A chi-square test of a contingency table with 4 rows and 5 columns shows that the value of the test statistic is 22.18. Which of the following is the most accurate statement that can be made about the p-value for this test?
A) p-value is greater than 0.05
B) p-value is smaller than 0.025
C) p-value is greater than 0.025 but smaller than 0.05
D) p-value is greater than 0.10

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The p-value for the chi-square test is the probability of obtaining a test statistic as extreme or more extreme than the one observed, assuming that the null hypothesis is true. Since we have a 4x5 contingency table, the degrees of freedom for the chi-square test are (4-1)(5-1) = 12. Looking at a chi-square distribution table with 12 degrees of freedom, we find that a test statistic of 22.18 corresponds to a p-value between 0.025 and 0.05. Therefore, the most accurate statement that can be made about the p-value is that it is greater than 0.025 but smaller than 0.05, which corresponds to answer choice C.

A Chi-Square Test of a Contingency Table with 4 Rows