Which of the following best describes a normal distribution?

A normal distribution is characterized by its symmetric bell-shaped curve, where the majority of the data points cluster around the mean, and the probabilities of values taper off evenly towards the extremes (the tails). This symmetry means that if you were to draw a vertical line at the mean, both sides of the curve would mirror each other, indicating that data falls off equally on either side of the average.

In this distribution, approximately 68% of the data lies within one standard deviation of the mean, and about 95% falls within two standard deviations. This clustering around the mean, with evenly distributed tails, reflects many natural phenomena and is foundational to statistical analysis. Therefore, describing a normal distribution as having data clustering around the mean with symmetrical tails accurately captures its essence.