In a regression model, what does the dependent variable represent?

• A. The predictor variable
• B. The residual
• C. The independent variable
• D. The variable to be predicted

Answer: (D)

In regression, you model an outcome based on other measurements. The dependent variable is that outcome—the thing you want to predict or explain. It’s the observed value you’re estimating with the predictors, and the model provides a predicted value for it given the input features. The predictors are the input variables (independent variables) used to forecast the dependent variable. The residual is the difference between the actual observed value and the model’s predicted value for that observation, reflecting the modeling error.