Question 1

Which of the following best describes the term 'statistics' as used in the context of this course?

Accepted Answer

The science of collecting, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data to make decisions.

Question 2

A researcher wants to know the average number of hours all college students in the U.S. spend studying per week. She surveys 1,200 students from 10 universities and finds an average of 15 hours. In this scenario, what is the population?

Accepted Answer

All college students in the U.S.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a parameter?

Accepted Answer

The average height of all adults in a country.

Question 4

A survey of 2,000 registered voters in a state found that 60% support a new education policy. Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

The 60% is a statistic because it is based on a sample.

Question 5

Which of the following best distinguishes between descriptive and inferential statistics?

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics summarize and display data; inferential statistics use sample data to draw conclusions about a population.

Question 6

A study of 1,000 patients at a hospital found that 25% had high blood pressure. The hospital administrator claims that 25% of all patients in the city have high blood pressure. Which branch of statistics is the administrator using?

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics

Question 7

In a recent survey, 834 employees in the United States were asked if they thought their jobs were highly stressful. Of the 834 respondents, 517 said yes. What is the sample in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

The 834 employees who responded to the survey.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is an example of descriptive statistics?

Accepted Answer

A report states that 32% of 1,000 surveyed 401(k) participants do not know how long their retirement savings will last.

Question 9

Suppose a university wants to know the average SAT math score of its incoming freshman class. The university calculates the average SAT math score of all 2,000 freshmen and finds it to be 600. What is this value?

Accepted Answer

A parameter, because it describes the entire population of freshmen.

Question 10

A random check of several hundred retail stores by the Food and Drug Administration found that 34% of the stores were not storing fish at the proper temperature. What is the 34% in this context?

Accepted Answer

A statistic, because it is based on a sample of stores.

Question 11

Which of the following best describes a population in statistics?

Accepted Answer

The collection of all outcomes, responses, measurements, or counts that are of interest.

Question 12

A study of 1,502 U.S. adults found that 18% of adults from households earning less than $30,000 annually do not use the Internet. Which of the following is an inference that could be drawn from this study?

Accepted Answer

The Internet may be less accessible to lower-income households.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT an example of data as defined in statistics?

Accepted Answer

A summary of a novel's plot.

Question 14

A company wants to estimate the average salary of all its employees. It randomly selects 50 employees and calculates their average salary. Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

The average salary of the 50 employees is a statistic.

Question 15

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the use of inferential statistics?

Accepted Answer

Using data from a sample of patients to estimate the average recovery time for all patients with a certain illness.

Question 16

Suppose you are given the following information: In a survey of 1,000 people, 40% said they exercise regularly. Which of the following is the correct interpretation?

Accepted Answer

40% is a statistic because it is based on a sample.

Question 17

Which of the following is a correct statement about the relationship between a sample and a population?

Accepted Answer

A sample is a subset of the population.

Question 18

A researcher collects data on the number of hours 200 randomly selected high school students spend on social media each week. She uses this data to estimate the average for all high school students in the country. What is the 200 students in this context?

Accepted Answer

The sample

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of using descriptive statistics in a real-world scenario?

Accepted Answer

Reporting that the average daily temperature in July for a city was 85°F based on recorded data.

Introduction to Statistics: Concepts, Data, and Types

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