Deck 6: Telling the Truth About Damned Lies and Statistics

Question 1

Best encourages us to approach statistics

A) with the assumption that those who use them intend to deceive us.
B) critically, by evaluating their quality and claims.
C) casually, by never taking them too seriously.
D) cynically-most statistics are both wrong and irrelevant, and cannot be trusted.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Best concludes that

A) we are better off trusting our own opinions than believing statistics, no matter how good the research that gathers and analyzes these statistics.
B) policies and planning should be voted on, not decided by experts who rely on statistics.
C) although statistics can be wrong or misused, we still need good statistics.
D) all statistics are inherently flawed because they can never recommend the right decision or the best course of action.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The statistic on children's deaths, used by the graduate student in Best's article

A) was ridiculous; if true, by 1980 more than a billion children would have been killed each year.
B) greatly underestimated the actual number of deaths of children caused by unsafe toys.
C) was based on a study paid for by food manufacturers.
D) was accurate, but reported out of context and therefore could have been misinterpreted.

Answer 3

A