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WGU C784 Applied Healthcare Statistics Objective
Assessment #1 Actual Exam 2026/2027 – Complete
Exam-Style Questions with Detailed Rationales | 100%
Verified – Pass Guaranteed – A+ Graded
Basic Statistical Concepts & Vocabulary
Q1: A hospital administrator wants to study the average recovery time for all patients who had
knee surgery in the United States last year. Since accessing every single record is impossible, she
selects 500 patients from various hospitals across the country for her study. What is the term for
the 500 patients selected?
A. Population
B. Parameter
C. Sample [CORRECT]
D. Statistic
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The best answer is Sample because a sample is a subset of the population that is
actually studied to gather data, whereas the population would be all knee surgery patients in the
US, not just the 500 selected.
Q2: In a study on the effects of a new drug, the calculated average blood pressure reduction for
the entire group of participants is 15 mmHg. In statistical terms, this numerical value describing
a characteristic of the sample is best defined as a:
A. Parameter
B. Statistic [CORRECT]
C. Constant
D. Variable
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: This choice is correct because a statistic is a numerical measure that describes a
characteristic of a sample (like the mean of the participants), while a parameter would describe
the entire population.
,2
Q3: Which of the following scenarios best describes the use of inferential statistics?
A. Creating a pie chart to show the distribution of blood types in a single clinic.
B. Calculating the mean age of patients in a specific hospital ward.
C. Using data from a sample of 1,000 smokers to estimate the percentage of all smokers who
develop lung cancer. [CORRECT]
D. Listing the raw scores of a class on a final exam.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The best answer is using sample data to estimate a population value because
inferential statistics involves making generalizations or predictions about a population based on
sample data, unlike the other options which are descriptive.
Q4: A researcher classifies patients into three categories: "Improved," "Unchanged," or
"Worsened" after a physical therapy regimen. What type of variable is this?
A. Quantitative and continuous
B. Quantitative and discrete
C. Qualitative and ordinal [CORRECT]
D. Qualitative and nominal
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This choice is correct because the categories have a clear, logical order or rank
(improved is better than unchanged, etc.), which defines them as ordinal, even though they are
qualitative (non-numeric).
Q5: Temperature in degrees Celsius is measured on a scale where the difference between 20°C
and 30°C is the same as between 30°C and 40°C, but 0°C does not indicate a complete absence
of heat. What level of measurement is this?
A. Nominal
B. Ordinal
C. Interval [CORRECT]
D. Ratio
,3
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This aligns with the statistical principle that interval scales have equal differences
between values but lack a true absolute zero point, unlike ratio scales which have a meaningful
zero.
Q6: Which of the following variables is considered discrete?
A. The height of a patient in centimeters
B. The weight of a newborn baby
C. The number of beds in a hospital [CORRECT]
D. The time it takes to run a mile
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The best answer is the number of beds because discrete variables can only take on
specific, countable values (you can't have 3.5 beds), whereas height, weight, and time are
continuous variables that can take any value within a range.
Q7: In a study examining the effect of a diet on weight loss, the "type of diet" (Low-carb vs.
Low-fat) is the:
A. Dependent variable
B. Independent variable [CORRECT]
C. Confounding variable
D. Control variable
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: This choice is correct because the independent variable is the one that is manipulated
or categorized to observe its effect (the diet), while the dependent variable would be the outcome
(weight loss).
Q8: What is the primary difference between a sample and a population?
A. A sample is always larger than a population.
B. A population is a subset of a sample.
, 4
C. A sample is a subset of a population used for analysis. [CORRECT]
D. There is no difference; they are synonyms.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The best answer is that a sample is a subset of a population because in statistics, we
almost always study a smaller group (sample) to make inferences about the larger group
(population) we are actually interested in.
Q9: To ensure every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected for a study, a
researcher should use:
A. Convenience sampling
B. Simple random sampling [CORRECT]
C. Snowball sampling
D. Quota sampling
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: This matches the definition of simple random sampling, where every member of the
population has an equal and known probability of being included in the sample.
Q10: A hospital manager surveys only the nurses who are on the shift during his working hours
(9 AM to 5 PM) regarding job satisfaction. This method introduces what type of bias?
A. Selection bias [CORRECT]
B. Recall bias
C. Measurement bias
D. Observer bias
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The best answer is selection bias because the manager is only sampling a convenient
subgroup (nurses on the day shift), which likely does not represent the views of night-shift nurses
or the entire population of nurses.
Q11: When a researcher divides the population into separate groups (strata) based on
characteristics like age or gender and then randomly samples from each group, they are using:
WGU C784 Applied Healthcare Statistics Objective
Assessment #1 Actual Exam 2026/2027 – Complete
Exam-Style Questions with Detailed Rationales | 100%
Verified – Pass Guaranteed – A+ Graded
Basic Statistical Concepts & Vocabulary
Q1: A hospital administrator wants to study the average recovery time for all patients who had
knee surgery in the United States last year. Since accessing every single record is impossible, she
selects 500 patients from various hospitals across the country for her study. What is the term for
the 500 patients selected?
A. Population
B. Parameter
C. Sample [CORRECT]
D. Statistic
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The best answer is Sample because a sample is a subset of the population that is
actually studied to gather data, whereas the population would be all knee surgery patients in the
US, not just the 500 selected.
Q2: In a study on the effects of a new drug, the calculated average blood pressure reduction for
the entire group of participants is 15 mmHg. In statistical terms, this numerical value describing
a characteristic of the sample is best defined as a:
A. Parameter
B. Statistic [CORRECT]
C. Constant
D. Variable
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: This choice is correct because a statistic is a numerical measure that describes a
characteristic of a sample (like the mean of the participants), while a parameter would describe
the entire population.
,2
Q3: Which of the following scenarios best describes the use of inferential statistics?
A. Creating a pie chart to show the distribution of blood types in a single clinic.
B. Calculating the mean age of patients in a specific hospital ward.
C. Using data from a sample of 1,000 smokers to estimate the percentage of all smokers who
develop lung cancer. [CORRECT]
D. Listing the raw scores of a class on a final exam.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The best answer is using sample data to estimate a population value because
inferential statistics involves making generalizations or predictions about a population based on
sample data, unlike the other options which are descriptive.
Q4: A researcher classifies patients into three categories: "Improved," "Unchanged," or
"Worsened" after a physical therapy regimen. What type of variable is this?
A. Quantitative and continuous
B. Quantitative and discrete
C. Qualitative and ordinal [CORRECT]
D. Qualitative and nominal
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This choice is correct because the categories have a clear, logical order or rank
(improved is better than unchanged, etc.), which defines them as ordinal, even though they are
qualitative (non-numeric).
Q5: Temperature in degrees Celsius is measured on a scale where the difference between 20°C
and 30°C is the same as between 30°C and 40°C, but 0°C does not indicate a complete absence
of heat. What level of measurement is this?
A. Nominal
B. Ordinal
C. Interval [CORRECT]
D. Ratio
,3
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This aligns with the statistical principle that interval scales have equal differences
between values but lack a true absolute zero point, unlike ratio scales which have a meaningful
zero.
Q6: Which of the following variables is considered discrete?
A. The height of a patient in centimeters
B. The weight of a newborn baby
C. The number of beds in a hospital [CORRECT]
D. The time it takes to run a mile
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The best answer is the number of beds because discrete variables can only take on
specific, countable values (you can't have 3.5 beds), whereas height, weight, and time are
continuous variables that can take any value within a range.
Q7: In a study examining the effect of a diet on weight loss, the "type of diet" (Low-carb vs.
Low-fat) is the:
A. Dependent variable
B. Independent variable [CORRECT]
C. Confounding variable
D. Control variable
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: This choice is correct because the independent variable is the one that is manipulated
or categorized to observe its effect (the diet), while the dependent variable would be the outcome
(weight loss).
Q8: What is the primary difference between a sample and a population?
A. A sample is always larger than a population.
B. A population is a subset of a sample.
, 4
C. A sample is a subset of a population used for analysis. [CORRECT]
D. There is no difference; they are synonyms.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The best answer is that a sample is a subset of a population because in statistics, we
almost always study a smaller group (sample) to make inferences about the larger group
(population) we are actually interested in.
Q9: To ensure every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected for a study, a
researcher should use:
A. Convenience sampling
B. Simple random sampling [CORRECT]
C. Snowball sampling
D. Quota sampling
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: This matches the definition of simple random sampling, where every member of the
population has an equal and known probability of being included in the sample.
Q10: A hospital manager surveys only the nurses who are on the shift during his working hours
(9 AM to 5 PM) regarding job satisfaction. This method introduces what type of bias?
A. Selection bias [CORRECT]
B. Recall bias
C. Measurement bias
D. Observer bias
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The best answer is selection bias because the manager is only sampling a convenient
subgroup (nurses on the day shift), which likely does not represent the views of night-shift nurses
or the entire population of nurses.
Q11: When a researcher divides the population into separate groups (strata) based on
characteristics like age or gender and then randomly samples from each group, they are using:
