Ch. 1 Data Collection
1.1 Introduction to the Practice of Statistics
1 Define statistics and statistical thinking.
SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.
Provide an appropriate response.
1) What is statistics?
Answer: Statistics is the science of collecting, summarizing, organizing, and analyzing information in order to
answer questions or draw conclusions.
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
2) Which of the following is not true of statistics?
A) Statistics is used to answer questions with 100% certainty.
B) Statistics involves collecting and summarizing data.
C) Statistics can be used to organize and analyze information.
D) Statistics is about providing a measure of confidence in any conclusions
Answer: A
2 Explain the process of statistics.
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
1) In a survey conducted in the town of Atherton, 23% of adult respondents reported that they had been involved
in at least one car accident in the past ten years.
A) statistic B) parameter
Answer: A
2) 23.2% of the mayors of cities in an entire certain state are from minority groups.
A) parameter B) statistic
Answer: A
3) A study of 2,700 college students in the city of Pemblington found that 9% had been victims of violent crimes.
A) statistic B) parameter
Answer: A
4) 51.6% of all the residents of Idlington Garden City are female.
A) parameter B) statistic
Answer: A
5) Telephone interviews of 316 employees of a large electronics company found that 45% were dissatisfied with
their working conditions.
A) statistic B) parameter
Answer: A
6) The average age of the 65 students in Ms. Hope's political science class is 21 years 8 months.
A) parameter B) statistic
Answer: A
Page 1
, 7) Mark retired from competitive athletics last year. In his whole career as a sprinter he had competed in the
100-meters event a total of 328 times. His average time for these 328 races was 10.25 seconds.
A) parameter B) statistic
Answer: A
SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.
Provide an appropriate response.
8) A survey of 1,805 American households found that 71% of the households own a DVD recorder. Identify the
population, the sample, and the individuals in the study.
Answer: population: collection of all American households; sample: collection of 1,805 American households
surveyed; individuals: each household
9) A survey of 1,242 American households found that 32% of the households own at least two bicycles. Identify
the population, the sample, and the individuals in the study.
Answer: population: collection of all American households; sample: collection of 1,242 American households
surveyed; individuals: each household
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
10) Parking at a large university has become a very big problem. University administrators are interested in
determining the average parking time (e.g. the time it takes a student to find a parking spot) of its students. An
administrator inconspicuously followed 190 students and carefully recorded their parking times. Identify the
population of interest to the university administration.
A) the parking times of the entire set of students that park at the university
B) the parking times of the 190 students from whom the data were collected
C) the entire set of faculty, staff, and students that park at the university
D) the students that park at the university between 9 and 10 AM on Wednesdays
Answer: A
11) A manufacturer of cellular phones has decided that an assembly line is operating satisfactorily if less than 0.0
1% of the phones produced per day are defective. To check the quality of a day's production, the company
decides to randomly sample 60 phones from a day's production to test for defects. Define the population of
interest to the manufacturer.
A) all the phones produced during the day in question
B) the 60 phones sampled and tested
C) the 60 responses: defective or not defective
D) the 0.01% of the phones that are defective
Answer: A
12) A recent study attempted to estimate the proportion of Florida residents who were willing to spend more tax
dollars on protecting the Florida beaches from environmental disasters. Twenty-one hundred Florida residents
were surveyed. Which of the following is the population used in the study?
A) all Florida residents
B) the 2,100 Florida residents surveyed
C) the Florida residents who were willing to spend more tax dollars on protecting the beaches from
environmental disasters
D) all Florida residents who lived along the beaches
Answer: A
Page 2
, 13) Parking at a large university has become a very big problem. University administrators are interested in
determining the average parking time (e.g. the time it takes a student to find a parking spot) of its students. An
administrator inconspicuously followed 130 students and carefully recorded their parking times. Identify the
sample of interest to the university administration.
A) parking times of the 130 students B) parking time of a student
C) location of the parking spot D) type of car (import or domestic)
Answer: A
14) The legal profession conducted a study to determine the percentage of cardiologists who had been sued for
malpractice in the last five years. The sample was randomly chosen from a national directory of doctors.
Identify the individuals in the study.
A) each cardiologist selected from the directory
B) the responses: have been sued/have not been sued for malpractice in the last five years
C) the doctor's area of expertise (i.e., cardiology, pediatrics, etc.)
D) all cardiologists in the directory
Answer: A
SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.
15) Administrators at a large university want to know the average debt incurred by their graduates. Surveys were
mailed to 260 graduating seniors asking them to report their total student loan debt. Identify the population,
sample, and individuals in the study.
Answer: The population of interest is the student loan debt incurred by all graduates of the university. The
sample is student loan debt of the 260 graduating seniors that were collected by the university
administrators. The individuals are each graduating senior whose student loan debt was recorded.
16) A study was conducted to determine if listening to heavy metal music affects critical thinking. To test the claim,
120 subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. Both groups were administered a basic math skills exam.
The first group took the exam while heavy metal music was piped into the exam room, while the second group
took the exam in a silent room. The mean exam score for the first group was 82, and the mean exam score for
the second group was 90. The researchers concluded that heavy metal music negatively affects critical thinking.
Identify (a) the research objective, (b) the sample, (c) the descriptive statistics, and (d) the conclusions made in
the study.
Answer: (a) if listening to heavy metal music affects critical thinking
(b) the 120 subjects
(c) the mean exam score for the first group = 82, and the mean exam score for the second group was 90
(d) that heavy metal music negatively affects critical thinking
17) A telephone poll asked 1,122 registered voters "Would you vote for the current vice president if he ran for
president?" Of these 1,122 respondents, 37% would vote for the current vice president if he ran for president.
The administrators of the study concluded that 37% of all registered voters would vote for the current vice
president if he ran for president. Identify (a) the research objective, (b) the sample, (c) the descriptive statistics,
and (d) the conclusions made in the study.
Answer: (a) to determine the percentage of registered voters who would vote for the current vice president if he ran for
president
(b) the 1,122 registered voters surveyed
(c) 37% of the respondents supported reelection
(d) that 37% of all registered voters would vote for the current vice president if he ran for president
Page 3
, MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
18) Which branch of statistics deals with the organization and summarization of collected information?
A) Descriptive statistics B) Inferential statistics
C) Survey design D) Computational statistics
Answer: A
3 Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative variables.
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
Classify the variable as qualitative or quantitative.
1) the colors of book covers on a bookshelf
A) qualitative B) quantitative
Answer: A
2) the number of calls received at a company's help desk
A) quantitative B) qualitative
Answer: A
3) the number of seats in a school auditorium
A) quantitative B) qualitative
Answer: A
4) the numbers on the shirts of a football team
A) qualitative B) quantitative
Answer: A
5) the bank account numbers of the students in a class
A) qualitative B) quantitative
Answer: A
6) the weights of cases loaded onto an airport conveyor belt
A) quantitative B) qualitative
Answer: A
7) the temperatures of cups of coffee served at a restaurant
A) quantitative B) qualitative
Answer: A
8) the native languages of students in an English class
A) qualitative B) quantitative
Answer: A
Page 4
1.1 Introduction to the Practice of Statistics
1 Define statistics and statistical thinking.
SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.
Provide an appropriate response.
1) What is statistics?
Answer: Statistics is the science of collecting, summarizing, organizing, and analyzing information in order to
answer questions or draw conclusions.
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
2) Which of the following is not true of statistics?
A) Statistics is used to answer questions with 100% certainty.
B) Statistics involves collecting and summarizing data.
C) Statistics can be used to organize and analyze information.
D) Statistics is about providing a measure of confidence in any conclusions
Answer: A
2 Explain the process of statistics.
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
Determine whether the underlined value is a parameter or a statistic.
1) In a survey conducted in the town of Atherton, 23% of adult respondents reported that they had been involved
in at least one car accident in the past ten years.
A) statistic B) parameter
Answer: A
2) 23.2% of the mayors of cities in an entire certain state are from minority groups.
A) parameter B) statistic
Answer: A
3) A study of 2,700 college students in the city of Pemblington found that 9% had been victims of violent crimes.
A) statistic B) parameter
Answer: A
4) 51.6% of all the residents of Idlington Garden City are female.
A) parameter B) statistic
Answer: A
5) Telephone interviews of 316 employees of a large electronics company found that 45% were dissatisfied with
their working conditions.
A) statistic B) parameter
Answer: A
6) The average age of the 65 students in Ms. Hope's political science class is 21 years 8 months.
A) parameter B) statistic
Answer: A
Page 1
, 7) Mark retired from competitive athletics last year. In his whole career as a sprinter he had competed in the
100-meters event a total of 328 times. His average time for these 328 races was 10.25 seconds.
A) parameter B) statistic
Answer: A
SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.
Provide an appropriate response.
8) A survey of 1,805 American households found that 71% of the households own a DVD recorder. Identify the
population, the sample, and the individuals in the study.
Answer: population: collection of all American households; sample: collection of 1,805 American households
surveyed; individuals: each household
9) A survey of 1,242 American households found that 32% of the households own at least two bicycles. Identify
the population, the sample, and the individuals in the study.
Answer: population: collection of all American households; sample: collection of 1,242 American households
surveyed; individuals: each household
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
10) Parking at a large university has become a very big problem. University administrators are interested in
determining the average parking time (e.g. the time it takes a student to find a parking spot) of its students. An
administrator inconspicuously followed 190 students and carefully recorded their parking times. Identify the
population of interest to the university administration.
A) the parking times of the entire set of students that park at the university
B) the parking times of the 190 students from whom the data were collected
C) the entire set of faculty, staff, and students that park at the university
D) the students that park at the university between 9 and 10 AM on Wednesdays
Answer: A
11) A manufacturer of cellular phones has decided that an assembly line is operating satisfactorily if less than 0.0
1% of the phones produced per day are defective. To check the quality of a day's production, the company
decides to randomly sample 60 phones from a day's production to test for defects. Define the population of
interest to the manufacturer.
A) all the phones produced during the day in question
B) the 60 phones sampled and tested
C) the 60 responses: defective or not defective
D) the 0.01% of the phones that are defective
Answer: A
12) A recent study attempted to estimate the proportion of Florida residents who were willing to spend more tax
dollars on protecting the Florida beaches from environmental disasters. Twenty-one hundred Florida residents
were surveyed. Which of the following is the population used in the study?
A) all Florida residents
B) the 2,100 Florida residents surveyed
C) the Florida residents who were willing to spend more tax dollars on protecting the beaches from
environmental disasters
D) all Florida residents who lived along the beaches
Answer: A
Page 2
, 13) Parking at a large university has become a very big problem. University administrators are interested in
determining the average parking time (e.g. the time it takes a student to find a parking spot) of its students. An
administrator inconspicuously followed 130 students and carefully recorded their parking times. Identify the
sample of interest to the university administration.
A) parking times of the 130 students B) parking time of a student
C) location of the parking spot D) type of car (import or domestic)
Answer: A
14) The legal profession conducted a study to determine the percentage of cardiologists who had been sued for
malpractice in the last five years. The sample was randomly chosen from a national directory of doctors.
Identify the individuals in the study.
A) each cardiologist selected from the directory
B) the responses: have been sued/have not been sued for malpractice in the last five years
C) the doctor's area of expertise (i.e., cardiology, pediatrics, etc.)
D) all cardiologists in the directory
Answer: A
SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.
15) Administrators at a large university want to know the average debt incurred by their graduates. Surveys were
mailed to 260 graduating seniors asking them to report their total student loan debt. Identify the population,
sample, and individuals in the study.
Answer: The population of interest is the student loan debt incurred by all graduates of the university. The
sample is student loan debt of the 260 graduating seniors that were collected by the university
administrators. The individuals are each graduating senior whose student loan debt was recorded.
16) A study was conducted to determine if listening to heavy metal music affects critical thinking. To test the claim,
120 subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. Both groups were administered a basic math skills exam.
The first group took the exam while heavy metal music was piped into the exam room, while the second group
took the exam in a silent room. The mean exam score for the first group was 82, and the mean exam score for
the second group was 90. The researchers concluded that heavy metal music negatively affects critical thinking.
Identify (a) the research objective, (b) the sample, (c) the descriptive statistics, and (d) the conclusions made in
the study.
Answer: (a) if listening to heavy metal music affects critical thinking
(b) the 120 subjects
(c) the mean exam score for the first group = 82, and the mean exam score for the second group was 90
(d) that heavy metal music negatively affects critical thinking
17) A telephone poll asked 1,122 registered voters "Would you vote for the current vice president if he ran for
president?" Of these 1,122 respondents, 37% would vote for the current vice president if he ran for president.
The administrators of the study concluded that 37% of all registered voters would vote for the current vice
president if he ran for president. Identify (a) the research objective, (b) the sample, (c) the descriptive statistics,
and (d) the conclusions made in the study.
Answer: (a) to determine the percentage of registered voters who would vote for the current vice president if he ran for
president
(b) the 1,122 registered voters surveyed
(c) 37% of the respondents supported reelection
(d) that 37% of all registered voters would vote for the current vice president if he ran for president
Page 3
, MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
18) Which branch of statistics deals with the organization and summarization of collected information?
A) Descriptive statistics B) Inferential statistics
C) Survey design D) Computational statistics
Answer: A
3 Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative variables.
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
Classify the variable as qualitative or quantitative.
1) the colors of book covers on a bookshelf
A) qualitative B) quantitative
Answer: A
2) the number of calls received at a company's help desk
A) quantitative B) qualitative
Answer: A
3) the number of seats in a school auditorium
A) quantitative B) qualitative
Answer: A
4) the numbers on the shirts of a football team
A) qualitative B) quantitative
Answer: A
5) the bank account numbers of the students in a class
A) qualitative B) quantitative
Answer: A
6) the weights of cases loaded onto an airport conveyor belt
A) quantitative B) qualitative
Answer: A
7) the temperatures of cups of coffee served at a restaurant
A) quantitative B) qualitative
Answer: A
8) the native languages of students in an English class
A) qualitative B) quantitative
Answer: A
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