In multiple linear regression, what statement best describes the intercept term?

• A. It is the predicted value when all predictors are zero
• B. It is the error term
• C. It is the slope
• D. It is the p-value

Answer: (A)

In multiple linear regression, the intercept term is the predicted value of the response when all predictors are zero. It represents the baseline level of the outcome and is the point where the regression plane crosses the y-axis. This is why describing the intercept as the predicted value when all predictors are zero is the best description. The other components have different roles: the slopes tell how much the outcome changes with a unit change in each predictor, the error term is the residual (the difference between observed and predicted values), and the p-value relates to statistical significance, not the intercept itself.