Question 1

In a survey undertaken by a university to gauge student satisfaction in its online MBA program, one question asked students to indicate the number of credits they had transferred into the program.Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

The number of credits transferred into the program can be counted and measured, making it a quantitative variable. Quantitative variables are numerical and can be used to perform mathematical operations, which fits the description of transferred credits.

Question 2

A popular travel magazine regularly reviews hotels worldwide.In a recent issue, it focused on hotels in Hawaii.Among the variables for which it provided data was the price range for rooms with an ocean view.Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

The variable in question, which is the price range for rooms with an ocean view, is quantitative because it deals with numbers that can be measured or counted (in this case, the cost in dollars). The units are indeed in dollars, making this a quantitative variable.

Question 3

A Consumer Reports Health study on the effectiveness and safety of arthritis drugs collected data on possible side effects.This is what kind of variable?

Accepted Answer

Possible side effects are categorized into different types, making the variable both categorical and nominal.

Question 4

The Human Resources Department of a large corporation maintains records on its employees.Data are maintained of the following variables: Age, Employment Category, Education, Whether or not the employee participates in a wellness program, and Paycheck benefit deductions.Which of these variables are categorical?

Accepted Answer

Employment Category, Education, and Whether or not the employee participates in a wellness program are categorical because they represent groups or categories into which employees can be classified, rather than numerical values.

Question 5

A mid-priced chain of hotels, Hometown Suites, strives to make its guests "feel at home" by providing amenities such as microwaves in every room.Comment cards are used to get feedback on the importance of such amenities by asking guests to rate them using the scale: ___ Essential ___ Important ___ Not Important.
These data are _________________________ .

Accepted Answer

The data collected from the comment cards are qualitative because they describe attributes or categories (in this case, the importance of amenities) rather than numerical values. They are ordinal because the categories have a natural order: Essential, Important, Not Important.

Question 6

A locally owned spa, Alexander's, is interested in adding a tea room that not only offers specialty teas but an organic lunch menu.In order to determine how many of its regular customers would be interested in such an addition, Alexander's sent out a short e-mail questionnaire.One question asked its customers to indicate how much they spend monthly on all natural, organic products.These data are _____________________.

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional data are collected at a single point in time, which is the case with the questionnaire sent out by Alexander's to assess customer interest in a new tea room and organic lunch menu.

Question 7

Consumer Reports Health routinely compares drugs in terms of effectiveness and safety.In summer 2008 they reviewed drugs used to treat arthritis.Among the information reported was convenience of use (how many pills required each day) and possible side effects (e.g., dizziness, stomach upset).Convenience of use and possible side effects constitute the ________ of the study.

Accepted Answer

Convenience of use and possible side effects are the variables or aspects being measured or observed in the study, which answers the question of "What" is being studied.

Question 8

In June, 2013, Viamedia sponsored an online survey to sample a group of American adults aged 18 and older about watching television.American adults aged 18 and older constitute the ______ of the study.

Accepted Answer

The "who" in a study refers to the population or subjects being studied. In this case, the "who" is American adults aged 18 and older.

Question 9

A mid-priced chain of hotels, Hometown Suites, collects data on monthly occupancy rates for forecasting and planning purposes.These data are ______________________ .

Accepted Answer

Time series data is collected over time, such as monthly occupancy rates, to analyze trends or forecast future events.

Question 10

A locally owned spa, Alexander's, is interested in adding a tea room that not only offers specialty teas but an organic lunch menu.In order to determine how many of its regular customers would be interested in such an addition, Alexander's sent out a short e-mail questionnaire.The source of these data is _________________________ .

Accepted Answer

The source of these data is a designed survey because Alexander's actively created and sent out a questionnaire to gather specific information from its customers regarding their interest in a new tea room and organic lunch menu.

Question 11

Researchers in e-commerce design an experiment to determine what factors are most important to online consumers when completing a transaction via the Internet.Individuals perform tasks on a set of Web sites and record their impressions about various attributes.Which of the following would best describe the cases?

Accepted Answer

The cases in this context refer to the individuals who are performing tasks and recording their impressions, which are the participants in the experiment.

Question 12

Which of the following is (are) time series data?

Accepted Answer

Time series data are data points collected or recorded at a regular interval over a period of time. Weekly receipts at a clothing boutique, monthly demand for an automotive part, and quarterly sales of automobiles all represent data collected over time at regular intervals, making them examples of time series data.

Question 13

A popular travel magazine regularly reviews hotels worldwide.In a recent issue, it focused on hotels in Hawaii.Among the variables for which it provided data was whether or not the hotel included a spa.This is a _________________________ .

Accepted Answer

The variable indicating whether or not the hotel includes a spa is a categorical variable because it categorizes hotels into those that have a spa and those that do not.

Question 14

What is the "Who" in a Consumer Reports Health study on the effectiveness and safety of drugs used to treat arthritis?

Accepted Answer

The "Who" in the context of a study typically refers to the subject or main focus of the research, which in this case is the drugs used to treat arthritis.

Question 15

A few of the variables for which data were collected in the Pew Internet & Life Project study about online shopping include age, gender, income, and number of hours spent shopping online per month.Which of the variables is categorical?

Accepted Answer

Gender is a categorical variable because it categorizes individuals into groups, such as male, female, or other, without implying any numerical order or measurement.

Question 16

In the fall of 2007, the Pew Internet & Life Project conducted telephone interviews with a sample of American adults aged 18 and older about online shopping.American adults aged 18 and older constitute the ______ of the study.

Accepted Answer

The "who" in a study refers to the population or the subjects being studied. In this case, the "who" is American adults aged 18 and older.

Question 17

The Pew Internet & Life Project study about online shopping asked respondents to indicate their education level on the following scale: Less than High School, High School, Some College, College +.Which of the following statements is (are) true?

Accepted Answer

Education level is a categorical variable because it describes a characteristic that cannot be quantified by numbers in a meaningful way. It is ordinal scaled because the categories have a natural order (from less education to more education), but the differences between the categories are not necessarily consistent or measurable in a quantitative way.

Question 18

A Consumer Reports Health study on arthritis drugs takes into consideration cost.Cost _____________________________________ .

Accepted Answer

Cost is a quantitative variable because it represents a measurable quantity that can be expressed as a number, allowing for mathematical operations such as addition and subtraction.

Question 19

Which of the following is (are) based on cross sectional data?

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional data refers to data collected at a single point in time. The percentage of American adults who work full time is a snapshot of data at one point in time, making it cross-sectional.

Question 20

A university is interested in gauging student satisfaction in its online MBA program.A survey is designed and administered via the Internet to a sample of students currently active in the program.Which of the following would best describe the cases?

Accepted Answer

Respondents are the most appropriate term here because it specifically refers to individuals who answer or respond to a survey.

Quiz 1: Data and Decisions