Which of the following best describes a negative control group?

A negative control group is designed to provide a baseline measurement that helps researchers understand the effects of a treatment or manipulation applied to other groups. This group does not receive the experimental treatment or intervention, allowing researchers to observe any changes that occur naturally or due to external factors without the influence of the treatment.

In the context of experiments, having a group that is expected to show no change due to the absence of treatment allows for comparison with the treatment groups. This helps to validate that any observed effects in the treatment groups can be attributed specifically to the treatment applied, rather than to other variables.

Thus, identifying and utilizing a negative control group is essential in scientific experiments to ensure that results are reliable and confirm that the experimental design accurately tests the hypothesis of interest.