Chapter 1 - The Nature of Probability and Statistics



Chapter 1 - The Nature of Probability and Statistics

|1. |Statistics is the science of conducting studies to |

|A) |solve a system of equations. |

|B) |hypothesize, experiment, and form conclusions. |

|C) |collect, organize, summarize, analyze, and draw conclusions from data. |

|D) |monitor, study, and report on a subject. |

| | |

|2. |Probability differs from statistics in that |

|A) |Probability is the analysis of chance, statistics is the analysis of data |

|B) |Probability deals more with theoretical data, statistics deals more with real data |

|C) |Probability deals more with creating models, statistics deals more with applying models |

|D) |All of the above |

| | |

|3. |What is the term for a characteristic or attribute that can assume different values? |

| |A) datum B) variable C) exponent D) sample |

| | |

|4. |Variables with values that are determined by chance are called |

|A) |specialized. |C) |random variables. |

|B) |erratic variables. |D) |inconsistent variables. |

| | |

|5. |If a weather center monitors and calculates the average number of tornadoes that pass through Topeka, Kansas each year, what |

| |type of variable would they be investigating? |

|A) |random variable |C) |isolated variable |

|B) |controlled variable |D) |weather variable |

| | |

|6. |If you were told that four students from a class of twenty were questioned for a grade versus test preparation poll, this would |

| |be an example of |

| |A) sampling. B) surveying. C) interviewing. D) organizing. |

| | |

|7. |Inferential statistics is based on probability theory. |

| |A) True B) False |

|8. |Which branch of statistics would employ probability to predict how many miles one would be able to drive a 2000 Toyota Celica |

| |during its lifetime? |

|A) |predictive statistics |C) |inferential statistics |

|B) |descriptive statistics |D) |differential statistics |

| | |

|9. |Which branch of statistics would buy a hundred Toyotas, drive them into the ground, record the final mileage, and then write a |

| |report for Car and Driver? |

|A) |predictive statistics |C) |inferential statistics |

|B) |descriptive statistics |D) |differential statistics |

| | |

|10. |Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between a sample and a population? |

|A) |A sample is a group of populations that are subject to observation. |

|B) |A population is a group of samples that may or may not be included in a study. |

|C) |A sample is a group of subjects selected from a population to be studied. |

|D) |A population and a sample are not related. |

| | |

|11. |Based on the following graph, what conclusion could you make comparing how well students did on their statistics exam as a |

| |function of how many hours they spent preparing for the exam? |

| |[pic] |

|A) |There is no relationship between the number of hours spent preparing for the exam and the average grade. |

|B) |There is a possible relationship between grades and time spent preparing for the exam. |

|C) |Grades are independent of preparation time. |

|D) |Hours spent preparing for an exam is a dependent variable. |

| | |

|12. |Based on Mrs. Smith's electric bill for last year she expects that she will be paying $75/month this year. This is an example of|

| |descriptive statistics. |

| |A) True B) False |

|13. |The amount of time needed to run the Boston marathon is an example of which type of variable? |

| |A) discrete B) qualitative C) continuous D) none of the above |

| | |

|14. |Data can be classified as qualitative, continuous, or nonsequential. |

| |A) True B) False |

|15. |The number of birds in a tree is an example of a continuous variable. |

| |A) True B) False |

|16. |A person's hair color would be an example of a quantitative variable. |

| |A) True B) False |

|17. |The variable of height is an example of a quantitative variable. |

| |A) True B) False |

| | |

| | |

|18. |If a variable has only the possible values –1, 6, and 15, then this variable is |

|A) |a continuous variable |

|B) |a discrete variable |

|C) |both a continuous and a discrete variable |

|D) |neither a continuous nor a discrete variable |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|19. |What level of measurement classifies data into mutually exclusive (nonoverlapping), exhaustive categories in which no order or |

| |ranking can be imposed on the data? |

| |A) nominal B) ordinal C) interval D) ratio |

| | |

|20. |What level of measurement possesses all the characteristics of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero? |

| |A) nominal B) ordinal C) interval D) ratio |

| | |

|21. |If you classified the fruit in a basket as apple, orange, or banana, this would be an example of which level of measurement? |

| |A) nominal B) ordinal C) interval D) ratio |

| | |

|22. |Rating a restaurant by a number of stars is an example of an ordinal level of measurement. |

| |A) True B) False |

|23. |A variable measuring the number of people in a group |

|A) |Can only be analyzed as a continuous variable |

|B) |Can only be analyzed as a discrete variable |

|C) |Could be analyzed as either continuous or discrete depending on the whether there are a large or small number of people|

| |in the group |

|D) |Cannot be analyzed as either a continuous or as a discrete variable |

| | |

|24. |The four basic methods used to obtain samples are: random, irregular, cluster, and stratified. |

| |A) True B) False |

|25. |What type of sampling is being employed if the country is divided into economic classes and a sample is chosen from each class |

| |to be surveyed? |

|A) |random sampling |C) |stratified sampling |

|B) |systematic sampling |D) |cluster sampling |

| | |

|26. |If every 15th customer leaving a movie were surveyed, this would be an example of systematic sampling. |

| |A) True B) False |

|27. |In a research study, it is always preferable for the researcher to choose his participants as carefully as possible rather than |

| |randomly accept samples. |

| |A) True B) False |

|28. |An independent variable can also be called a(n) |

|A) |free variable. |C) |suggestive variable. |

|B) |explanatory variable. |D) |outcome variable. |

| | |

|29. |A dependent variable can also be referred to as an outcome variable. |

| |A) True B) False |

|30. |If a researcher manipulates one of the variables and tries to determine how the manipulation influences other variables, the |

| |researcher is conducting a(n) |

|A) |observational study. |C) |independent study. |

|B) |experimental study. |D) |manipulative study. |

| | |

|31. | Which of the following best defines the relationship between confounding, dependent, and independent variables? |

|A) |The confounding variable influences the independent variable, but has no effect on the dependent variable. |

|B) |The confounding variable cannot be separated from the dependent variable. |

|C) |The confounding variable may cause the dependent variable to act independently. |

|D) |The confounding variable influences the dependent variable, but cannot be separated from the independent variable. |

| | |

|32. |In a true experimental study, the subjects should be assigned to groups randomly. If this is not possible and a researcher uses |

| |intact groups, they are performing a |

|A) |quasi-experimental study. |C) |cluster study. |

|B) |convoluted study. |D) |stratified study. |

| | |

|33. |When running an experimental study, the group that is manipulated is called the treatment group. |

| |A) True B) False |

|34. |In the following chart, the height is the independent variable and the age of the tree is the dependent variable. |

| |[pic] |

| |A) True B) False |

|35. |An ad for an exercise product states: "Using this product will burn 25% more calories." This is an example of |

|A) |changing the subject |C) |suspect samples |

|B) |detached statistics |D) |ambiguous averages |

| | |

|36. |An advertisement for a computer states that it is 15% more powerful than it's competitor. This is an example of |

|A) |changing the subject |C) |suspect samples |

|B) |detached statistics |D) |ambiguous averages |

| | |

|37. |A television station interviews 7 movie viewers after the first showing of a movie. After finding out that all five enjoyed the|

| |movie very much, the reporter states that this movie will definitely be a big hit. This is an exaample of |

|A) |changing the subject |C) |suspect samples |

|B) |detached statistics |D) |ambiguous averages |

| | |

|38. |In an advertisement for a car, a driver is shown driving expertly through a difficult road course. At the bottom of the ad, the|

| |following is included in small print "Professional driver on a closed course". This is an example of |

|A) |changing the subject |C) |suspect samples |

|B) |detached statistics |D) |implied connections |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|39. |A magazine tests a new car and reports that it could be twice as fun to drive as it's predecessor. This is NOT an example of |

|A) |changing the subject |C) |suspect samples |

|B) |detached statistics |D) |implied connections |

| | |

|40. |Although it is much easier to perform long statistical computations on a calculator or computer, a student still needs to learn |

| |how these computations are done in order to understand the data. |

| |A) True B) False |

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