Nominal data is characterized by which of the following?

Nominal data is indeed characterized by categories without any intrinsic ordering or ranking. This type of data simply classifies items into distinct groups or categories based on qualitative attributes. For example, colors, types of cancer, or gender are nominal data types because they represent different categories that do not have a specific order or hierarchy.

In contrast, the other options involve types of data that either have a numerical significance, can be ranked, or vary continuously over time. For instance, numerical data would be classified differently because it involves measurable quantities. Data that can be ranked refers to ordinal data, which provides a structure that allows for comparisons in terms of greater or lesser values. Lastly, data that changes continuously refers to continuous data, which is typically numeric and can take on any value within a range. Thus, option C accurately captures the essence of nominal data as purely categorical without any inherent order.