Statistics Chapter 1

The number of workers calling in sick during any particular week is considered to be _______________ data.

Discrete

What type of variable is the number of auto accidents reported in a given month?

Discrete

The terms descriptive statistics and inferential statistics can be used interchangeably.

False

There are four levels of measurement: qualitative, quantitative, discrete, and continuous.

False

The principal difference between the interval and ratio scale of measurement is that the ratio scale has a __________________.

Meaningful zero point

The names of the positions in a corporation, such as chief operating officer or controller, are examples of what type of variable?

Qualitative

What type of variable is the number of robberies reported in your city?

Quantitative

The length of a bridge, measured in meters, is an example of:

Quantitative data

The major advantage of ordinal data over nominal data is that it allows for _________________.

Ranking or ordering

The "highest" level of measurement is ______________.

Ratio

The Nielsen Ratings break down the number of people watching a particular television show by age. What level of measurement is age?

Ratio

The incomes of 50 loan applicants are obtained. Which level of measurement is income?

Ratio

The prime rate of interest is an example of a(n) ______________ level of measurement.

Ratio

Your height and weight are examples of which level of measurement?

Ratio

Income is a variable often used in business and economics. Income is an example of a variable that uses the:

Ratio scale

A portion or part of a population is called a:

Sample

Among the many classes held at your college or university, your statistics class has been selected for a study. This one class is referred to as a ____________.

Sample

If we test a small number of light bulbs from a large group, the small group is called a ____________.

Sample

The monthly consumer price index is called a(n) ______________.

Statistic

When statisticians analyze sample data in order to draw conclusions about the characteristics of a population, this is referred to as:

Statistical inerference

The general process of gathering, organizing, summarizing, analyzing, and interpreting data is called ____________.

Statistics

The science of collecting, organizing, presenting, analyzing, and interpreting data is called __________________.

Statistics

The main purpose of descriptive statistics is to:

Summarize data in a useful and informative manner.

Which of the following is an example of a continuous variable?

Tons of concrete to complete a parking garage

The CIA World Factbook cited these numbers for the United States: • The birthrate is 13.66 births per 1,000 population. • The average life expectancy for females is 81.17 years. • Approximately 316.7 million persons reside in the United States. Each of these numbers is referred to as a statistic.

True

The average number of passengers on commercial flights between Chicago and New York City is an example of a statistic.

True

The branch of mathematics used to facilitate the collection, organization, presentation, analysis, and interpretation of numerical information is referred to as statistics.

True

The number of children in a family is a discrete variable.

True

The principal difference between the interval and ratio scale is that the ratio scale has a meaningful zero point.

True

To infer something about a population, we usually take a sample from the population.

True

Which word is NOT part of the definition of descriptive statistics?

Predicting

When TV advertisements report "2 out of 3 dentists surveyed indicated they would recommend Brand X toothpaste to their patients," an informed consumer may question the conclusion because the:

Advertisement does not include the total number of dentists surveyed.

An example of a qualitative variable is _________________.

Color of ink in a pen

A variable that can have any value within a specific range is called _______________.

Continuous

The performance of personal and business investments is measured as a percentage, "return on investment." What type of variable is "return on investment"?

Continuous

What type of variable is "pounds of popcorn" served at a movie theater?

Continuous

What type of variable is the number of gallons of gasoline pumped by a filling station during a day?

Continuous

The branch of statistics that collects, analyzes, and presents data is called _____________ statistics.

Descriptive

The branch of statistics that does not involve generalizations is called ______________.

Descriptive Statistics

The ordinal level of measurement is considered the "lowest" level of measurement.

False

A listing of 100 family annual incomes is an example of statistics.

False

A store asks shoppers for their zip code to identify market areas. Zip codes are an example of ratio data.

False

Categorizing voters as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents is an example of interval level measurement.

False

Descriptive statistics are used to find out something about a population based on a sample.

False

If we select 100 persons from 25,000 registered voters and question them about candidates and issues, the 100 persons are referred to as the population.

False

The Union of Electrical Workers of America with 9,128 members polled 362 members about a new wage package that will be submitted to management. The population is the 362 members.

False

The order that runners finish in a race would be an example of continuous data.

False

The branch of statistics that uses sample information to make conclusions about a population is called _________________ statistics.

Inferential

When we make an estimate or prediction, we use _______________.

Inferential Statistics

What level of measurement is the Centigrade temperature scale?

Interval

The reported unemployment is 5.5% of the population. What measurement scale is used to measure unemployment?

Interval or ratio

A scale used to measure a quantitative variable is either _______________ or ______________.

Interval; ratio

A marketing class of 50 students evaluated the instructor using the following scale: superior, good, average, poor, and inferior. The descriptive summary showed the following survey results: 2% superior, 8% good, 45% average, 45% poor, and 0% inferior.

Most students rated the instructor as poor or average

A survey includes a question regarding marital status that has the following responses: single, married, divorced, separated, or widowed. What is the scale of measurement for this question?

Nominal

If Gallup, Harris, and other pollsters asked people to indicate their political party affiliation as Democrat, Republican, or Independent, the data gathered would be an example of which scale of measurement?

Nominal

Shoe style is an example of what level of measurement?

Nominal

The "lowest" level of measurement is ___________.

Nominal

The Equal Employment Opportunity Act requires employers to classify their employees by gender and national origin. Which level of measurement is this?

Nominal

The members of each basketball team wear numbers on their jerseys. What scale of measurement are these numbers considered?

Nominal

What level of measurement is a person's "favorite sport"?

Nominal

A university wishes to conduct a student survey. In one of the questions students are asked to mark their gender as either male or female. Gender is an example of the:

Nominal scale

Which one of the following is NOT an example of discrete data?

Number of miles between New York City and Chicago

A bank asks customers to evaluate the drive-thru service as good, average, or poor. Which level of measurement is this classification?

Ordinal

A group of women tried five brands of fingernail polish and ranked them according to preference. What level of measurement is this?

Ordinal

Categorizing students as freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors is an example of the ______________ level of measurement.

Ordinal

Respondents were asked, "Do you now earn more than or less than you did five years ago?" What is this level of measurement?

Ordinal

The final rankings of the top 20 NCAA college basketball teams are an example of which level of measurement?

Ordinal

The lowest level of measurement that has some sort of ranking is __________.

Ordinal

Ranked data is an example of a(n) ____________ level of measurement.

Ordnal

The collection of all possible objects of interest is referred to as the ____________.

Population

A marketing research agency was hired to test a new DVD player. Consumers rated it outstanding, very good, fair, or poor. The level of measurement for this experiment is ordinal.

True

A population is a collection of all individuals, objects, or measurements of interest.

True

A sample is a portion or part of the population of interest.

True

An ordinal level of measurement implies some sort of ranking.

True

Based on a sample of 3,000 people, the civilian unemployment rate in the United States was 5.5%. 5.5% is referred to as a statistic.

True

Data measured on a nominal scale can only be classified into categories.

True

Statistics are used as a basis for making decisions.

True

Statistics are used to report the summary results of market surveys.

True

Statistics is defined as a body of techniques used to facilitate the collection, organization, presentation, analysis, and interpretation of information for the purpose of making better decisions.

True

A variable such as eye color is also referred to as a(n) _____________ variable.

qualitative