What distinguishes an ordinal scale from a nominal scale?

An ordinal scale is characterized by its ability to provide ordered categories, which means that the data can be arranged in a meaningful sequence based on rank or order. For instance, when measuring levels of satisfaction, you might categorize responses as "very dissatisfied," "dissatisfied," "neutral," "satisfied," and "very satisfied." In this case, not only can we categorize the responses, but we can also determine a clear ranking from least satisfied to most satisfied.

The key difference between an ordinal scale and a nominal scale lies in this order component. A nominal scale categorizes data without any inherent order or ranking; for example, categories like gender, race, or eye color do not have a ranked relationship to one another. Thus, the answer correctly identifies that ordinal scales provide ordered categories, while nominal scales do not.