Deck 1: Statistics and Data

Question 1

The two branches of the study of statistics are generally referred to as __________.

A)Descriptive and inferential statistics
B)Inferential and differential statistics
C)Descriptive and referential statistics
D)Differential and descriptive statistics

Answer 1

Descriptive and inferential statistics

Question 2

The study of statistics can be defined as

A)The language of data.
B)The art and science of getting information from data.
C)The study on collecting,analyzing,presenting,and interpreting data.
D)All of the above.

Answer 2

All of the above.

Question 3

A professor's gender (male,female)as well as rank (assistant,associate,full)represent ordinal data.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Cross-sectional data contain values of a characteristic of one subject collected over time.

Question 5

Both discrete and continuous variables may assume an uncountable number of values.

Question 6

The branch of statistical studies called descriptive statistics summarizes important aspects of a data set.

Question 7

A knowledge of statistics provides the necessary tools to differentiate between sound and questionable conclusions.

Question 8

A professor's rank (assistant,associate,and full),as well as salary,represent ordinal data.

Question 9

A qualitative variable assumes meaningful numerical values.

Question 10

Typically,it is possible to examine every member of the population.

Question 11

Time series data contains values of a characteristic of a subject over time.

Question 12

When reading published statistics (numerical facts),you should _________.

A)Never believe what you read,since all statistics are lies
B)Only believe those statistics that are adequately supported
C)Believe what you read,since they wouldn't be published if they weren't correct
D)Only believe those statistics that are presented in so-called quality publications

Question 13

Sampling is often necessary due to the potential cost and time of gathering population data.

Question 14

A continuous variable assumes any value from an interval (or collection of intervals).

Question 15

A discrete variable cannot assume an infinite number of values.

Question 16

Population parameters are used to estimate corresponding sample statistics.

Question 17

A population is a larger data set than its corresponding sample.

Question 18

Statistics is the methodology of extracting unnecessary information from a data set.

Question 19

The branch of statistical studies called inferential statistics refers to drawing conclusions about sample data by analyzing the corresponding population.

Question 20

Sampling allows researchers to draw conclusions about the population.

Question 21

The ordinal scale of data measurement is _______________.

A)Less sophisticated than the nominal scale
B)More sophisticated than the interval scale
C)More sophisticated than the nominal scale
D)As equally sophisticated as the nominal scale

Question 22

Which of the following variables is not continuous?

A)Height of NBA players
B)Time of a flight between Atlanta and Chicago
C)Average temperature in the month of July in Orlando
D)The number of obtained heads when a fair coin is tossed 20 times

Question 23

Which of the following represents a population and a sample from that population?

A)Residents of Albany,New York,and registered voters in Albany,New York
B)Teachers in a high school and members of the parent teacher group
C)Fans at a concert who purchase t-shirts,and fans at a concert who purchase soda
D)Freshmen at St.Joseph's University and basketball players at St.Joseph's University

Question 24

Which of the following variables is qualitative?

A)Height
B)Gender
C)Weight
D)Temperature

Question 25

Which type of data,cross-sectional versus time series,is more important to research?

A)Neither type of data is important.
B)Cross-sectional data is more important than time series data.
C)Time series data is more important than cross-sectional data.
D)Time series data and cross-sectional data are equally as valuable in different types of research.

Question 26

The estimation of which of the following requires sampling?

A)U.S.unemployment rate
B)Total rainfall in Phoenix,Arizona in 2010
C)The Cleveland Indians' hitting percentage in 2010
D)The average SAT score of incoming freshmen at a university

Question 27

An analyst studies a data set of the 2011 year-end book value per share for all companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange.This data set is best described as ___________.

A)Time-series data
B)Cross-sectional data
C)Neither time-series nor cross-sectional data
D)A combination of time-series and cross-sectional data

Question 28

Which of the following is a quantitative variable?

A)House age
B)House size
C)House price
D)All of the above

Question 29

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 with a total of 174 tackles.Tackles are measured on what kind of a scale? Is a variable measuring the number of tackles considered continuous or discrete?

A)Ratio scale;discrete
B)Interval scale;discrete
C)Ratio scale;continuous
D)Interval scale;continuous

Question 30

Which of the following is an example of cross-sectional data?

A)GDP of the United States from 1990-2010
B)Daily price of DuPont stock during the first quarter
C)Quarterly housing starts collected over the last 60 years
D)Results of market research testing consumer preferences for soda

Question 31

Population parameters are difficult to calculate due to _____________.

A)Cost prohibitions on data collection
B)The infeasibility of collecting data on the entire population
C)The fact that samples are difficult to draw due to the nature of the data
D)A and B

Question 32

Sampling is used heavily in manufacturing and service settings to ensure high-quality products.In which of the following areas would sampling be inappropriate?

A)Computer assembly
B)Custom cabinet making
C)Cell phone manufacturing
D)Technical support by phone

Question 33

In inferential statistics,we calculate statistics of sample data to _____________.

A)Estimate unknown population parameters
B)Conduct tests about unknown population parameters
C)A and B
D)None of the above

Question 34

A population consists of ________________.

A)All items of interest in a sample
B)A subject of interest in a sample
C)All items of interest in a statistical problem
D)A subject of interest in a statistical problem

Question 35

The teachers union in California wants to know the average salary for high school teachers throughout the country.What will the teachers union presumably calculate?

A)Sample statistic
B)Sample parameter
C)Population statistic
D)Population parameter

Question 36

Which of the following are examples of cross-sectional data?

A)The test scores of students in a class
B)The current average prices of regular gasoline in different states
C)The sales prices of single-family homes sold last month in California
D)All of the above

Question 37

For which of the following population parameters is sampling not necessary?

A)The average height of NBA players
B)The average life of light bulbs produced by a manufacturer
C)The average content of cereal boxes produced by a manufacturer
D)The percentage of the U.S.public school teachers who support Democrats

Question 38

Which of the following is an example of time series data?

A)The sales price of townhouses sold last year
B)Quarterly housing starts collected over the last 60 years
C)Results of market research testing consumer preferences for soda
D)Starting salaries of recent business graduates at Penn State University

Question 39

A company wants to estimate the mean price of oil over the past 10 years.What kind of data does the company need?

A)Time series data
B)Inferential statistics
C)Cross-sectional data
D)Descriptive statistics

Question 40

Which of the following variables is quantitative?

A)Gender
B)Temperature
C)Marital status
D)Religious affiliation

Question 41

What is the scale of measurement of the distance between any two locations?

A)Ratio scale
B)Ordinal scale
C)Interval scale
D)Nominal scale

Question 42

We would like to determine whether there is a difference between the height of a college team of basketball players at the Ohio State University and the overall student body.Identify the two populations in this study.

Question 43

An analyst collects data on the weekly closing price of gold throughout a year.The scale of this data is ________________.

A)Ratio scale
B)Ordinal scale
C)Interval scale
D)Nominal scale

Question 44

The interval scale of data measurement is ______________.

A)Less sophisticated than the ratio scale
B)More sophisticated than the ratio scale
C)Less sophisticated than the ordinal scale
D)Equally sophisticated as the ratio scale because both are appropriate for quantitative data

Question 45

Which scale of data measurement is appropriate for the names of companies listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average?

A)Ratio scale
B)Ordinal scale
C)Interval scale
D)Nominal scale

Question 46

We would like to determine the average height of the overall student body at Ohio State University.Does it seem necessary to take a sample from the overall student body?

Question 47

The Fahrenheit scale for measuring temperature would be classified as __________.

A)Ratio scale
B)Ordinal scale
C)Interval scale
D)Nominal scale

Question 48

Philadelphia experienced a record amount of rainfall in August of 2011.During the last week of the month,they received additional rain from a hurricane.Since global warming is thought to cause extreme weather patterns,one conclusion that could be drawn is that these patterns are evidence of global warming.What is wrong with this conclusion?

Question 49

Researchers are interested in completing a study examining trends in the sale of foods in the U.S.They have decided to examine the quantity of organic vegetables sold by supermarkets.Will researchers be able to gather population data?

Question 50

A university is interested in tracking the success of its graduates by measuring the length of each graduate's job search before getting a position in his or her chosen field.How would you define the appropriate population?

Question 51

What are the primary reasons why sampling is necessary?

Question 52

Which scales of data measurement are associated with quantitative data?

A)Interval and ratio
B)Ratio and nominal
C)Ordinal and interval
D)Nominal and ordinal

Question 53

An undergraduate student's status (freshman,sophomore,junior,and senior)is an example of which scale of measurement?

A)Ratio scale
B)Ordinal scale
C)Interval scale
D)Nominal scale

Question 54

An investor wants to know today's average closing price of the stocks listed on the Standard and Poor's 500 Index.Will the investor calculate a population parameter or sample statistic? Why?

Question 55

A recent survey of 200 small firms (annual revenue less than $10 million)asked whether an increase in the minimum wage would cause the firm to decrease capital spending.Possible responses to the survey question were: "Yes," "No," or "Don't Know." This data is best classified as ___________.

A)Ratio scale
B)Ordinal scale
C)Interval scale
D)Nominal scale

Question 56

Administrators have concluded that the SAT exam results for 2011 show a distinct change in student capabilities when compared with the year 1991.In 1991 the SAT exam included only multiple choice sections,and was later redesigned.What is wrong with this conclusion?

Question 57

We would like to determine the average height of a college team of basketball players at Ohio State University.Is it necessary to take a sample of basketball players? Explain.

Question 58

At the end of a semester college students evaluate their instructors by assigning them to one of the following categories: Excellent,Good,Average,Below Average,and Poor.The measurement scale is ___________.

A)Ratio scale
B)Ordinal scale
C)Interval scale
D)Nominal scale

Question 59

Which data scales of measurement are associated with qualitative data?

A)Interval and ratio
B)Ratio and nominal
C)Ordinal and interval
D)Nominal and ordinal

Question 60

A car company wants to know the average age of cars of their brand that are still on the road.How would you define the appropriate population? Will the car company calculate a population parameter or sample statistic? Why?

Question 61

The following data concern a sample of employees of the U.S.Marshalls in the state of New York.Identify the qualitative and quantitative variables,the categories associated with each qualitative variable,and the measurement scales for all variables. Source: http://php.app.com/fed_employees10/results.php?fullname=&agency_name=U.S.+MARSHALS+SERVICE&statename=New+York&countyname=%25&Submit=Search

Question 62

Social networking sites support themselves in large part by selling advertising space.The hit rate on these ads is a critical measure when trying to solicit advertising.The hit rate is used as a measure of success for ads.How would you recommend a social networking site go about sampling to evaluate its existing ads?

Question 63

Define the measurement scale of a car's fuel efficiency (measured in miles per gallon).Is a car's fuel efficiency discrete or continuous?

Question 64

Every 10 years,a census is taken in the U.S.by the Census Bureau.Despite the intent of gathering data on the population of the United States,issues exist which make true population data impossible to gather.Identify at least two issues in collecting these data.

Question 65

A study of teen smoking is planned.Researchers are interested in collecting cross-sectional data,which allow them to draw conclusions about the likelihood,frequency,and longevity of teen smoking.You have been asked to design this study,and will collect no more than 5 pieces of data.What information will you collect?

Question 66

The following data represent a sample of property sales in Cape May County during the year 2000.Identify the qualitative and quantitative variables.What are the natural categories for Town and Class? Identify the measurement scales for all variables.

Question 67

A study of teen smoking is planned.Researchers are interested in collecting data which allow them to draw conclusions about the likelihood,frequency,and longevity of teen smoking.The questions asked include: "What is your gender?","What is your age?","Do you smoke (yes or no)?","How many cigarettes per day do you smoke?","For how long have you smoked (in years)?" What is the measurement scale for each variable?

Question 68

The following table includes the number of white women over the age of 20 in the civilian labor force.Since it is time series data,what would the entries of the first column refer to? Source: http://data.bls.gov