Deck 1: Data and Statistics

Question 1

The entities on which data are collected are

A)elements
B)populations
C)sets
D)samples

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following variables use the ratio scale of measurement?

A)name of stock exchange
B)time
C)SAT scores
D)Social Security number

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A characteristic of interest for the elements is called a(n)

A)sample
B)data set
C)variable
D)observation

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Categorical data

A)are always nonnumeric
B)may be either numeric or nonnumeric
C)are always numeric
D)indicate either how much or how many

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a scale of measurement?

A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)All of these are scales of measurement.

Question 6

When the data have the properties of ordinal data and the interval between observations is expressed in terms of a fixed unit of measure, the variable has which scale of measurement?

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

Question 7

When the data are labels or names used to identify an attribute of the elements and the rank of the data is meaningful, the variable has which scale of measurement?

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

Question 8

In a data set, the number of observations will always be the same as the number of

A)variables
B)elements
C)data sets
D)data

Question 9

The set of measurements collected for a particular element is (are) called

A)census
B)variables
C)observations
D)samples

Question 10

Quantitative data

A)are always nonnumeric
B)may be either numeric or nonnumeric
C)are always numeric
D)are always labels

Question 11

Which scale of measurement can be either numeric or nonnumeric?

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

Question 12

When the data have the properties of interval data and the ratio of two values is meaningful, the variable has which scale of measurement?

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

Question 13

Which of the following variables use the interval scale of measurement?

A)name of stock exchange
B)time
C)SAT scores
D)Social Security number

Question 14

Which of the following is not an example of descriptive statistics?

A)a histogram depicting the age distribution for 30 randomly selected students
B)an estimate of the number of Alaska residents who have visited Canada
C)a table summarizing the data collected in a sample of new-car buyers
D)the proportion of mailed-out questionnaires that were returned

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of quantitative data?

A)the player's number on a baseball uniform
B)the serial number on a one-dollar bill
C)the part number of an inventory item
D)the number of people in a waiting line

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of categorical data?

A)social security number
B)score on a multiple-choice exam
C)height, in meters, of a diving board
D)number of square feet of carpet

Question 17

All the data collected in a particular study are referred to as the

A)census
B)inference
C)variable
D)data set

Question 18

Facts and figures that are collected, analyzed and summarized for presentation and interpretation are

A)data
B)variables
C)elements
D)Both variables and elements are correct.

Question 19

The number observations in a complete data set having 10 elements and 5 variables is

A)5
B)10
C)25
D)50

Question 20

When the data are labels or names used to identify an attribute of the elements, the variable has which scale of measurement?

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

Question 21

__________ is an example of an existing source of data.

A)An experimental study
B)An uncontrolled experimental study
C)U. S. Census Bureau
D)An observational study

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT an example of an existing source of data?

A)The Internet
B)Internal company records
C)U. S. Census Bureau
D)All of these are examples of existing sources of data.

Question 23

Statistical studies in which researchers control variables of interest are

A)experimental studies
B)control observational studies
C)non experimental studies
D)observational studies

Question 24

The most common type of observational study is

A)an experiment
B)a survey
C)a debate
D)a statistical inference

Question 25

Ordinary arithmetic operations are meaningful

A)only with categorical data
B)only with quantitative data
C)either with quantitative or categorical data
D)with rank data

Question 26

The weight of a ball bearing, measured in milligrams, is an example of

A)categorical data
B)either categorical or quantitative data
C)neither categorical nor quantitative data
D)quantitative data

Question 27

Arithmetic operations are inappropriate for

A)categorical data
B)quantitative data
C)both categorical and quantitative data
D)large data sets

Question 28

Income is an example of

A)categorical data
B)either categorical or quantitative data
C)currency data
D)quantitative data

Question 29

In a questionnaire, respondents are asked to record their age in years. Age is an example of a

A)categorical variable
B)quantitative variable
C)categorical or quantitative variable, depending on how the respondents answered the question
D)ratio variable

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT an example of a firm that sells or leases business database services to clients?

A)Dun & Bradstreet
B)Bloomberg
C)U. S. Census Bureau
D)All of these answers are examples of firms that sell or lease business database services to clients.

Question 31

Statistical studies in which researchers do not control variables of interest are

A)experimental studies
B)uncontrolled experimental studies
C)not of any value
D)observational studies

Question 32

Data collected over several time periods are

A)time series data
B)time controlled data
C)cross-sectional data
D)time dependent data

Question 33

Categorical data

A)indicate either how much or how many
B)cannot be numeric
C)are labels used to identify attributes of elements
D)must be nonnumeric

Question 34

Temperature is an example of

A)a categorical variable
B)a quantitative variable
C)either a quantitative or categorical variable
D)neither a quantitative nor categorical variable

Question 35

The profits earned by a particular Fortune 500 company, measured in millions of dollars, is an example of

A)categorical data
B)either categorical or quantitative data
C)neither categorical nor quantitative data
D)quantitative data

Question 36

Data collected at the same, or approximately the same, point in time are

A)time series data
B)static data
C)cross-sectional data
D)one-dimensional data

Question 37

For ease of data entry into a university database, 1 denotes that the student is an undergraduate and 2 indicates that the student is a graduate student. In this case data are

A)categorical
B)quantitative
C)either categorical or quantitative
D)neither categorical nor quantitative

Question 38

In an application for a credit card, potential customers are asked for their social security numbers. A social security number is an example of a

A)categorical variable
B)quantitative variable
C)categorical or quantitative variable, depending on how the respondents answered the question
D)ratio variable

Question 39

The birth weight of newborns, measured in grams, is an example of

A)categorical data
B)either categorical or quantitative data
C)neither categorical nor quantitative data
D)quantitative data

Question 40

In a questionnaire, respondents are asked to mark their gender as male or female. Gender is an example of a

A)categorical variable
B)quantitative variable
C)categorical or quantitative variable, depending on how the respondents answered the question
D)ratio variable

Question 41

A sample of five Fortune 500 companies showed the following industry codes: banking, banking, finance, retail, and banking. Based on this information, which of the following statements is correct?

A)Sixty percent of the sample of five companies are banking industries.
B)Sixty percent of all Fortune 500 companies are banking industries.
C)Banking is the most common type of industry among all Fortune 500 companies.
D)If five other Fortune 500 companies were chosen, 60% of them would be banking industries.

Question 42

Six hundred residents of a city are polled to obtain information on voting intentions in an upcoming city election. The six hundred residents in this study is an example of a(n)

A)census
B)sample
C)observation
D)population

Question 43

In a sample of 800 students in a university, 360, or 45%, live in the dormitories. The 45% is an example of

A)a sample
B)a population
C)statistical inference
D)descriptive statistics

Question 44

A Scanner Data User Survey of 50 companies found that the average amount spent on scanner data per category of consumer goods was $387,325 (Mercer Management Consulting, Inc., April 24, 1997). The $387,325 is an example of

A)categorical data
B)quantitative data
C)a descriptive statistic
D)Both quantitative data and a descriptive statistic are correct.

Question 45

Statistical inference

A)refers to the process of drawing inferences about the sample based on the characteristics of the population
B)is the same as descriptive statistics
C)is the process of drawing inferences about the population based on the information taken from the sample
D)is the same as a census

Question 46

The summaries of data, which may be tabular, graphical, or numerical, are referred to as

A)inferential statistics
B)descriptive statistics
C)statistical inference
D)report generation

Question 47

Since a sample is a subset of the population, the sample mean

A)is always smaller than the mean of the population
B)is always larger than the mean of the population
C)must be equal to the mean of the population
D)can be larger, smaller, or equal to the mean of the population

Question 48

A sample of five Fortune 500 companies showed the following revenues ($ millions): 7505.0, 2904.7, 7208.4, 6819.0, and 19500.0. Based on this information, which of the following statements is correct?

A)An estimate of the average revenue for all Fortune 500 companies is 8787.42 ($ millions).
B)The average revenue for all Fortune 500 companies is 8787.42 ($ millions).
C)Over half of all Fortune 500 companies earn at least 7208.4 ($ millions) in revenues.
D)If five other Fortune 500 companies were chosen, the average revenue would be 8787.42 ($ millions).

Question 49

Since a sample is a subset of the population, a percentage that is calculated from the sample data

A)is always smaller than the corresponding percentage from the population
B)is always larger than the corresponding percentage from the population
C)must be equal to the corresponding percentage from the population
D)can be larger, smaller, or equal to the corresponding percentage from the population

Question 50

A statistics professor asked students in a class their ages. On the basis of this information, the professor states that the average age of all the students in the university is 21 years. This is an example of

A)a census
B)descriptive statistics
C)an experiment
D)statistical inference

Question 51

The average age in a sample of 90 students at City College is 20. As a result of this sample, it can be concluded that the average age of all the students at City College

A)must be more than 20, since the population is always larger than the sample
B)must be less than 20, since the sample is only a part of the population
C)could not be 20
D)could be larger, smaller, or equal to 20

Question 52

In a post office, the mailboxes are numbered from 1 to 5,000. These numbers represent

A)categorical data
B)time series data
C)either categorical or quantitative data
D)quantitative data

Question 53

The collection of all elements of interest in a particular study is

A)the population
B)the sampling
C)statistical inference
D)descriptive statistics

Question 54

In a sample of 800 students in a university, 160, or 20%, are Business majors. Based on the above information, the school's paper reported that "20% of all the students at the university are Business majors." This report is an example of

A)a sample
B)a population
C)statistical inference
D)descriptive statistics

Question 55

The Department of Transportation of a city has noted that on the average there are 14 accidents per day. The average number of accidents is an example of

A)descriptive statistics
B)statistical inference
C)a sample
D)a population

Question 56

__________ is a spreadsheet package.

A)Statistical inference
B)The bar chart
C)The New York Stock Exchange
D)Microsoft Excel

Question 57

The process of analyzing sample data in order to draw conclusions about the characteristics of a population is called

A)descriptive statistics
B)statistical inference
C)data analysis
D)data summarization

Question 58

Dr. Kurt Thearling, a leading practitioner in the field, defines data mining as "the _________ extraction of _________ information from databases".

A)thorough, insightful
B)timely, accurate
C)automated, predictive
D)intentional, useful

Question 59

The owner of a factory regularly requests a graphical summary of all employees' salaries. The graphical summary of salaries is an example of

A)a sample
B)descriptive statistics
C)statistical inference
D)an experiment

Question 60

A portion of the population selected to represent the population is called

A)statistical inference
B)descriptive statistics
C)a census
D)a sample

Question 61

Quantitative data that measure how many are ________; quantitative data that measure how much are ________.

A)interval; ratio
B)ratio; interval
C)continuous; discrete
D)discrete; continuous

Question 62

After the graduation ceremonies at a university, six graduates were asked whether they were in favor of (identified by 1) or against (identified by 0) abortion. Some information about these graduates is shown below.
a. How many elements are in the data set?
b. How many variables are in the data set?
c. How many observations are in the data set?
d. Name the scale of measurement for each of the above (Sex, Age, Abortion Issue, Class rank).
e. Which of the above (Sex, Age, Abortion Issue, Class rank) are categorical and which are quantitative variables?
f. Are arithmetic operations appropriate for the variable "abortion issue"?

Question 63

Categorical data use either the ______ or ______ scale of measurement.

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

Question 64

The major applications of data mining have been made by companies with a strong _______ focus.

A)consumer
B)manufacturing
C)exporting
D)research and development

Question 65

A pharmaceutical company is performing clinical trials on a new drug that is intended to relieve symptoms for allergy sufferers. Twelve percent of the 300 clinical trial participants experienced the side effect dry mouth.
a.What is the population being studied?
b.What is the sample being studied?
c.Based on the sample, what percentage of the population do you think would suffer from dry mouth?

Question 66

Exhibit 1-1
In a recent study based upon an inspection of 200 homes in Daisy City, 120 were found to violate one or more city codes.
Refer to Exhibit 1-1. The manager's statement that 60% of Daisy City's 3,000 homes are in violation of city codes is

A)an exactly correct statement
B)only an approximation, since it is based upon sample information
C)obviously wrong, since it is based upon a study of only 200 homes
D)None of the other answers are correct.

Question 67

A recent issue of a national magazine reported that in a national public opinion survey conducted among 2,000 individuals, 56% were in favor of gun control, 40% opposed gun control, and 4% had no opinion on the subject.
a.What is the sample in this survey?
b.Based on the sample, what percentage of the population would you think is in favor of gun control?
c.Based on the sample, what percentage of the population would you think have no opinion on the subject?

Question 68

Exhibit 1-1
In a recent study based upon an inspection of 200 homes in Daisy City, 120 were found to violate one or more city codes.
Refer to Exhibit 1-1. The city manager released a statement that 60% of Daisy City's 3,000 homes are in violation of city codes. The manager's statement is an example of

A)a census
B)an experiment
C)descriptive statistics
D)statistical inference

Question 69

An issue of Fortune Magazine reported that the following companies had the lowest sales per employee among the Fortune 500 companies.
a.How many elements are in the above data set?
b.How many variables are in the above data set?
c.How many observations are in the above data set?
d.Name the scale of measurement for each of the variables.
e.Name the variables and indicate whether they are categorical or quantitative.

Question 70

Flight time from Cincinnati to Atlanta is an example of a _______ variable and _______ measurement.

A)discrete, interval
B)discrete, ratio
C)continuous, interval
D)continuous, ratio

Question 71

A magazine surveys a sample of its subscribers every year. Some of the responses are shown below.
a.How many variables are in the data set?
b.Name the scale of measurement for each variable.
c.Which of the above (Year, Percent Female, Average Age, Average Annual Household Income) are categorical and which are quantitative?
d.Are the data time series or cross-sectional?

Question 72

The following shows the temperatures (high, low) and weather conditions in a given Sunday for some selected world cities. For the weather conditions, the following notations are used: c = clear; cl = cloudy; sh = showers; pc = partly cloudy.
a. How many elements are in this data set?
b. How many variables are in this data set?
c. How many observations are in this data set?
d. Name the scale of measurement for each of the variables.
e. Name the variables and indicate whether they are categorical or quantitative.
f. For which variables are arithmetic operations appropriate and for which are they not appropriate?

Question 73

A polling organization conducts a telephone poll of 850 registered voters and asks which candidate they will vote for in the upcoming presidential election. Forty-three percent of the respondents prefer candidate A and 45% prefer candidate B.
a.What is the population being studied?
b.What is the sample being studied?
c.Based on the sample, what percentage of the population do you think would vote for candidate B?

Question 74

Exhibit 1-2
In a sample of 3,200 registered voters, 1,440, or 45%, approve of the way the President is doing his job.
Refer to Exhibit 1-2. A political pollster states, "Forty five percent of all voters approve of the President." This statement is an example of

A)a sample
B)descriptive statistics
C)statistical inference
D)a population

Question 75

Exhibit 1-2
In a sample of 3,200 registered voters, 1,440, or 45%, approve of the way the President is doing his job.
Refer to Exhibit 1-2. The 45% approval is an example of

A)a sample
B)descriptive statistics
C)statistical inference
D)a population

Question 76

The term data warehousing is used to refer to the process of doing all of the following except

A)capturing the data
B)storing the data
C)maintaining the data
D)mining the data

Question 77

The following data shows the yearly income distribution of a sample of 200 employees at MNM, Inc.
a. What percentage of employees has yearly incomes of more than $35,000?
b. Is the figure (percentage) that you computed in Part a an example of statistical inference? If no, what kind of statistics does it represent?
c. Based on this sample, the president of the company said that "45% of all our employees' yearly incomes are over $35,000." The president's statement represents what kind of statistics?
d. With the statement made in Part c, can we be assured that more than 45% of all employees' yearly incomes are at least $35,000? Explain.
e. What percentage of employees of the sample has yearly incomes of $29,000 or less?
f. How many variables are presented in the above data set?
g. The above data set represents the results of how many observations?

Question 78

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census every

A)4 years
B)5 years
C)8 years
D)10 years

Question 79

Exhibit 1-1
In a recent study based upon an inspection of 200 homes in Daisy City, 120 were found to violate one or more city codes.
Refer to Exhibit 1-1. The Daisy City study described above is an example of the use of a

A)census
B)sample
C)probability
D)population

Question 80

Which of the following is not a categorical variable?

A)your age on your last birthday
B)your cell phone area code
C)your accounting class start time
D)your high school graduation year