Question 1

Miguel Hernandez, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Memorial Hospital is exploring the usage of nursing overtime in the emergency department during the last operating year. Staffing records and emergency department visits for 20 days between the period of January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, are selected for analysis. For this study, the group of 20 days is a ___.
A) parameter
B) sample
C) population
D) statistic
E) frame

Accepted Answer

The group of 20 days selected for analysis is a sample, as it is a subset of the entire population of days in the operating year. A parameter refers to a numerical value that describes a population, while a population is the entire group of individuals or items that the researcher is interested in studying. A statistic is a numerical value calculated from a sample that is used to estimate a population parameter. A frame is a list of all the individuals or items in the population, which is not relevant to this question.

Question 2

Rebecca Sear, Marketing Director of a regional restaurant chain, is directing a study to identify and assess the in-dining experience of the customers at one of the restaurants. She directs her staff to design a web-based market survey for distribution to all of the restaurant's 1265 customers who enjoyed a meal during the past 6 months. For this study, the set of 1265 customers is ___.
A) a parameter
B) a sample
C) the population
D) a statistic
E) the frame

Accepted Answer

The set of 1265 customers represents the entire group of individuals that the study is focused on, therefore it is the population.

Question 3

Miguel Hernandez, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Memorial Hospital is exploring the usage of nursing overtime in the emergency department during the last operating year. Staffing records and emergency department visits for all 360 days between the period of January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, are selected for analysis. Miguel's dataset can best be classified as a
A) statistic.
B) census.
C) sample.
D) sorting.
E) parameter.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Miguel Hernandez, Senior Vice President of Human...

Question 4

Sue Taylor, Director of Global Industrial Sales, is concerned by a deteriorating sales trend. Specifically, the number of customers is stable at 1,500, but they are purchasing less each year.
She orders her staff to search for causes of the downward trend by selecting a focus group of 40 industrial customers. Sue is ordering a ___.
A) statistic from the industrial customers
B) census of the industrial customers
C) sample of the industrial customers
D) sorting of the industrial customers
E) parameter of the industrial customers

Accepted Answer

Sue is ordering a sample of the industrial customers, which is a smaller subset of the total population of customers (1,500). This will allow her to gather more targeted and specific information without having to survey all 1,500 customers. Option A is incorrect because a statistic is a numerical summary of a sample or population, not the actual data. Option B is incorrect because a census is a complete count of the entire population, which would not be practical or efficient in this scenario. Option D is not a relevant term in statistics. Option E is also incorrect as a parameter refers to a numerical summary of a population, not a sample.

Question 5

The process of summarizing the data is called
A) inferential statistics.
B) quantitative data.
C) descriptive statistics.
D) deferential statistics.
E) categorical data.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics is the process of summarizing the data by using measures such as mean, median, and mode to describe the main features of the data. Inferential statistics is used to make inferences about a population based on a sample, and quantitative data refers to numerical data. Deferential statistics is not a commonly used term in statistics, and categorical data refers to data that can be grouped into categories or classifications.

Question 6

Using data from a group to generalize to a larger group involves the use of ___.
A) descriptive statistics
B) inferential statistics
C) population derivation
D) sample persuasion
E) relative level data

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics involve using data from a sample to make inferences about a larger population. This is the process of generalization and is commonly used in research and surveys. Descriptive statistics, on the other hand, only describe and summarize the data collected from a particular group. Population derivation is not a term commonly used in statistics, sample persuasion is not a valid concept in statistics, and relative level data is not a commonly used term in statistics.

Question 7

Sue Taylor, Director of Global Industrial Sales, is concerned by a deteriorating sales trend. Specifically, the number of industrial customers is stable at 1,500, but they are purchasing less each year. She orders her staff to search for causes of the downward trend by surveying all 1,500 industrial customers. For this study, the set of 1,500 industrial customers is ___.
A) a parameter
B) a sample
C) the population
D) a statistic
E) the frame

Accepted Answer

The set of 1,500 industrial customers represents the entire group of interest, so it is the population. It is not a parameter (a numerical summary of a population), a sample (a subset of a population), a statistic (a numerical summary of a sample), or a frame (a list of all individuals in a population).

Question 8

A local manufacturing plant randomly selected 200 items from a production run and 9 of them are defective. The proportion of defective items in this sample is a ___.
A) parameter
B) sample
C) population
D) statistic
E) frame

Accepted Answer

A parameter is a numerical summary of a population, which cannot be determined from a sample.
A sample is a subset of a population, which is used to make inferences about the entire population.
A population refers to the entire group of individuals, objects, or measurements that are of interest.
A statistic is a numerical summary of a sample, which is used to estimate a parameter or make inferences about a population.
A frame is a list of all the individuals, objects, or measurements that compose a population.

In this case, the manufacturing plant randomly selected 200 items from a production run to examine the proportion of defective items. Therefore, the 9 defective items found in this sample represent a statistic, which is a numerical summary of a sample, used to make inferences about the population of interest. The correct answer is D.

Question 9

Pinky Bauer, Chief Financial Officer of Harrison Haulers, Inc., suspects irregularities in the payroll system, and orders an inspection of "every tenth payroll voucher issued since January 1, 2013." Pinky is ordering a ___.
A) statistic from the payroll vouchers
B) census of the payroll vouchers
C) sample of the payroll vouchers
D) sorting of the payroll vouchers
E) parameter of the payroll vouchers

Accepted Answer

Pinky Bauer is ordering a sample of the payroll vouchers, specifically every tenth voucher issued since January 1, 2013. This sample will be used to inspect for irregularities in the payroll system, rather than conducting a census (which would involve examining every single payroll voucher) or a sorting (which would involve organizing the vouchers in a certain way). A statistic or parameter refers to a numerical description of a population or sample and is not relevant to Pinky's specific request.

Question 10

When a person collects information from the entire population, this is called a ___.
A) parameter
B) sample
C) population
D) census
E) statistic

Accepted Answer

When a person collects information from the entire population, it is called a census. A parameter is a characteristic of a population, while a sample is a subset of a population. A statistic is a numerical summary of a sample.

Question 11

Sue Taylor, Director of Global Industrial Sales, is concerned by a deteriorating sales trend. Specifically, the number of industrial customers is stable at 1,500, but they are purchasing less each year. She orders her staff to search for causes of the downward trend by selecting a focus group of 40 industrial customers. For this study, the set of 40 industrial customers is ___.
A) a parameter
B) a sample
C) the population
D) a statistic
E) the frame

Accepted Answer

The set of 40 industrial customers is a sample, as it is a subset of the larger population of industrial customers.

Question 12

Miguel Hernandez, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Memorial Hospital, is exploring the usage of nursing over-time hours in the emergency department during the last operating year (January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2012). Miguel intends to survey the emergency department nurses regarding their perception of over-time needs. For this survey y the set of all emergency department nurses who worked at Memorial Hospital during the last operating year is ___.
A) a parameter
B) a sample
C) the population
D) a statistic
E) the frame

Accepted Answer

The set of all emergency department nurses who worked at Memorial Hospital during the last operating year is the population, as it includes all individuals of interest for Miguel's survey.

Question 13

Rebecca Sear, Marketing Director of a regional restaurant chain, is directing a study to identify and assess the in-dining experience of the customers at one of the restaurants. She directs her staff to design a web-based market survey for distribution to 100 of the restaurant's 1265 customers who enjoyed a meal during the past 6 months. For this study, the set of 100 customers is ___.
A) a parameter
B) a sample
C) the population
D) a statistic
E) the frame

Accepted Answer

The set of 100 customers is a sample, as it is a subset of the population (all 1265 customers who enjoyed a meal during the past 6 months) and will be used to gather information about the larger population. Option A is incorrect because a parameter is a numerical measurement of a characteristic of a population, not a set of customers. Option C is incorrect because the population refers to all 1265 customers, not just the 100 selected for the survey. Option D is incorrect because a statistic is a numerical measurement of a characteristic of a sample, not a set of customers. Option E is incorrect because the frame is the list or method used to select the sample, rather than the sample itself.

Question 14

On discovering an improperly adjusted drill press, Jack Joyner, Director of Quality Control, ordered an inspection of every fifth casting drilled during the evening shift. Jack is ordering a ___.
A) statistic from the castings
B) census of the castings
C) sample of the castings
D) sorting of the castings
E) parameter of the castings

Accepted Answer

Jack ordering an inspection of every fifth casting drilled during the evening shift indicates that he is selecting a sample of the castings to be inspected rather than inspecting every single casting (census) or sorting them. A statistic would be a result of analyzing the sample data, and a parameter is a characteristic of the entire population of castings, which is not being examined in this situation.

Question 15

What is the first stage in statistics?
A) Organize data.
B) Identify the population to be studied.
C) Analyze data.
D) Summarize data.

Accepted Answer

The first stage in statistics is to identify the population to be studied. This involves defining the group of individuals, objects or events that are of interest to the researcher. Once the population has been identified, the researcher can then begin to collect and analyze data about this group.

Question 16

A cancer research group was interested in determining the percentage of women 40 years or older that have regularly scheduled mammograms. To accomplish this, they surveyed 500 women in this age group and based on 155 women that responded affirmatively, estimated the percentage of all women in this age group that have regularly scheduled mammograms. This process is an example of ___.
A) categorical data
B) quantitative data
C) descriptive statistics
D) inferential statistics
E) census

Accepted Answer

This is an example of inferential statistics because the research group is using data from a sample to make an inference about the population parameter (percentage of all women in this age group that have regularly scheduled mammograms).

Question 17

In statistics, conducting a survey means
A) collecting information from elements.
B) making mathematical calculations.
C) presenting data.
D) drawing graphs.

Accepted Answer

Conducting a survey in statistics means collecting information from a sample or population of elements. This information can then be used to make mathematical calculations, present data, and draw graphs, but the initial step involves collecting information through the survey process.

Question 18

Pinky Bauer, Chief Financial Officer of Harrison Haulers, Inc., suspects irregularities in the payroll system, and orders an inspection of "each and every payroll voucher issued since January 1, 2013." Pinky is ordering a ___.
A) statistic from the payroll vouchers
B) census of the payroll vouchers
C) sample of the payroll vouchers
D) sorting of the payroll vouchers
E) parameter of the payroll vouchers

Accepted Answer

A census is a complete count of a population or group. Pinky is ordering a count of each and every payroll voucher issued since January 1, 2013, which is a complete count or a census. A statistic is a numerical summary of a sample and Pinky is not interested in just a summary. A sample is a subset of a larger population, and while Pinky wants to inspect some vouchers, she wants a complete count of all vouchers. Sorting is the process of arranging data into some logical order, which is not what Pinky is looking for. Lastly, a parameter is a numerical summary of a population, but Pinky is not interested in just a summary.

Question 19

Sue Taylor, Director of Global Industrial Sales, is concerned by a deteriorating sales trend. Specifically, the number of customers is stable at 1,500, but they are purchasing less each year.
She orders her staff to search for causes of the downward trend by surveying all 1,500 industrial customers. Sue is ordering a ___.
A) statistic from the industrial customers
B) census of the industrial customers
C) sample of the industrial customers
D) sorting of the industrial customers
E) parameter of the industrial customers

Accepted Answer

A census involves surveying an entire population, in this case all 1,500 industrial customers, which is what Sue Taylor is ordering. A statistic would be a numerical summary of a sample or population, which has not been collected yet. A sample would be a subset of the population, which is not what Sue is ordering. Sorting and parameter are not relevant in this context.

Question 20

On discovering an improperly adjusted drill press, Jack Joyner, Director of Quality Control, ordered a 100% inspection of all castings drilled during the evening shift. Jack is ordering a ___.
A) statistic from the castings
B) census of the castings
C) sample of the castings
D) sorting of the castings
E) parameter of the castings

Accepted Answer

A census is a thorough inspection of all items in a population, in this case, all castings drilled during the evening shift. Therefore, choice B is the best answer. A statistic is a single measurement calculated from a sample or a population, which is not what is being ordered. A sample is a smaller subset of a population used to make inferences about the population as a whole, but a 100% inspection is not a sample. Sorting involves organizing items into different categories based on specific criteria, which is not what is happening in this scenario. A parameter is a numerical measurement that describes a characteristic of a population, but it is not being ordered in this situation.

Quiz 1: Introduction to Statistics

The process of summarizing the data is called

Using data from a group to generalize to a larger group involves the use of ___.

A local manufacturing plant randomly selected 200 items from a production run and 9 of them are defective. The proportion of defective items in this sample is a ___.

Pinky Bauer, Chief Financial Officer of Harrison Haulers, Inc., suspects irregularities in the payroll system, and orders an inspection of "every tenth payroll voucher issued since January 1, 2013." Pinky is ordering a ___.

When a person collects information from the entire population, this is called a ___.

On discovering an improperly adjusted drill press, Jack Joyner, Director of Quality Control, ordered an inspection of every fifth casting drilled during the evening shift. Jack is ordering a ___.

What is the first stage in statistics?

In statistics, conducting a survey means

Pinky Bauer, Chief Financial Officer of Harrison Haulers, Inc., suspects irregularities in the payroll system, and orders an inspection of "each and every payroll voucher issued since January 1, 2013." Pinky is ordering a ___.

On discovering an improperly adjusted drill press, Jack Joyner, Director of Quality Control, ordered a 100% inspection of all castings drilled during the evening shift. Jack is ordering a ___.