A pictorial diagram showing possible causes (process inputs) for a given effect (process outputs). It is also referred to as the "Ishikawa diagram" or "fishbone diagram."

Question

Options

• AStandard Deviation
• BCause and Effect Diagram
• CRandom Experiment
• DScatter Diagram

• A
  3% (2)
• B
  89% (58)
• C
  6% (4)
• D
  2% (1)

Explanation

Cause and Effect Diagram (B) is correct because it is precisely defined as a pictorial tool that maps potential causes (inputs) to a specific effect (output), and is universally known by its two alternate names: the Ishikawa diagram (after its creator Kaoru Ishikawa) and the fishbone diagram (due to its resemblance to a fish skeleton).

• A (Standard Deviation) is wrong - it's a statistical measure of data spread/variability, not a diagram of any kind.
• C (Random Experiment) is wrong - it refers to a probability concept where outcomes are uncertain, with no visual or cause-mapping component.
• D (Scatter Diagram) is wrong - it plots two variables against each other to reveal correlations, not causes and effects in a structured branching format.

Memory tip: Think "fishBONE = BONE structure = causes branching off a spine toward an effect." The three names all describe the same tool - Ishikawa (inventor), fishbone (shape), and cause-and-effect (function) - so if you see any of the three on an exam, they all point to answer B.

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