Question 1

Which of the following is an example of a measure of central tendency?
A) median
B) standard deviation
C) dispersion
D) distribution

Accepted Answer

A median is a measure of central tendency because it represents the middle value of a set of data, indicating where the bulk of the data lies. Standard deviation (B) and dispersion (C) are measures of variability, while distribution (D) refers to the spread of data across different values.

Question 2

Education coded as "high school diploma," "some college," "college graduate," and "advanced degree" is an example of a(n) ______-level variable.
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Accepted Answer

The categories of "high school diploma," "some college," "college graduate," and "advanced degree" represent a hierarchy of educational attainment, with "advanced degree" being the highest level and "high school diploma" being the lowest level. This represents an ordinal variable, where there is a meaningful order to the categories, but the differences between them are not necessarily equal.

Question 3

Which of the following variables has a median value?
A) marital status
B) gender
C) percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in the United States
D) ethnicity of eligible voters in the United States

Accepted Answer

Percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in the United States can be arranged in order from smallest to largest and the middle value will be the median. Marital status, gender, and ethnicity are not numerical variables and therefore cannot have a median value.

Question 4

A researcher studies presidential approval polls and finds the following values: 46, 46, 48, 49, 51, and 52. What is the median approval rating?
A) 48
B) 48.5
C) 49
D) 49.5

Accepted Answer

The median of an even number of values is the average of the two middle numbers. Here, those numbers are 48 and 49, so the median is (48 + 49) / 2 = 48.5.

Question 5

A key feature of an ordinal-level variable is that the values are ______.
A) solely categorical
B) able to be ranked
C) continuous
D) anonymous

Accepted Answer

An ordinal-level variable is a categorical variable where the categories hold a particular order or ranking. Therefore, values can be ranked, making choice B the correct answer. Choices A, C, and D do not accurately describe a key feature of an ordinal-level variable.

Question 6

A description of the amount of variation in a variable is called ______.
A) average
B) dispersion
C) diffusion
D) differentiation

Accepted Answer

The amount of variation in a variable is described by dispersion, which includes measures such as range, variance, and standard deviation.

Question 7

______ variables are measured with more precision than ______ variables.
A) Ordinal; nominal
B) Nominal; ordinal
C) Interval; ratio
D) Ratio; interval

Accepted Answer

Ordinal variables allow for rank order (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) which provides more precise information than nominal variables, which categorize data without any order.

Question 8

The median value of a variable is ______.
A) the most commonly occurring value
B) the average value
C) the upper limit value
D) the middle value

Accepted Answer

The median value is the middle value in a set of data when the data is arranged in order of magnitude. It is not the most commonly occurring value (mode) or the average value (mean). It is also not related to upper limit value.

Question 9

A researcher who wants to learn the precise differences between his or her units of analysis will likely use a(n) ______-level variable to code the characteristics.
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Accepted Answer

Interval-level variables allow for precise measurement of differences between units, as they have equal intervals between values, unlike nominal or ordinal variables.

Question 10

A table listing how many respondents to a survey reside in each state is called a ______.
A) bar graph
B) pie chart
C) region table
D) frequency distribution

Accepted Answer

A frequency distribution is the most appropriate type of table to display the number of respondents in each state. A bar graph or pie chart would be better suited for displaying percentages or proportions of respondents, rather than raw numbers. A region table is not a commonly used term in statistical analysis.

Question 11

Age, measured in years, is an example of a(n) ______-level variable.
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Accepted Answer

The answer of Age, measured in years, is an example...

Question 12

Suppose a researcher studying attitudes on gun control finds 40 percent of respondents in favor and 40 percent of respondents opposed and the remaining 20 percent uncertain. The distribution of responses would be referred to as ______.
A) multimodal
B) bimodal
C) unimodal
D) modal

Accepted Answer

The distribution of responses in this scenario is bimodal because there are two modes (i.e., two distinct peaks or clusters) of responses: one at 40 percent in favor of gun control and one at 40 percent opposed to gun control. The remaining 20 percent uncertain does not form a distinct mode.

Question 13

Every variable has one name and at least ______ value(s).
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four

Accepted Answer

The answer of Every variable has one name and at...

Question 14

A researcher studies presidential approval polls and finds the following values: 46, 46, 48, 49, 51, and 52. What is the mean approval rating?
A) 46
B) 48
C) 48.67
D) 50

Accepted Answer

To find the mean, we need to add up all the values and divide by the number of values. Adding the six ratings together gives us 46 + 46 + 48 + 49 + 51 + 52 = 292. Divide 292 by 6 (the number of values) and you get 48.67. Therefore, the mean approval rating is 48.67.

Question 15

In a study of the number of cups of coffee students drink while preparing for an exam a researcher learns that the median number of cups is 2, but the mean number of cups is 2.9. This indicates the mean is ______.
A) positively skewed
B) negatively skewed
C) perfectly symmetric
D) not skewed

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a study of the number of...

Question 16

Suppose you knew the day of the month on which each of your classmates was born. The most frequently occurring day of birth is called the ______.
A) average
B) mode
C) mean
D) median

Accepted Answer

The most frequently occurring day of birth is referred to as the mode in statistics.

Question 17

Which of the following is the most resistant measure of central tendency to skew?
A) median
B) mode
C) mean
D) dispersion

Accepted Answer

The median is the most resistant measure of central tendency to skew because it is the middle value in a data set, which is not affected by extreme values (outliers) in the distribution.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a nominal-level variable?
A) age
B) ideology on a scale from extremely liberal to extremely conservative
C) family income (in dollars)
D) gender

Accepted Answer

A nominal-level variable is a categorical variable where the values do not have any inherent order or ranking. Gender is a classic example of a nominal-level variable as the categories (male and female) do not have any order or ranking. Age, ideology, and family income, however, all have inherent order and ranking (e.g. older versus younger, more conservative versus more liberal, higher versus lower income), and are therefore not nominal-level variables.

Question 19

The cumulative percentage records the percentage of cases ______.
A) below a given level
B) above a given level
C) at or below a given level
D) at or above a given level

Accepted Answer

The cumulative percentage includes all cases at or below a given level.

Question 20

A percentile reports the percentage of cases in a distribution ______.
A) above a given value
B) at a given value
C) at or below a given value
D) below a given value

Accepted Answer

The answer of A percentile reports the percentage of cases...

Quiz 2: Measuring and Describing Variables

Which of the following is an example of a measure of central tendency?

Education coded as "high school diploma," "some college," "college graduate," and "advanced degree" is an example of a(n) ______-level variable.

Which of the following variables has a median value?

A researcher studies presidential approval polls and finds the following values: 46, 46, 48, 49, 51, and 52. What is the median approval rating?

A key feature of an ordinal-level variable is that the values are ______.

A description of the amount of variation in a variable is called ______.

variables are measured with more precision than variables.

The median value of a variable is ______.

A researcher who wants to learn the precise differences between his or her units of analysis will likely use a(n) ______-level variable to code the characteristics.

A table listing how many respondents to a survey reside in each state is called a ______.

Age, measured in years, is an example of a(n) ______-level variable.

Suppose a researcher studying attitudes on gun control finds 40 percent of respondents in favor and 40 percent of respondents opposed and the remaining 20 percent uncertain. The distribution of responses would be referred to as ______.

Every variable has one name and at least ______ value(s) .

A researcher studies presidential approval polls and finds the following values: 46, 46, 48, 49, 51, and 52. What is the mean approval rating?

In a study of the number of cups of coffee students drink while preparing for an exam a researcher learns that the median number of cups is 2, but the mean number of cups is 2.9. This indicates the mean is ______.

Suppose you knew the day of the month on which each of your classmates was born. The most frequently occurring day of birth is called the ______.

Which of the following is the most resistant measure of central tendency to skew?

Which of the following is an example of a nominal-level variable?

The cumulative percentage records the percentage of cases ______.

A percentile reports the percentage of cases in a distribution ______.