Pop Stats Quiz

The more advanced area of statistics is a) descriptive statistics. b) inferential statistics. c) population statistics. d) analytical statistics.

B

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.45.) Comparison of these two distributions would be facilitated by a) converting frequencies to relative frequencies. b) expressing the frequencies more exactly. c) expanding the Other category. d) ignoring the Other category.

A

A statistical analysis is based on a) data. b) words. c) labels. d) numbers.

A

As measures of academic achievement, grade point averages only approximate interval measurement. Nevertheless, it would be permissible to claim that a GPA of 2.00 represents a) an amount of academic achievement roughly midway between GPAs of 1.00 and 3.00. b) twice as much academic achievement as a GPA of 1.00. c) an amount of academic achievement midway between GPAs of 1.00 and 3.00. d) none of the above

A

Cumulative frequencies indicate a) how many observations fall at or below a particular class. b) how many observations fall at or above a particular class. c) either a or b depending on your perspective. d) neither a nor b

A

Data are quantitative if any single observation within a batch of observations represents a(n) a) amount or count. b) word or label. c) coding device. d) bit of information.

A

Frequency distributions for qualitative data always can be converted into a) relative frequency distributions. b) cumulative frequency distributions. c) cumulative relative frequency distributions. d) all of these

A

Frequency distributions for qualitative data are relatively easy to construct because a) classes or categories are dictated by the data. b) they usually are based on small total numbers of observations. c) data patterns are more detectable. d) all of the above

A

If the smallest observation equals 743 and the class interval width is to equal 50, the boundaries of the bottom class should be a) 700 749 b) 740 789 c) 743 792 d) 750 799

A

In a frequency distribution for ungrouped data, a) class intervals are of size one. b) observations are over summarized. c) duplicate observations can't occur. d) the range of possible observations should be very large.

A

In the following well-constructed frequency distribution, X f 135 149.99 1 120 134.99 0 105 119.99 1 90 104.99 1 75 89.99 2 60 74.99 5 10 the unit of measurement equals a) 0.01 b) 1.00 c) 13.99 d) 15.00

A

Indicate whether one, both, or neither of the following statements describes quantitative observations. a) score on this exam b) vocational goal c) both a and b d) neither a nor b

A

Indicate whether one, both, or neither of the following statements typifies inferential statistics. a) Daily meditation reduces stress. b) The national deficit for last year exceeded 500 billion. c) both a and b d) neither a nor b

A

NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.40.) This distribution isn't quite as informative as it could be because a) only relative frequencies are used. b) too many intervals are used. c) percents are carried only one digit to the right of the decimal point. d) observations create a peculiar lopsided or unbalanced pattern.

A

One inevitable byproduct of grouping data is the loss of a) the identities of individual observations. b) some data. c) some regularities or patterns in the data. d) all of these

A

Shifts to more complex levels of measurement are accompanied by sets of observations that contain a) more information. b) less information. c) more errors. d) fewer errors.

A

Statistics exists because a) variability. b) mathematics. c) complexity. d) commonalities.

A

The area of statistics that organizes and summarizes information about a collection of actual observations is known as a) descriptive statistics. b) inferential statistics c) population statistics d) analytical statistics

A

The measurement level for academic credits of Mercy College students surveyed during the current term is a) interval/ratio b) ordinal. c) nominal. d) approximately interval.

A

The most complex level of measurement is a) interval/ratio b) ordinal. c) nominal. d) approximately interval.

A

To determine whether a new sleeping pill is effective, adult insomniacs receive a pill (either real or fake, according to some impartial assignment rule) and subsequently their sleeping times are measured, in minutes, during eight-hour observation periods. This study can best be described as a) an experiment. b) an observational study. c) one involving two variables. d) one involving human subjects.

A

To organize a set of observations, such as 2, 3, 0, 5, 8, 1, 3, 1, for number of children per household, you should use a frequency distribution for ungrouped data because a) the number of possible values is small. b) observations are whole numbers. c) observations tend to cluster together. d) data are quantitative.

A

Too little summarization tends to occur if the frequency distribution contains a) too many classes. b) too few classes. c) unequal classes. d) open ended classes.

A

When data only approximate interval measurement, as often happens in the behavioral and social sciences, you should a) interpret numerical claims cautiously. b) shift to more precise measurement. c) question the worth of the data. d) develop more incisive research techniques

A

When values are rounded off, the resulting numbers are a) approximate. b) erroneous. c) misleading. d) speculative.

A

When variables cannot be manipulated by the investigator, relationships must be studied with a) observational studies b) patience c) very small numbers of subjects d) an abstract perspective

A

Whenever an outlier is encountered, first attempt to a) verify its accuracy. b) segregate it from any summary of data. c) relegate it to a footnote. d) study the special circumstances that produce it.

A

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.13.) If this frequency distribution represents the test scores for a class of ten college students, we can infer that the test probably is a) too easy. b) too difficult. c) multiple choice. d) essay.

B

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.13.) The class interval width equals a) 13.99 b) 15 c) 60 d) none of these

B

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.13.) The overall appearance or shape of this distribution is a) balanced. b) lopsided. c) regular. d) impossible to determine from the information given.

B

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.13.) The cumulative frequency for the interval 105 119.99 equals a) 1 b) 9 c) 10 d) none of these

B

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.40.) The data pattern for this distribution best can be described as a) balanced. b) lopsided. c) either balanced or lopsided, depending on your point of view. d) undecipherable because of the absence of regular frequencies.

B

. (NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.13.) The relative frequency of the interval 75 89.99 equals a) 0.10 b) 0.20 c) 0.50 d) none of these

B

. If movies are rated on a scale from four stars (outstanding) to no stars (terrible), measurement is a) interval/ratio b) ordinal. c) nominal. d) approximately interval.

B

A confounding variable a) increases the generality of a study b) compromises the interpretation of a study c) replaces the independent variable d) facilitates the interpretation of a study

B

A valid outlier a) is to be avoided at all costs. b) might enhance your understanding. c) occurs in almost every batch of data. d) indicates poor data-collecting techniques.

B

Adjacent bars in histograms share common boundaries in order to a) produce a more compact graph. b) present the data without artificial disruptions. c) minimize the effort involved in constructing the graph. d) comply with a widely adopted convention.

B

An important first step in a statistical analysis requires that observations be identified as either a) words or numerical codes. b) quantitative, ranked, or qualitative. c) true or false. d) amounts or counts.

B

An independent variable is defined as a treatment that the investigator a) measures. b) manipulates. c) modifies. d) makes.

B

If people are classified as either literate, semi-literate, or illiterate, measurement is a) interval/ratio b) ordinal. c) nominal. d) approximately interval.

B

In a well constructed frequency distribution, the size of the gap between the boundaries of classes always equals a) the width of the class. b) the unit of measurement. c) some convenient number. d) a value of one.

B

In the following frequency distribution, X f 6 1 5 2 4 3 3 0 2 0 1 3 10 an X value of 1 has a percentile rank of a) 4 b) 30 c) 40 d) 60

B

Indicate whether one, both, or neither of the following statements typifies descriptive statistics. a) It usually takes several months before a person feels "at home" in a new environment. b) My income last summer was about $10,000. c) both a and b d) neither a nor b

B

Ranked data are associated with a) all levels of measurement b) ordinal measurement c) approximately interval measurement d) nominal measurement.

B

The assignment of exact percentile ranks requires a) excessive computations. b) ungrouped data. c) accurate computations. d) a large total number of observations.

B

The attainment of interval/ratio measurement is particularly difficult when you attempt to measure a) physical characteristics. b) nonphysical characteristics. c) complex characteristics. d) simple characteristics.

B

The distinctive property of ordinal measurement is a) equal intervals. b) order. c) classification. d) a true zero.

B

. When conducting a survey, it is important that the sample be a) large. b) haphazard c) carefully selected d) random

D

To determine whether a new sleeping pill is effective, adult insomniacs receive a pill (either real or fake, according to some impartial assignment rule) and subsequently their sleeping times are measured, in minutes, during eight-hour observation periods. In this study, sleeping time is a) the independent variable. b) the dependent variable. c) either the independent or the dependent variable. d) neither the independent nor the dependent variable.

B

What's wrong with the following frequency distribution? X f 220 239 1 200 219 0 160 199 0 140 159 11 120 139 17 100 119 21 70 99 14 60 69 8 30 59 7 20 29 2 0 19 1 82 a) gaps between classes b) unequal classes c) not exactly ten classes d) nothing is wrong

B

Which level of measurement is represented twice in the following statement? In my group dynamics class, I arrived last but spoke most often during the lengthy three hour session. a) nominal b) ordinal c) approximately interval d) interval/ratio

B

Which one of the following isn't a frequency distribution for qualitative data? a) type of transportation used by college students b) length of marriages at time of divorce decrees c) ethnic backgrounds of college students d) political preferences of corporate executives

B

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.13.) The approximate percentile rank for the interval 90 104.99 is a) 10 b) 70 c) 80 d) none of these

C

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.40.) If you could obtain more detailed information about only one class, it probably should be a) 30 or more, because this covers the largest number of possible values. b) 30 or more, because the larger values always are more informative. c) 0 4, because this class contains the largest relative frequency. d) 0 4, because the smaller values always are more informative

C

(NOTE: This question requires display of the frequency distribution in 2.33.) In the frequency distribution, a percentile rank of 60 is paired with an X value of a) 3 b) 3.5 c) 4 d) 5

C

. Indicate whether one, both, or neither of the following statements describes ranked observations. a) finish order at a car race. b) birth order among children in a family c) both a and b d) neither a nor b

C

.(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.45.) Generally speaking, inspection of the above table suggests that a) males and females are about equally likely to commit suicide. b) females are about equally likely to use any of the four methods. c) males are much more likely to use firearms than females. d) males are much more likely to use poison than females.

C

Among a batch of 95 observations, the smallest observation equals 300 and the largest observation equals 349. Therefore, the class interval width should equal a) 1 b) 3 c) 5 d) 10

C

An androgynous person (that is, a person without either pronounced male or female tendencies) should have a percentile rank in the vicinity of _____ on a masculinity femininity scale. a) 10 b) 30 c) 50 d) 70

C

An experiment permits a decision about whether an observed difference is a) true or false. b) large or small. c) real or transitory. d) important or unimportant.

C

Data that approximate interval measurement receive the same statistical treatment as a) nominal and ordinal data. b) ordinal and interval data. c) interval/ratio data. d) ordinal, interval, and interval/ratio data.

C

For the following frequency distribution, X f 80 89 4 70 79 2 60 69 11 50 59 3 20 the interval 70 79 has an approximate percentile rank of a) 20 b) 30 c) 80 d) none of the above

C

A characteristic that can assume more than one value is referred to as a) fickle. b) changeable. c) a constant. d) a variable.

D

Given the following frequency distribution, SUICIDES BY METHOD, 1992 (in hundreds) METHOD MALES FEMALES Firearms 163 24 Poison 32 22 Hanging 37 9 Other 15 6 247 61 SOURCE: Statistical Abstracts of the U.S., 1995. the number of males who commit suicide with poison equals (BE CAREFUL!) a) 32 b) 320 c) 3,200 d) 32,000

C

In a survey of religious affiliation, numbers are assigned as follows: 1 None, 2 Christian, 3 Jewish, 4 Buddhist, 5 Other. Therefore it is appropriate to conclude that a) two Christians equal one Buddhist. b) a Jew is intermediate between a Christian and a Buddhist. c) five different classes of religious affiliation are being distinguished. d) religious affiliation can be treated as quantitative data

C

Indicate whether one, both, or neither of the following statements describes qualitative observations. a) place of birth b) political preference c) both a and b d) neither a nor b

C

Qualitative data are associated with a) all levels of measurement. b) interval/ratio, ordinal, and nominal measurement. c) ordinal and nominal measurement. d) nominal measurement.

C

Quantitative observations consist of a) words. b) numerical codes. c) numbers. d) all of the above

C

Some form of randomization should occur in both a) descriptive and inferential statistics b) populations and samples c) surveys and experiments d) independent and dependent variables

C

The percentile rank of an observation refers to its a) rank in the distribution. b) cumulative proportion in the distribution. c) cumulative percent in the distribution. d) cumulative frequency in the distribution.

C

The simplest level of measurement is a) interval/ratio. b) ordinal. c) nominal. d) approximately interval.

C

To convert a frequency distribution into a relative frequency distribution, a) add the frequencies of all lower intervals. b) change proportions to percents. c) divide the frequency for each interval by the total frequency for the entire distribution. d) move the decimal point two places to the right.

C

When compared to observational studies, well-designed experiments provide conclusions that are more clear-cut about a) human populations. b) relationships. c) cause-effect relationships. d) large batches of data.

C

When constructing a histogram for the ages of college students, it would be desirable to a) locate age a type of frequency along the vertical axis. b) construct only one frequency bar for all students over the age of 40. c) break the horizontal scale (with wiggly lines) between 0 and the bottom class interval. d) clearly show along the horizontal axis the upper and lower boundaries of every class interval

C

When relative standing within a distribution assumes primary importance, as with some test scores, frequencies often are converted to a) relative frequencies. b) cumulative frequencies. c) cumulative relative frequencies. d) all of these

C

Which level of measurement is not represented in the following statement? A racehorse, wearing number three, finishes second, with a time of 1.50 minutes. a) nominal b) ordinal c) approximately interval d) interval/ratio

C

Which one of the following is not a guideline for a well-constructed frequency distribution? a) Select the width of the class from convenient numbers. b) Aim for approximately ten classes. c) The lower boundary of the bottom class should coincide with the smallest observation. d) All classes should have both boundaries.

C

Which one of the following quantitative variables is not continuous? a) age b) speed c) population d) height

C

(NOTE: This question requires display of frequency distribution in 2.40.) The distribution permits us to conclude that a) about one-half of all divorced couples are married for fewer than 5 years. b) a substantial majority of all divorced couples are married for fewer than 20 years. c) a very small minority of all divorced couples are married for 30 or more years. d) all of the above

D

A distinctive property of an experiment is that the investigator decides on a) the laboratory setting. b) the two variables to be studied. c) the quantification of the dependent variable. d) who receives the special treatment.

D

A single word that best describes inferential statistics is a) analyzing. b) summarizing. c) organizing. d) generalizing.

D

For a test of math achievement, it would be preferable to attain a percentile rank of a) 1 b) 43 c) 54 d) 76

D

Frequency distributions can be constructed for a) grouped data. b) ungrouped data. c) qualitative data. d) all of these

D

Gaps among values of continuous variables are a) more apparent than real. b) caused by rounding off procedures. b) reflect our need to deal with finite numbers. d) all of the above.

D

Identify the one optional guideline for a well constructed frequency distribution. a) All observations should be included in one, and only one, class. b) All classes (with both upper and lower boundaries) should be equal in width. c) All classes even those with zero frequencies--should be listed. d) All classes should have both boundaries.

D

In a frequency distribution for grouped data, the leftmost column consists of a) frequencies. b) all possible values. c) all observed values. d) class intervals.

D

In the following frequency distribution, LENGTH OF MARRIAGE AT DIVORCE Length (years) Percent Cum Percent 30 or more 2 100 25 29 2 98 20 24 5 96 15 19 8 91 10 14 11 83 5 9 22 72 0 4 50 50 100% SOURCE: Marriage and Divorce: 1988. Vital Statistics of the United States, Vol. III, 1996. the total number of observations is a) 100 b) 1,000 c) unknown. d) unknown, but probably quite large, given the source.

D

Indicate whether one, both, or neither of the following statements describes qualitative observations. a) IQ score b) age c) both a and b d) neither a nor b

D

Indicate whether one, both, or neither of the following statements typifies descriptive statistics. a) There is a tendency for elderly people to postpone their death until after their birthday. b) People with similar personalities are mutually attracted. c) both a and b d) neither a nor b

D

It wouldn't make sense to determine _____________ for the frequency distribution of ethnic groups within the state of New York. a) cumulative frequencies b) cumulative relative frequencies c) percentile ranks d) any of these

D

Outliers are a) worthless observations. b) inaccurate observations. c) illegal observations. d) very extreme observations.

D

Quantitative data are associated with a) all levels of measurement. b) interval/ratio and ordinal measurement. c) interval/ratio d) interval/ratio and approximately interval measurement.

D

Random assignment helps us to determine whether an observed difference between two groups is a) larger than expected just by chance. b) probably is real. c) merits further attention. d) all of the above.

D

Relative frequency distributions allow us to focus on a) the part or fraction of the total frequency that occupies each class. b) the relative density of observations among different classes or categories within the same distribution. c) the shapes of two or more distributions based on different total numbers of observations. d) all of the above

D

Six is twice three only when these numbers emerge from a scale of measurement having a) classification. b) order. c) equal intervals. d) a true zero.

D

To determine the real limits of a class interval, a) ignore gaps between intervals. b) simply find the difference between tabled boundaries. c) add the tabled boundaries and divide by two. d) locate the midpoints in gaps between tabled boundaries.

D

What's wrong with the following frequency distribution? X f 200 249 23 150 199 32 100 149 16 50 99 7 78 a) unequal classes b) gaps between classes c) exclusion of zero d) too few classes

D

Which of the following is not a property of histograms? a) Units along the vertical axis reflect frequency. b) Units along the horizontal axis reflect class intervals of frequency distributions. c) Heights of bars reflect the frequencies for the various class intervals. d) The intersection of the two axes defines the lower boundary of the bottom class interval.

D

Which of the following is not one of the reasons mentioned for taking an introductory statistics class? a) better understand research reports in your special area of interest b) plan statistical analyses for modest research projects c) intelligently evaluate statistical references in news publications and TV broadcasts d) single handedly plan the analysis for any research project

D

You are asked whether 1, 3, 2, 5, 3, 7 constitute quantitative or qualitative data. Your best reply is a) quantitative because these numbers involve an amount or count. b) qualitative because these numbers reflect arbitrary numerical codes or labels. c) quantitative or qualitative depending on the accuracy of these numbers. d) quantitative or qualitative depending on whether these numbers represent an amount or count, or merely a numerical code.

D