Question 1

Tim was planning for a meeting with his boss to discuss a raise in his annual salary.In preparation, he wanted to use the Consumer Price Index to determine the percentage increase in his real (inflation-adjusted)salary over the last three years.Which of the 4 methods of data collection was involved when he used the Consumer Price Index?
A)Published sources
B)Experimentation
C)Surveying
D)Observation

Accepted Answer

The Consumer Price Index is created and published by government agencies, making it a published source of data collection.

Question 2

A statistics student found a reference in the campus library that contained the median family incomes for all 50 states.She would report her data as being collected using
A)a designed experiment.
B)observational data.
C)a random sample.
D)a published source.

Accepted Answer

The data was obtained from a published source, therefore it is observational because the researcher did not manipulate any variables or control the way the data was collected.

Question 3

Which of the following sampling methods is a probability sample?
A)Convenience sample
B)Quota sample
C)Stratified sample
D)Judgment sample

Accepted Answer

A stratified sample is a probability sample where the population is divided into subgroups (strata) based on certain characteristics, and then a random sample is selected from each stratum. This method ensures that each stratum is represented in the sample and reduces sampling bias. The other options (A, B, D) are non-probability samples, where the selection of participants is based on convenience, predetermined quotas, or expert judgment, respectively, and cannot guarantee representativeness of the population.

Question 4

Jared was working on a project to look at global warming and accessed an Internet site where he captured average global surface temperatures from 1866.Which of the four methods of data collection was he using?
A)Published sources
B)Experimentation
C)Surveying
D)Observation

Accepted Answer

Jared was using published sources as his method of data collection by accessing an Internet site to gather information on average global surface temperatures from 1866. This method involves collecting data that has already been gathered and made available by others.

Question 5

Which of the 4 methods of data collection is involved when a person counts the number of cars passing designated locations on the Los Angeles freeway system?
A)Published sources
B)Experimentation
C)Surveying
D)Observation

Accepted Answer

Counting the number of cars passing designated locations on the Los Angeles freeway system involves the method of observation.

Question 6

A study attempted to estimate the proportion of Florida residents who were willing to spend more tax dollars on protecting the beaches from environmental disasters.Twenty- five hundred Florida residents were surveyed.What type of data collection procedure was most likely used to collect the data for this study?
A)A designed experiment
B)A published source
C)A random sample
D)Observational data

Accepted Answer

The data collection procedure that was most likely used to collect the data for this study is a random sample. This is because 2,500 Florida residents were surveyed, indicating that the sample was likely selected randomly from the population of all Florida residents. Random sampling is the best method for obtaining a representative sample of a population, and it allows for generalization of results to the larger population.

Question 7

A sample of 300 subscribers to a magazine is selected from a population frame of 9,000 subscribers.If, upon examining the data, it is determined that no subscriber had been selected in the sample more than once,
A)the sample could not have been random.
B)the sample may have been selected without replacement or with replacement.
C)the sample had to have been selected with replacement.
D)the sample had to have been selected without replacement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A sample of 300 subscribers to a...

Question 8

The personnel director at a large company studied the eating habits of the company's employees.The director noted whether employees brought their own lunches to work, ate at the company cafeteria, or went out to lunch.The goal of the study was to improve the food service at the company cafeteria.This type of data collection would best be considered as
A)an observational study.
B)a designed experiment.
C)a random sample.
D)a quota sample.

Accepted Answer

In this study, the personnel director observed and recorded the eating habits of the employees without manipulating any variables. Thus, it is an observational study. It is not a designed experiment since there was no manipulation of variables or random assignment of participants to different groups. It is also not a random or quota sample since the study did not involve randomly or systematically selecting a subset of the population to represent the entire population.

Question 9

The Commissioner of Health in New York State wanted to study malpractice litigation in New York.A sample of 31 thousand medical records was drawn from a population of 2.7 million patients who were discharged during 2010.The true proportion of malpractice claims filed from the population of 2.7 million patients is a _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Commissioner of Health in New York...

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a reason for the need for sampling?
A)It is usually too costly to study the whole population.
B)It is usually too time consuming to look at the whole population.
C)It is sometimes destructive to observe the entire population.
D)It is always more informative by investigating a sample than the entire population.

Accepted Answer

The statement "It is always more informative by investigating a sample than the entire population" is not true. Sometimes it is necessary to study the entire population, especially when the entire population is small or when the cost and time of studying the population do not outweigh the benefits of a sample.

Question 11

The oranges grown in corporate farms in an agricultural state were damaged by some unknown fungi a few years ago.Suppose the manager of a large farm wanted to study the impact of the fungi on the orange crops daily over a 6-week period.On each day a random sample of orange trees was selected from within a random sample of acres.The daily average number of damaged oranges per tree and the proportion of trees having damaged oranges were calculated.The two main measures calculated each day (i.e., average number of damaged oranges per tree and proportion of trees having damaged oranges)are called _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The oranges grown in corporate farms in...

Question 12

A marketing research firm, in conducting a comparative taste test, provided three types of peanut butter to a sample of households randomly selected within the state.Which of the 4 methods of data collection is involved when people are asked to compare the three types of peanut butter?
A)Published sources
B)Experimentation
C)Surveying
D)Observation

Accepted Answer

Experimentation involves manipulating one or more variables to observe the effect on another variable. In this case, the variable being manipulated is the type of peanut butter being offered, and the variable being observed is the taste preference of the households. By asking the households to compare the three types of peanut butter, the marketing research firm is conducting an experiment.

Question 13

The Quality Assurance Department of a large urban hospital is attempting to monitor and evaluate patient satisfaction with hospital services.Prior to discharge, a random sample of patients is asked to fill out a questionnaire to rate such services as medical care, nursing, therapy, laboratory, food, and cleaning.The Quality Assurance Department prepares weekly reports that are presented at the Board of Directors meetings and extraordinary/atypical ratings are easy to flag.Values computed from the sample results each week are called _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Quality Assurance Department of a large...

Question 14

The Quality Assurance Department of a large urban hospital is attempting to monitor and evaluate patient satisfaction with hospital services.Prior to discharge, a random sample of patients is asked to fill out a questionnaire to rate such services as medical care, nursing, therapy, laboratory, food, and cleaning.The Quality Assurance Department prepares weekly reports that are presented at the Board of Directors meetings and extraordinary/atypical ratings are easy to flag.True population characteristics estimated from the sample results each week are called _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Quality Assurance Department of a large...

Question 15

The oranges grown in corporate farms in an agricultural state were damaged by some unknown fungi a few years ago.Suppose the manager of a large farm wanted to study the impact of the fungi on the orange crops daily over a 6-week period.On each day a random sample of orange trees was selected from within a random sample of acres.The daily average number of damaged oranges per tree and the proportion of trees having damaged oranges were calculated.The two main measures calculated each day (i.e., average number of damaged oranges per tree and proportion of trees having damaged oranges)may be used daily to estimate the respective true population _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The oranges grown in corporate farms in...

Question 16

The Commissioner of Health in New York State wanted to study malpractice litigation in New York.A sample of 31 thousand medical records was drawn from a population of 2.7 million patients who were discharged during 2010.The proportion of malpractice claims filed from the sample of 31 thousand patients is a _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Commissioner of Health in New York...

Question 17

The manager of the customer service division of a major consumer electronics company is interested in determining whether the customers who have purchased a Blu-ray player made by the company over the past 12 months are satisfied with their products.Which of the following will be a good frame for drawing a sample?
A)Telephone directory.
B)Voting registry.
C)The list of customers who returned the registration card.
D)A list of potential customers purchased from a database marketing company.

Accepted Answer

The list of customers who returned the registration card will be the best frame for drawing a sample as it contains a list of actual customers who have purchased the Blu-ray player and have registered it with the company. This will provide a more accurate representation of the population of interest rather than using a telephone directory or a list of potential customers purchased from a database marketing company. The voting registry is irrelevant in this scenario.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a reason for selecting a sample?
A)A sample is less time consuming than a census.
B)A sample is less costly to administer than a census.
C)A sample is usually not a good representation of the target population.
D)A sample is less cumbersome and more practical to administer.

Accepted Answer

A sample is selected in order to represent a larger population, and it is typically chosen because it is more time efficient, cost-effective, and practical than conducting a census of the entire population. However, selecting a sample that is not a good representation of the target population defeats the purpose of selecting a sample in the first place. Therefore, option C is not a reason for selecting a sample.

Question 19

The British Airways Internet site provides a questionnaire instrument that can be answered electronically.Which of the 4 methods of data collection is involved when people complete the questionnaire?
A)Published sources
B)Experimentation
C)Surveying
D)Observation

Accepted Answer

The method involved when people complete the questionnaire is surveying.

Question 20

At US Data Corporation's web site, they advertised that "Because of our commitment to quality and our vast amount of industry knowledge and experience, we have grown to be one of America's leading providers of mailing lists, marketing data, sales leads and research data.We maintain databases of information on consumers and businesses nationwide that set industry standards for mission critical currency, reliability and accuracy." Trying to reach 500 potential donors for their annual phone donation campaign, a local fire department purchased a list of donors from the company.This list is an example of a
A)stratified sample
B)systematic sample
C)judgment sample
D)frame

Accepted Answer

The list of donors purchased by the local fire department from US Data Corporation is an example of a frame, which refers to a list of all potential members of a population being studied or surveyed. In this case, the frame is a list of donors, which the fire department can use to target potential donors for their annual phone donation campaign. A stratified sample involves dividing the population into subgroups or strata based on certain characteristics and then randomly selecting participants from each stratum. A systematic sample involves selecting every nth member of the population, such as every 10th person on a list. A judgment sample involves selecting participants based on the researcher's own judgment or criteria. None of these sampling methods apply to the scenario described.

Quiz 1: Defining and Collecting Data

A statistics student found a reference in the campus library that contained the median family incomes for all 50 states.She would report her data as being collected using

Which of the following sampling methods is a probability sample?

Jared was working on a project to look at global warming and accessed an Internet site where he captured average global surface temperatures from 1866.Which of the four methods of data collection was he using?

Which of the 4 methods of data collection is involved when a person counts the number of cars passing designated locations on the Los Angeles freeway system?

A sample of 300 subscribers to a magazine is selected from a population frame of 9,000 subscribers.If, upon examining the data, it is determined that no subscriber had been selected in the sample more than once,

Which of the following is NOT a reason for the need for sampling?

A marketing research firm, in conducting a comparative taste test, provided three types of peanut butter to a sample of households randomly selected within the state.Which of the 4 methods of data collection is involved when people are asked to compare the three types of peanut butter?

Which of the following is NOT a reason for selecting a sample?

The British Airways Internet site provides a questionnaire instrument that can be answered electronically.Which of the 4 methods of data collection is involved when people complete the questionnaire?