin plots
Why this is correct
Violin plots show density and distribution across categories.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Scatter plot with categorical variable on x-axis
Why it's wrong here
Scatter plots are not suitable for categorical x-axis; jittering may help but less direct than box plot.
✗
Bar chart of category counts
Why it's wrong here
Bar chart shows frequency, not relationship with target.
✓
Side-by-side box plots
Why this is correct
Box plots show distribution of continuous variable for each category.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Bar chart shows frequency, not relationship with target.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which MLS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Exploratory Data Analysis — This question tests Exploratory Data Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Violin plots — Options A and C are correct. Box plots show distribution of continuous variable across categories. Violin plots combine box plot and density. Option B is wrong because scatter plot is for two continuous variables. Option D is wrong because bar chart of counts shows frequency, not relationship with target. Option E is wrong because correlation matrix is for numerical features.
What should I do if I get this MLS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which MLS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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