Deck 1: Data Collection

Question 1

Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
In a survey conducted in the town of Atherton, 25% of adult respondents reported that they had been involved in at least one car accident in the past ten years.

A) statistic
B) parameter

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What is statistics

Answer 2

Statistics is the science of collecting, summarizing, organizing, and analyzing information in order to answer questions or draw conclusions.

Question 3

Parking at a large university has become a very big problem. University administrators are interested in determining the average parking time (e.g. the time it takes a student to find a parking spot) of its students. An administrator inconspicuously followed 130 students and carefully recorded their parking times. Identify the population of interest to the university administration.

A) the parking times of the entire set of students that park at the university
B) the parking times of the 130 students from whom the data were collected
C) the entire set of faculty, staff, and students that park at the university
D) the students that park at the university between 9 and 10 AM on Wednesdays

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is not true of statistics

A) Statistics is used to answer questions with 100% certainty.
B) Statistics involves collecting and summarizing data.
C) Statistics can be used to organize and analyze information.
D) Statistics is used to draw conclusions using data.

Question 5

A manufacturer of cellular phones has decided that an assembly line is operating satisfactorily if less than 0.0 2% of the phones produced per day are defective. To check the quality of a day s production, the company decides to randomly sample 40 phones from a day s production to test for defects. Define the population of interest to the manufacturer.

A) all the phones produced during the day in question
B) the 40 phones sampled and tested
C) the 40 responses: defective or not defective
D) the 0.02% of the phones that are defective

Question 6

A study was conducted to determine if listening to heavy metal music affects critical thinking. To test the claim, 124 subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. Both groups were administered a basic math skills exam. The first group took the exam while heavy metal music was piped into the exam room, while the second group took the exam in a silent room. The mean exam score for the first group was 81, and the mean exam score for the second group was 87. The researchers concluded that heavy metal music negatively affects critical thinking. Identify (a) the research objective, (b) the sample, (c) the descriptive statistics, and (d) the conclusions made in the study.

Question 7

Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
Telephone interviews of 394 employees of a large electronics company found that 65% were dissatisfied with their working conditions.

A) statistic
B) parameter

Question 8

Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
A study of 1800 college students in the city of Pemblington found that 6% had been victims of violent crimes.

A) statistic
B) parameter

Question 9

Administrators at a large university want to know the average debt incurred by their graduates. Surveys were mailed to 210 graduating seniors asking them to report their total student loan debt. Identify the population, sample, and individuals in the study.

Question 10

A telephone poll asked 1414 registered voters Would you vote for the current vice president if he ran for president Of these 1414 respondents, 34% would vote for the current vice president if he ran for president. The administrators of the study concluded that 34% of all registered voters would vote for the current vice president if he ran for president. Identify (a) the research objective, (b) the sample, (c) the descriptive statistics, and (d) the conclusions made in the study.

Question 11

Which branch of statistics deals with the organization and summarization of collected information

A) Descriptive statistics
B) Inferential statistics
C) Survey design
D) Computational statistics

Question 12

The legal profession conducted a study to determine the percentage of cardiologists who had been sued for malpractice in the last two years. The sample was randomly chosen from a national directory of doctors. Identify the individuals in the study.

A) each cardiologist selected from the directory
B) the responses: have been sued/have not been sued for malpractice in the last two years
C) the doctor s area of expertise (i.e., cardiology, pediatrics, etc.)
D) all cardiologists in the directory

Question 13

Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
27.2% of the mayors of cities in a certain state are from minority groups.

A) parameter
B) statistic

Question 14

A survey of 1598 American households found that 77% of the households own a DVD recorder. Identify the population, the sample, and the individuals in the study.

Question 15

Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
The average age of the 65 students in Ms Hope s political science class is 21 years 5 months.

A) parameter
B) statistic

Question 16

A study published in 1990 attempted to estimate the proportion of Florida residents who were willing to spend more tax dollars on protecting the Florida beaches from environmental disasters. Forty-one hundred Florida residents were surveyed. Which of the following is the population used in the study

A) all Florida residents
B) the 4100 Florida residents surveyed
C) the Florida residents who were willing to spend more tax dollars on protecting the beaches from
D) all Florida residents who lived along the beaches

Question 17

Parking at a large university has become a very big problem. University administrators are interested in determining the average parking time (e.g. the time it takes a student to find a parking spot) of its students. An administrator inconspicuously followed 100 students and carefully recorded their parking times. Identify the sample of interest to the university administration.

A) parking times of the 100 students
B) parking time of a student
C) location of the parking spot
D) type of car (import or domestic)

Question 18

Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
Mark retired from competitive athletics last year. In his career as a sprinter he had competed in the 100 -meters event a total of 328 times. His average time for these 328 races was 10.27 seconds.

A) parameter
B) statistic

Question 19

Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
51.7% of the residents of Idlington Garden City are female.

A) parameter
B) statistic

Question 20

A survey of 1301 American households found that 66% of the households own at least two bicycles. Identify the population, the sample, and the individuals in the study.

Question 21

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
the medal received (gold, silver, bronze) by an Olympic gymnast

A) ordinal
B) ratio
C) nominal
D) interval

Question 22

Provide an appropriate response.
A student is asked to rate a guest speaker s ability to communicate on a scale of poor average good excellent. The student is to fill in a corresponding circle on a bubble form. This is an example of collecting what type of data

A) qualitative
B) continuous
C) discrete
D) insightful

Question 23

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the number of phone calls to the police department on any given day

A) discrete
B) continuous

Question 24

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the low temperature in degrees Fahrenheit on January 1st in Cheyenne, Wyoming

A) continuous
B) discrete

Question 25

Provide an appropriate response.
Classify the following random variable: telephone area codes

A) qualitative data
B) experimental data
C) quantitative continuous data
D) quantitative discrete data

Question 26

Classify the variable as qualitative or quantitative.
the number of seats in a school auditorium

A) quantitative
B) qualitative

Question 27

Classify the variable as qualitative or quantitative.
Quantitative variables classify individuals in a sample according to

A) numerical measure.
B) physical attribute.
C) personality characteristic.
D) exhibited trait.

Question 28

Classify the variable as qualitative or quantitative.
the number of calls received at a company s help desk

A) quantitative
B) qualitative

Question 29

Provide an appropriate response.
The number of violent crimes committed in a city on a given day in a random sample of 50 days is a __________ random variable.

A) discrete
B) continuous

Question 30

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the number of goals scored in a hockey game

A) discrete
B) continuous

Question 31

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the number of pills in an aspirin bottle

A) discrete
B) continuous

Question 32

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
the musical instrument played by a music student

A) nominal
B) ratio
C) ordinal
D) interval

Question 33

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the speed of a car on a Boston tollway during rush hour traffic

A) continuous
B) discrete

Question 34

Provide an appropriate response.
The peak shopping time at a pet store is between 8-11:00 am on Saturday mornings. Management at the pet store randomly selected 35 customers last Saturday morning and decided to observe their shopping habits. They recorded the number of items that a sample of the customers purchased as well as the total time the customers spent in the store. Identify the types of variables recorded by the pet store.

A) number of items - discrete; total time - continuous
B) number of items - continuous; total time - continuous
C) number of items - continuous; total time - discrete
D) number of items - discrete; total time - discrete

Question 35

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the number of bottles of juice sold in a cafeteria during lunch

A) discrete
B) continuous

Question 36

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the weight of a player on the wrestling team

A) continuous
B) discrete

Question 37

Classify the variable as qualitative or quantitative.
the colors of book covers on a bookshelf

A) qualitative
B) quantitative

Question 38

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the cholesterol levels of a group of adults the day after Thanksgiving

A) continuous
B) discrete

Question 39

Determine whether the quantitative variable is discrete or continuous.
the age of the oldest employee in the data processing department

A) continuous
B) discrete

Question 40

Classify the variable as qualitative or quantitative.
the numbers on the shirts of a boy s football team

A) qualitative
B) quantitative

Question 41

Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
A scientist was studying the effects of a new fertilizer on crop yield. She randomly assigned half of the plots on a farm to group one and the remaining plots to group two. On the plots in group one, the new fertilizer was used for a year. On the plots in group two, the old fertilizer was used. At the end of the year the average crop yield for the plots in group one was compared with the average crop yield for the plots in group two.

A) experiment
B) observational study

Question 42

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
category of storm (gale, hurricane, etc.)

A) ordinal
B) ratio
C) nominal
D) interval

Question 43

Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
A poll is conducted in which professional musicians are asked their ages.

A) observational study
B) experiment

Question 44

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
an officer s rank in the military

A) ordinal
B) ratio
C) nominal
D) interval

Question 45

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
time spent playing basketball

A) ratio
B) interval
C) nominal
D) ordinal

Question 46

Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
A researcher obtained a random sample of 100 smokers and a random sample of 100 nonsmokers. After interviewing all 200 participants in the study, the researcher compared the rate of depression among the smokers with the rate of depression among nonsmokers.

A) observational study
B) experiment

Question 47

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
the day of the month

A) interval
B) ratio
C) nominal
D) ordinal

Question 48

Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
Experiments assist the researcher in isolating the causes of the relationships that exist between two variables.

Question 49

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
capacity of a backpack

A) ratio
B) interval
C) nominal
D) ordinal

Question 50

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
the native language of a tourist

A) nominal
B) ratio
C) ordinal
D) interval

Question 51

Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
A pollster obtains a sample of students and asks them how they will vote on an upcoming referendum.

A) observational study
B) experiment

Question 52

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
height of a tree

A) ratio
B) interval
C) nominal
D) ordinal

Question 53

Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
The personnel director at a large company would like to determine whether the company cafeteria is widely used by employees. She calls each employee and asks them whether they usually bring their own lunch, eat at the company cafeteria, or go out for lunch.

A) observational study
B) experiment

Question 54

Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
Observational studies are not as useful as experiments to learn about the characteristics of a population.

Question 55

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
the year of manufacture of a car

A) interval
B) ratio
C) nominal
D) ordinal

Question 56

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
ranking (first place, second place, etc.) of contestants in a singing competition

A) ordinal
B) ratio
C) nominal
D) interval

Question 57

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
a student s favorite sport

A) nominal
B) ratio
C) ordinal
D) interval

Question 58

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
an evaluation received by a physics student (excellent, good, satisfactory, or poor).

A) ordinal
B) ratio
C) nominal
D) interval

Question 59

Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
A medical researcher obtains a sample of adults suffering from diabetes. She randomly assigns 52 people to a treatment group and 52 to a placebo group. The treatment group receives a medication over a period of three months and the placebo group receives a placebo over the same time frame. At the end of three months the patients symptoms are evaluated.

A) experiment
B) observational study

Question 60

Determine the Level of Measurement of a Variable
weight of rice bought by a customer

A) ratio
B) interval
C) nominal
D) ordinal

Question 61

Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies
Researchers wanted to determine whether there was an association between city driving and stomach ulcers. They selected a sample of 900 young adults and followed them for a twenty-year period. At the start of the study none of the participants was suffering from a stomach ulcer. Each person kept track of the number of hours per week they spent driving in city traffic. At the end of the study each participant underwent tests to determine whether they were suffering from a stomach ulcer. The researchers analyzed the results to determine whether there was an association between city driving and stomach ulcers.

A) cohort; Individuals are observed over a long period of time.
B) cross-sectional; Information is collected at a specific point in time.
C) retrospective; Individuals are asked to look back in time.

Question 62

Determine the sampling technique which is used
A travel industry researcher interviews all of the passengers on five randomly selected cruises. What sampling technique is used

A) cluster
B) random
C) convenience
D) systematic
E) stratified

Question 63

Determine the sampling technique which is used
In a recent online survey, participants were asked to answer yes or no to the question Are you in favor of stricter gun control 6571 responded yes while 5737 responded no . There was a fifty-cent charge for the call. What sampling technique was used

A) convenience
B) random
C) cluster
D) stratified
E) systematic

Question 64

Determine the sampling technique which is used
A writer for an art magazine randomly selects and interviews fifty male and fifty female artists. What sampling technique is used

A) stratified
B) random
C) cluster
D) convenience
E) systematic

Question 65

Determine the sampling technique which is used
At a local technical school, five auto repair classes are randomly selected and all of the students from each class are interviewed. What sampling technique is used

A) cluster
B) random
C) convenience
D) systematic
E) stratified

Question 66

Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies
A researcher wanted to determine whether women with children are more likely to develop anxiety disorders than women without children. She selected a sample of 900 twenty-year old women and followed them for a twenty-year period. At the start of the study, none of the women had children. By the end of the study 53% of the women had at least one child. The level of anxiety of each participant was evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the study and the increase (or decrease) in anxiety was recorded. The researchers analyzed the results to determine whether there was an association between anxiety and having children.

A) cohort; Individuals are observed over a long period of time.
B) cross-sectional; Information is collected at a specific point in time.
C) retrospective; Individuals are asked to look back in time.

Question 67

Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies
Researchers wanted to determine whether there was an association between high blood pressure and the suppression of emotions. The researchers looked at 1800 adults enrolled in a Health Initiative Observational Study. Each person was interviewed and asked about their response to emotions. In particular they were asked whether their tendency was to express or to hold in anger and other emotions. The degree of suppression of emotions was rated on a scale of 1 to 10. Each person s blood pressure was also measured. The researchers analyzed the results to determine whether there was an association between high blood pressure and the suppression of emotions.

A) cross-sectional; Information is collected at a specific point in time.
B) cohort; Individuals are observed over a long period of time.
C) retrospective; Individuals are asked to look back in time.

Question 68

Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies
Vitamin D is important for the metabolism of calcium and exposure to sunshine is an important source of vitamin D. A researcher wanted to determine whether osteoperosis was associated with a lack of exposure to sunshine. He selected a sample of 250 women with osteoperosis and an equal number of women without osteoperosis. The two groups were matched - in other words they were similar in terms of age, diet, occupation, and exercise levels. Histories on exposure to sunshine over the previous twenty years were obtained for all women. The total number of hours that each woman had been exposed to sunshine in the previous twenty years was estimated. The amount of exposure to sunshine was compared for the two groups.

A) retrospective; Individuals are asked to look back in time
B) cross-sectional; Information is collected at a specific point in time.
C) cohort; Individuals are observed over a long period of time.

Question 69

Obtain a Simple Random Sample
The top 38 cities in Wisconsin as determined by population are given below. Select a random sample of four cities from the list below using the two digit list of random numbers provided. Begin with the uppermost left random number and proceed down each column. When a column is complete, use the numbers at the top of the next right column and proceed down that column. Information was obtained from the web site http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Wisconsin.html. Wisconsin Cities by Population

A) Manitowoc, La Crosse, Franklin, Oshkosh.
B) Manitowoc, Appleton, Greenfield, Fond du Lac.
C) Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha.
D) Milwaukee, Eau Claire, New Berlin, West Bend.

Question 70

Determine the sampling technique which is used
A statistics student interviews everyone in his apartment building to determine who owns a cell phone. What sampling technique is used

A) convenience
B) random
C) cluster
D) systematic
E) stratified

Question 71

Obtain a Simple Random Sample
The city council of a small town needs to determine if the town s residents will support the building of a new library. The council decides to conduct a survey of a sample of the town s residents. Which one of the following procedures would be most appropriate for obtaining a sample of the town s residents

A) Survey a random sample of persons within each neighborhood of the town.
B) Survey a random sample of librarians who live in the town.
C) Survey 400 individuals who are randomly selected from a list of all people living in the state in which the
D) Survey every 14th person who enters the old library on a given day.

Question 72

Determine the sampling technique which is used
Every fifth adult entering an airport is checked for extra security screening. What sampling technique is used

A) systematic
B) random
C) cluster
D) convenience
E) stratified

Question 73

Obtain a Simple Random Sample
The policy committee at State University has 6 members: John, Prof. Rise, Dr. Hernandez, LaToyna, Ming, and Jose. A subcommittee of two members must be formed to investigate the visitation policy in the dormitories. List all possible simple random samples of size 2.

A) John and Prof. Rise, John and Dr. Hernandez, John and LaToyna, John and Ming, John and Jose, Prof. Rise and Dr. Hernandez, Prof. Rise and LaToyna, Prof. Rise and Ming, Prof. Rise and Jose,
Dr) Hernandez and LaToyna, Dr. Hernandez and Ming, Dr. Hernandez and Jose, LaToyna and Ming,
LaToyna and Jose, Ming and Jose
B) John and Prof. Rise, Dr. Hernandez and LaToyna, Ming and Jose
C) John and Prof. Rise, Prof. Rise and Dr. Hernandez, Dr. Hernandez and LaToyna, LaToyna and Ming,
D) John and Prof. Rise, John and Dr. Hernandez, John and LaToyna, John and Ming, John and Jose

Question 74

Obtain a Simple Random Sample
Select a random sample of five state capitals from the list below using the two digit list of random numbers provided. Begin with the uppermost left random number and proceed down each column. When a column is complete, use the numbers at the top of the next right column and proceed down that column. State Capitals

A) Springfield, IL; Atlanta,GA; Providence, RI; Santa Fe, NM; Columbus OH.
B) Springfield, IL; Des Moines, IA; Boston, MA; Santa Fe, NM; Columbus OH.
C) Carson City NV; Boise ID; Atlanta, GA; Cheyenne, WY; Boston, MA.
D) Boston, MA; Concord, NH; Dover DE; Santa Fe, NM; Richmond, VA.

Question 75

Determine the sampling technique which is used
A lobbyist for the oil industry assigns a number to each senator and then uses a computer to randomly generate ten numbers. The lobbyist contacts the senators corresponding to these numbers. What sampling technique was used

A) random
B) convenience
C) cluster
D) stratified
E) systematic

Question 76

Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies
A researcher wanted to determine whether colon cancer was associated with eating meat. He selected a sample of 500 men with colon cancer and an equal number of men without colon cancer. The two groups were matched - in other words they were similar in terms of age, occupation, income, and exercise levels. Histories on the amount of meat consumed over the previous twenty years were obtained for all men. The total amount of meat that each man eaten in the previous twenty years was estimated. The meat consumption was compared for the two groups.

A) retrospective; Individuals are asked to look back in time
B) cross-sectional; Information is collected at a specific point in time.
C) cohort; Individuals are observed over a long period of time.

Question 77

Determine the sampling technique which is used
Thirty-five math majors, 64 music majors and 35 history majors are randomly selected from 454 math majors, 309 music majors and 567 history majors at the state university. What sampling technique is used

A) stratified
B) random
C) cluster
D) convenience
E) systematic

Question 78

Obtain a Simple Random Sample
The government of a town needs to determine if the city s residents will support the construction of a new town hall. The government decides to conduct a survey of a sample of the city s residents. Which one of the following procedures would be most appropriate for obtaining a sample of the town s residents

A) Survey a random sample of persons within each geographic region of the city.
B) Survey a random sample of employees at the old city hall.
C) Survey every 7th person who walks into city hall on a given day.
D) Survey the first 200 people listed in the town s telephone directory.

Question 79

Determine the sampling technique which is used
Based on 12,500 responses from 46,500 questionnaires sent to all its members, a major medical association estimated that the annual salary of its members was $111,000 per year. What sampling technique was used

A) random
B) stratified
C) cluster
D) convenience
E) systematic

Question 80

Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies
Can money buy happiness A researcher wanted to determine whether there was any association between economic status and happiness. She selected a sample of 1000 adults and interviewed them. Each person was asked about their financial situation and their level of happiness was evaluated. The researcher analyzed the results to determine whether there was an association between economic status and happiness.

A) cross-sectional; Information is collected at a specific point in time.
B) cohort; Individuals are observed over a long period of time.
C) retrospective; Individuals are asked to look back in time.