Which statement best describes the relationship between data and information, given data is unorganized information?

• A. Data is organized information
• B. Information is data that has been organized
• C. Data and information are unrelated
• D. Information is data that has been deleted

Answer: (B)

Data are raw facts without context. Information is what you get when you organize and interpret those facts so they answer a question or support a decision. For example, a list of temperatures and times is data; when you sort it by date, summarize trends, or calculate averages, you’ve turned that data into information because you’ve added structure and meaning. That’s why the statement that information is data that has been organized is the best description. The other options mix up the relationship or ignore how organization and interpretation make data useful.