Which statement best describes the characteristics of interval data?

The statement that best describes the characteristics of interval data is that it shows differences without a true zero point. Interval data is characterized by the fact that the difference between values can be measured, but it does not have a meaningful zero that indicates the absence of the quantity being measured. This means that while you can calculate differences (such as the difference in temperature between 30 degrees and 20 degrees), you cannot say that 0 degrees is the absence of temperature.

In contrast to this, other data types have distinct characteristics: categorical data is based on groups without any order; ordinal data does have a rank order, but the intervals between ranks may not be equal; and ratio data includes a true zero point, allowing for comparisons of absolute quantities. Thus, the defining characteristic of interval data is its lack of a true zero, making the statement about showing differences without a true zero point the most accurate description.