A dataset contains "USA," "United States," and "U.S." as

Solution

Standardizing data ensures uniformity and consistency across the dataset. A predefined mapping such as replacing "USA," "United States," and "U.S." with a single standardized value like "United States" avoids ambiguities during analysis. This method maintains data integrity and improves the dataset's usability for analytical tasks. Why Other Options Are Wrong : B) Removing inconsistent entries leads to data loss and reduced sample size. C) Choosing the most frequent entry ignores valid data variations and may bias results. D) Replacing entries with null values reduces the dataset's quality. E) Leaving the inconsistencies untreated causes challenges during data interpretation.