Use the following information for questions:
A sample of n = 200 college students is asked if they believe in extraterrestrial life and 120 of these students say that they do. The data are used to test H 0 : p = 0.5 versus H a : p 0.5, where p is the population proportion of college students who say they believe in extraterrestrial life. The following Minitab output was obtained:

-What is the correct description of the area that equals the p-value for this problem?
A) The area to the right of 0.60 under a standard normal curve.
B) The area to the right of 2.83 under a standard normal curve.
C) The area to the right of -2.83 under the standard normal curve.
D) The area between 0.532105 and 0.667895 under a standard normal curve.

Question

Use the following information for questions:
 A sample of n = 200 college students is asked if they believe in extraterrestrial life and 120 of these students say that they do. The data are used to test H 0 : p = 0.5 versus H a : p > 0.5, where p is the population proportion of college students who say they believe in extraterrestrial life. The following Minitab output was obtained:

-What is the correct description of the area that equals the p-value for this problem?
A) The area to the right of 0.60 under a standard normal curve. 
B) The area to the right of 2.83 under a standard normal curve. 
C) The area to the right of -2.83 under the standard normal curve. 
D) The area between 0.532105 and 0.667895 under a standard normal curve.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The p-value in a statistical test is the area under the curve (of the relevant distribution, often the standard normal distribution) to the right of the observed test statistic. Since choice B specifies "the area to the right of 2.83 under a standard normal curve," it correctly describes a p-value assuming 2.83 is the calculated test statistic for a given hypothesis test.

Use the Following Information for Questions