Question 1

A marketing research agency was hired to test a new DVD player. Consumers rated it outstanding, very good, fair, or poor. The level of measurement for this experiment is ordinal.

Accepted Answer

The ratings are ordered but the difference between them is not necessarily equal, which is the characteristic of ordinal measurement.

Question 2

The terms descriptive statistics and inferential statistics can be used interchangeably.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics are not the same thing. Descriptive statistics is used to summarize and describe data, while inferential statistics is used to make conclusions or predictions about a population based on sample data.

Question 3

A population is a collection of all individuals, objects, or measurements of interest.

Accepted Answer

A population is defined as the entire group of individuals, objects, or measurements that meet certain criteria or characteristics of interest to the researcher.

Question 4

The Union of Electrical Workers of America with 9,128 members polled 362 members about a new wage package that will be submitted to management. The population is the 362 members.

Accepted Answer

The question states that the population is 362 members, but the initial statement refers to the union having 9,128 members. Therefore, the sample size of 362 members represents a subset of the larger union population.

Question 5

Descriptive statistics are used to find out something about a population based on a sample.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics summarize and describe the features of a dataset, whether it's a sample or a population, but they do not infer or predict characteristics of a population based solely on a sample. That is the role of inferential statistics.

Question 6

The CIA World Factbook cited these numbers for the United States:
• The birthrate is 13.66 births per 1,000 population.
• The average life expectancy for females is 81.17 years.
• Approximately 316.7 million persons reside in the United States.
Each of these numbers is referred to as a statistic.

Accepted Answer

Each of the given numbers is a statistical measure or fact about the population of the United States. Therefore, the statement that they are statistics is true.

Question 7

To infer something about a population, we usually take a sample from the population.

Accepted Answer

This is true, as it is often not feasible or practical to collect data on an entire population, so we take a sample and use statistical methods to make inferences about the population based on the characteristics of the sample.

Question 8

A store asks shoppers for their zip code to identify market areas. Zip codes are an example of ratio data.

Accepted Answer

Zip codes are an example of nominal data, as they are used for identification and categorization, not for quantitative measurement.

Question 9

The average number of passengers on commercial flights between Chicago and New York City is an example of a statistic.

Accepted Answer

A statistic is a numerical measurement that describes some characteristic of a sample. In this case, the average number of passengers on commercial flights between Chicago and New York City is a statistic because it is a numerical measurement that describes the characteristic of a sample (the sample being commercial flights between these two cities).

Question 10

Statistics are used as a basis for making decisions.

Accepted Answer

Statistics provide objective and quantitative data that can inform decision-making in various fields, including business, politics, and healthcare.

Question 11

The ordinal level of measurement is considered the "lowest" level of measurement.

Accepted Answer

The nominal level of measurement is considered the "lowest" level of measurement, followed by ordinal, interval, and ratio levels.

Question 12

Categorizing voters as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents is an example of interval level measurement.

Accepted Answer

Categorizing voters into political parties is an example of nominal level measurement, which is the lowest level of measurement. Interval level measurement involves assigning numerical values to variables and defining an equal distance between them, such as temperature measured in Celsius or Fahrenheit.

Question 13

Statistics is defined as a body of techniques used to facilitate the collection, organization, presentation, analysis, and interpretation of information for the purpose of making better decisions.

Accepted Answer

This is a correct definition of statistics. Statistics helps us to better understand data and make informed decisions based on that understanding.

Question 14

Data measured on a nominal scale can only be classified into categories.

Accepted Answer

Data measured on a nominal scale is categorical and can only be classified into categories with no order or hierarchy. Examples include gender, eye color, and zip code.

Question 15

There are four levels of measurement: qualitative, quantitative, discrete, and continuous.

Accepted Answer

The four levels of measurement are nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio, which classify both qualitative and quantitative data, but do not include "discrete" and "continuous" as levels.

Question 16

A listing of 100 family annual incomes is an example of statistics.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A listing of 100 family annual incomes...

Question 17

If we select 100 persons from 25,000 registered voters and question them about candidates and issues, the 100 persons are referred to as the population.

Accepted Answer

The 100 persons selected from the 25,000 registered voters are actually a sample, not the population. The population is the entire group of 25,000 registered voters.

Question 18

A sample is a portion or part of the population of interest.

Accepted Answer

A sample is a subset of the population of interest, selected for the purpose of studying characteristics or properties of the larger population.

Question 19

An ordinal level of measurement implies some sort of ranking.

Accepted Answer

An ordinal level of measurement involves assigning values that indicate the relative position or order of the variable being measured, such as a rank or rating scale. Therefore, a ranking is involved in ordinal level of measurement.

Question 20

Statistics are used to report the summary results of market surveys.

Accepted Answer

Statistics are frequently used to report the summary statistics of market surveys, such as mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation, and confidence intervals. This information helps businesses to understand customer preferences, behaviors, opinions, and demands, and to make data-driven decisions about product design, marketing, pricing, and distribution.

Quiz 1: What Is Statistics