Question 1

The amount of time a student spent studying for an exam is an example of a continuous variable.

Accepted Answer

A continuous variable is a variable that can take any value within a certain range. The amount of time a student spends studying for an exam can take on any value within a certain range (e.g. 0 hours to 10 hours), making it a continuous variable.

Question 2

The grade level (K-12) of a student is an example of a numerical variable.

Accepted Answer

The grade level of a student is an example of an ordinal variable because it represents a ranking or order of levels (e.g., 1st grade, 2nd grade, etc.) without a fixed interval between the levels.

Question 3

Marital status is an example of an ordinal scaled variable.

Accepted Answer

Marital status is a nominal scaled variable because it categorizes individuals without a specific order.

Question 4

The amount of time a student spent studying for an exam will be measured on a ratio scale.

Accepted Answer

A ratio scale involves the presence of a true zero point, which allows for meaningful ratios to be formed between measurements. The amount of time spent studying can have a true zero point (i.e. no time spent studying), making it a ratio scale measurement.

Question 5

The quality ("terrible," "poor," "fair," "acceptable," "very good," and "excellent") of a day care center is an example of a nominal scaled variable.

Accepted Answer

The quality of a day care center is not an example of a nominal scaled variable because the categories ("terrible," "poor," "fair," "acceptable," "very good," and "excellent") have an inherent order to them. This makes it an example of an ordinal scale variable. Nominal scale variables do not have any inherent order or ranking to their categories.

Question 6

A sample is the portion of the universe that is selected for analysis.

Accepted Answer

A sample is a smaller subset selected from the entire population or universe for study or analysis.

Question 7

The answer to the question "How do you rate the quality of your business statistics course" is an example of an ordinal scaled variable.

Accepted Answer

Ordinal scales are used to rank or order data points based on their magnitude, but the intervals between the data points are not necessarily equal. In this case, the response options for rating the quality of the course likely range from "poor" to "excellent" or a similar ranking system, which is characteristic of an ordinal scale.

Question 8

The number of defective apples in a single box will be measured on an interval scale.

Accepted Answer

The number of defective apples in a box is counted in whole numbers, making it a measurement on a ratio scale, not an interval scale, because it has a meaningful zero point (indicating no defective apples).

Question 9

Managers need an understanding of statistics to be able to present and describe information accurately, draw conclusions about large populations based on small samples, improve processes, and make reliable forecasts.

Accepted Answer

Managers use statistics in various aspects of decision making and problem solving, such as data analysis, risk assessment, performance evaluation, and resource allocation. By applying statistical methods and tools, they can analyze trends, patterns, and relationships in data, test hypotheses, estimate parameters, and evaluate outcomes. This enables them to make informed decisions, communicate effectively with stakeholders, identify opportunities and challenges, and continuously improve organizational performance. Therefore, statistics is an essential skill for managers in today's data-driven business environment.

Question 10

Compiling the number of registered voters who turned out to vote for the primary in Iowa is an example of descriptive statistics.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics summarize and organize characteristics of a data set, such as compiling the number of registered voters who turned out to vote, which is an example of describing a dataset without inferring beyond the data.

Question 11

Using the number of registered voters who turned out to vote for the primary in Iowa to predict the number of registered voters who will turn out to vote in Vermont's primary is an example of descriptive statistics.

Accepted Answer

Using the number of registered voters who turned out to vote in one state to predict voter turnout in another state is an example of inferential statistics, not descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics simply summarize data from a single group, whereas inferential statistics draw conclusions about a population based on data from a sample.

Question 12

The grade level (K-12) of a student is an example of a nominal scaled variable.

Accepted Answer

Nominal scale is used just to identify the grade level as would be as a vehicle identification number.No subjective value is imputed.

Question 13

The amount of calories contained in a pack of 12-ounce cheese is an example of a discrete variable.

Accepted Answer

The amount of calories contained in a pack of 12-ounce cheese is a continuous variable as it can take on any value within a range (e.g. 200 calories, 201 calories, 201.5 calories, etc.). Discrete variables, on the other hand, can only take on specific, distinct values (e.g. the number of children in a family, the number of pets a person has, etc.).

Question 14

Student grades (A to
F) are an example of continuous numerical data.

Accepted Answer

Student grades are not continuous numerical data as they fall within specific categories (A to F) rather than being on a continuous scale.

Question 15

The level of satisfaction ("Very unsatisfied," "Fairly unsatisfied," "Fairly satisfied," and "Very satisfied") in a class is an example of a categorical variable.

Accepted Answer

The levels of satisfaction are categories, not numerical measurements, making it a categorical variable.

Question 16

A professor computed the sample average exam score of 20 students and used it to estimate the average exam score of the 1,500 students taking the exam was an example of inferential statistics.

Accepted Answer

This statement describes the use of a sample statistic to make an inference about a population parameter, which is the basic concept of inferential statistics.

Question 17

The type of TV one owns is an example of an ordinal scaled variable.

Accepted Answer

The type of TV one owns is a nominal scaled variable, not an ordinal scaled variable.

Quiz 1: Introduction and Data Collection