Chapter 04

Chapter 04: Descriptive Statistics
True / False Questions
1. A data set with two values that are tied for the highest number of occurrences is called
bimodal.
True False
2 The midrange is not greatly affected by outliers.

.
True False
3 The second quartile is the same as the median.

.
True False
4. A trimmed mean may be preferable to a mean when a data set has extreme
values.
True False
5. One benefit of the box plot is that it clearly displays the standard
deviation.
True False
6 It is inappropriate to apply the Empirical Rule to a population that is right-

. skewed.
True False
7 Given the data set 10, 5, 2, 6, 3, 4, 20, the median value is 5.

.
True False
8 Given the data set 2, 5, 10, 6, 3, the median value is 3.

.
True False
9. When data are right-skewed, we expect the median to be greater than the
mean.
True False
10 The sum of the deviations around the mean is always zero.

.
True False
11 The midhinge is a robust measure of center when there are

. outliers.
True False
12. Chebyshev's Theorem says that at most 50 percent of the data lie within 2 standard deviations of the
mean.
True False
13 Chebyshev's Theorem says that at least 95 percent of the data lie within 2 standard deviations of the
. mean.
True False
14 If there are 19 data values, the median will have 10 values above it and 9 below it since n is
. odd.
True False
15 If there are 20 data values, the median will be halfway between two data values.
.
True False
16. In a left-skewed distribution, we expect that the median will be greater than the
mean.
True False
17 If the standard deviations of two samples are the same, so are their coefficients of
. variation.
True False
18 A certain health maintenance organization (HMO) examined the number of office visits by its members in the last year. This data
. set would probably be skewed to the left due to low outliers.
True False
19 A certain health maintenance organization (HMO) examined the number of office visits by its members in the last year. For this
. data set, the mean is probably not a very good measure of a "typical" person's office visits.
True False
20 Referring to this box plot of ice cream fat content, the median seems more "typical" of fat content than the midrange as a
. measure of center. (NOTE)
True False
21 Referring to this box plot of ice cream fat content, the mean would exceed the median.
.
True False
22 Referring to this box plot of ice cream fat content, the skewness would be negative.
.
True False
23 Referring to this graph of ice cream fat content, the second quartile is about 61.
.
True False
24 The range as a measure of variability is very sensitive to extreme data values.

.
True False
25 In calculating the sample variance, the sum of the squared deviations around the mean is divided by n - 1 to avoid
. underestimating the unknown population variance.
True False
26 Outliers are data values that fall beyond ±2 standard deviations from the
. mean.
True False
27 The Empirical Rule assumes that the distribution of data follows a normal curve.
.
True False
28. The Empirical Rule can be applied to any distribution, unlike Chebyshev's
theorem.
True False
29 When applying the Empirical Rule to a distribution of grades, if a student scored one standard deviation below the mean, then
. she would be at the 25 percentile of the distribution.
th
True False
30 Kurtosis cannot be judged accurately by looking at a

. histogram.
True False
31 A platykurtic distribution is more sharply peaked (i.e., thinner tails) than a normal
. distribution.
True False
32. A leptokurtic distribution is more sharply peaked (i.e., thinner tails) than a normal
distribution.
True False
33 A positive kurtosis coefficient in Excel indicates a leptokurtic condition in a distribution.

.
True False
34 A sample consists of the following data: 7, 11, 12, 18, 20, 22, 43. Using the "three standard deviation" criterion, the last
. observation (X = 43) would be considered an outlier.
True False
Multiple Choice Questions
35 The coefficient of variation is

.
A. measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
B. a unit-free statistic.
C. helpful when the sample means are zero.
D. a measure of correlation for two variables.
36. Which is not an advantage of the method of medians to find Q and Q ?

1 3
A. Ease of interpolating quartile positions
B. Ease of application in small data sets
C. Intuitive definitions without complex

formulas
D. Same method as Excel's =QUARTILE.EXC function.
37. Which is a characteristic of the mean as a measure of center?
A. Deviations do not sum to zero when there are extreme values.
B. It is less reliable than the mode when the data are continuous.
C. It utilizes all the information in a

sample.
D. It is usually equal to the median in business data.
38. The position of the median is:
A. n/2 in any sample.
B. n/2 if n is even.
C. n/2 if n is odd.
D. (n + 1)/2 in any sample.
39. Which is a characteristic of the trimmed mean as a measure of center?
A. It is similar to the mean if there are offsetting high and low

extremes.
B. It is especially helpful in a small

sample.
C. It does not require sorting the sample.
D. It is basically the same as the midrange.
40. Which is not a characteristic of the geometric mean as a measure of

center?
A. It is similar to the mean if the data are skewed

right.
B. It mitigates the effects of large data values.
C. It is useful in business data to calculate average growth rates.
D. It cannot be calculated when the data contain negative or zero values.
41 Which is not a characteristic of the standard deviation?

.
A. It is always the square root of the variance.
B. It is not applicable when data are continuous.
C. It can be calculated when the data contain negative or zero

values.
D. Its physical interpretation is not as easy as the MAD.
42. Chebyshev's Theorem:
A. applies to all samples.
B. applies only to samples from a normal population.
C. gives a narrower range of predictions than the Empirical Rule.
D. is based on Sturges' Rule for data classification.
43 Which of the following is not a valid description of an outlier?

.
A. A data value beyond the outer fences
B. A data value that is very unusual
C. A data value that lies below Q or above Q

1 3
D. A data value several standard deviations from the

mean.
44 If samples are from a normal distribution with μ = 100 and σ = 10, we

. expect:
A. about 68 percent of the data within 90 to

110.
B. almost all the data within 80 to 120.
C. about 95 percent of the data within 70 to 130.
D. about half the data to exceed 75.
45 In a sample of 10,000 observations from a normal population, how many would you expect to lie beyond three standard
. deviations of the mean?
A. None of them
B. About 27
C. About 100
D. About 127
46 The Excel formula for the standard deviation of a sample array named Data
. is:
A. =STDEV.S(Data).
B. =STANDEV(Data).
C. =STDEV.P(Data).
D. =SUM(Data)/(COUNT(Data)-1).
47. Which is not true of an outlier?
A. It is likely to be from a different population.

B. It suggests an error in recording the data.
C. It is best discarded to get a better mean.
D. It is an anomaly that may tell the researcher something.
48 Estimating the mean from grouped data will tend to be most accurate
. when:
A. observations are distributed uniformly within classes.
B. there are few classes with wide class limits.
C. the sample is not very large and bins are wide.
D. the standard deviation is large relative to the mean.
49. Which is true of the kurtosis of a distribution?
A. A distribution that is flatter than a normal distribution (i.e., thicker tails) is

mesokurtic.
B. A distribution that is more peaked than a normal distribution (i.e., thinner tails) is
platykurtic.
C. It is risky to assess kurtosis if the sample size is less than 50.
D. The expected range of the kurtosis coefficient increases as n

increases.
50. Which is true of skewness?
A. In business data, positive skewness is unusual.
B. In a negatively skewed distribution, the mean is likely to exceed the

median.
C. Skewness often is evidenced by one or more

outliers.
D. The expected range of Excel's skewness coefficient increases as n

increases.
51. Which is not true of the Empirical Rule?
A. It applies to any distribution.
B. It can be applied to fewer distributions than Chebyshev's

Theorem.
C. It assumes that the distribution of data follows a bell-shaped, normal curve.
D. It predicts more observations within μ ± kσ than Chebyshev's

Theorem.
52 Which is a correct statement concerning the median?

.
A. In a left-skewed distribution, we expect that the median will exceed the mean.
B. The sum of the deviations around the median is zero.
C. The median is an observed data value in any data set.
D. The median is halfway between Q and Q on a box plot.

1 3
53. Which statement is true?
A. With nominal data we can find the mode.
B. Outliers distort the mean but not the standard deviation.
C. Business and economic data are rarely skewed to the

right.
D. If we sample a normal population, the sample skewness coefficient is exactly

0.
54 Exam scores in a small class were 10, 10, 20, 20, 40, 60, 80, 80, 90, 100, 100. For this data set, which statement is incorrect
. concerning measures of center?
A. The median is 60.00.
B. The mode is not helpful.
C. The 5 percent trimmed mean would be

awkward.
D. The geometric mean is

35.05.
55 Exam scores in a small class were 0, 50, 50, 70, 70, 80, 90, 90, 100, 100. For this data set, which statement is incorrect
A. The median is 70.
C. The geometric mean is useless.
D. The mean is 70.

56. Exam scores in a random sample of students were 0, 50, 50, 70, 70, 80, 90, 90, 90, 100. Which statement is
incorrect?
A. The standard deviation is 29.61.
B. The data are slightly left-

skewed.
C. The midrange and mean are almost the

same.
D. The third quartile is 90.
57 For U.S. adult males, the mean height is 178 cm with a standard deviation of 8 cm and the mean weight is 84 kg with a standard
. deviation of 8 kg. Elmer is 170 cm tall and weighs 70 kg. It is most nearly correct to say that:
A. Elmer's weight is more unusual than his

height.
B. Elmer is heavier than he is tall.
C. Height and weight have the same degree of variation.
D. Height has more variation than weight.
58. John scored 85 on Prof. Hardtack's exam (Q = 40 and Q = 60). Based on the fences, which is
1 3
correct?
A. John is an extreme outlier.
B. John is an outlier.
C. John is not an
outlier.
D. John is in the 85 percentile.

th
59 John scored 35 on Prof. Johnson's exam (Q = 70 and Q = 80). Based on the fences, which is correct?
1 3
A. John is unusual but not an outlier.
C. John is neither unusual nor an outlier.

th
60. A population consists of the following data: 7, 11, 12, 18, 20, 22, 25. The population variance
is:
A. 6.07.
B. 36.82.
C. 5.16.
D. 22.86.
61 Consider the following data: 6, 7, 17, 51, 3, 17, 23, and 69. The range and the median
. are:
A. 69 and 17.5.
B. 66 and 17.5.
C. 66 and 17.
D. 69 and 17.
62 When a sample has an odd number of observations, the median is

. the:
A. observation in the center of the data

array.
B. average of the two observations in the center of the data array.
C. value of the most frequent observation.
D. average of Q and Q .
1 3
63 As a measure of variability, compared to the range, an advantage of the standard deviation

. is:
A. being calculated easily through the use of a formula.
B. considering only the data values in the middle of the data

array.
C. describing the distance between the highest and lowest values.
D. considering all data values.
64 Which two statistics offer robust measures of center when outliers are present?
.
A. Mean and mode.

B. Median and trimmed mean.
C. Midrange and geometric

mean.
D. Variance and standard deviation.
65. Which Excel function is designed to calculate z = (x - μ)/σ for a column of

data?
A. =STANDARDIZE
B. =NORM.DIST
C. =STDEV.P
D. =AVEDEV
66 Which Excel function would be least useful to calculate the quartiles for a column of
. data?
A. =STANDARDIZE
B. =PERCENTILE.EXC
C. =QUARTILE.EXC
D. =RANK
67 A sample of 50 breakfast customers of McDonald's showed the spending below. Which statement is least likely to be
. correct?
A. The median is very close to the midhinge.
B. The median purchase is slightly less than $5.
C. About 75 percent of the customers spend less than

$7.
D. The mean is a reasonable measure of center.
68 VenalCo Market Research surveyed 50 individuals who recently purchased a certain CD, revealing the age distribution shown
. below. Which statement is least defensible?
A. The mean age probably exceeds the median age.

B. The mode would be a reasonable measure of
center.
C. The data are somewhat skewed to the left.
D. The CD is unlikely to appeal to retirees.
69. Given a sample of three items (X = 4, 6, 5), which statement is

incorrect?
A. The geometric mean is

5.2.
B. The standard deviation is 1.
C. The coefficient of variation is 20 percent.
D. The quartiles are useless.
70 A sample of customers from Barnsboro National Bank shows an average account balance of $315 with a standard deviation of
. $87. A sample of customers from Wellington Savings and Loan shows an average account balance of $8350 with a standard
deviation of $1800. Which statement about account balances is correct?
A. Barnsboro Bank has more variation.
B. Wellington S&L has more variation.
C. Both have the same

variation.
71. Histograms are best used to:
A. provide a visual estimate of the standard deviation.
B. show the quartiles of the data set.
C. assess the shape of the

distribution.
D. reveal the interquartile range of the data set.
72 The ______________ shows the relationship between two variables.

.
A. box plot
B. bar chart
C. histogram
D. scatter plot
73 If the mean and median of a population are the same, then its distribution is:
.
A. normal.
B. skewed.
C. symmetric.
D. uniform
.
74. In the following data set {7, 5, 0, 2, 7, 15, 5, 2, 7, 18, 7, 3, 0}, the value 7
is:
A. the mean.
B. the mode.
C. both the mode and median.
D. both the mean and

mode.
75. The median of 600, 800, 1000, 1200

is:
A. 800.
B. 1000.
C. 900.
D. 950.
76. The 25 percentile for waiting time in a doctor's office is 19 minutes. The 75 percentile is 31 minutes. The interquartile range is:
th th
A. 12 minutes.
B. 16 minutes.
C. 22 minutes.
D. impossible to determine without knowing n.
77 The 25 percentile for waiting time in a doctor's office is 19 minutes. The 75 percentile is 31 minutes. Which is incorrect
th th
. regarding the fences?

A. The upper inner fence is 49 minutes.
B. The upper outer fence is 67

minutes.
C. A waiting time of 45 minutes exceeds the upper inner fence.
D. A waiting time of 70 minutes would be an outlier.
78 When using Chebyshev's Theorem, the minimum percentage of sample observations that will fall within two standard deviations
. of the mean will be __________ the percentage within two standard deviations if a normal distribution is assumed (Empirical
Rule).
A. smaller than
B. greater
than
C. the same as
79. Which distribution is least likely to be skewed to the right by high

values?
A. Annual incomes of n passengers on a flight from New York to

London
B. Weekend gambling losses of n customers at a major casino
C. Accident damage losses by n renters of an auto rental company
D. Cost of a plain McDonald's hamburger in n U.S. cities
80 Based on daily measurements, Bob's weight has a mean of 200 pounds with a standard deviation of 16 pounds, while Mary's
. weight has a mean of 125 pounds with a standard deviation of 15 pounds. Who has the smaller relative variation?
A. Bob
B. Mary
C. They are the same.
81 Frieda is 67 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds. Women her age have a mean height of 65 inches with a standard deviation of
. 2.5 inches and a mean weight of 125 pounds with a standard deviation of 10 pounds. In relative terms, it is correct to say that:
A. Frieda is taller and thinner than women in her age group.
B. for this group of women, weight has greater variation than

height.
C. Frieda's height is more unusual than her weight.

D. the variation coefficient exceeds 10 percent for both height and
weight.
82. Which statement is false?
A. The coefficient of variation cannot be used when the mean is

zero.
B. The standard deviation is in the same units as the mean (e.g., kilograms).
C. The mean from a frequency tabulation may differ from the mean from raw
data.
D. The skewness coefficient is zero in a sample from any normal

distribution.
83 The values of x and x can be inferred accurately except in a:

min max
A. box plot.
B. dot plot.
C. histogram.
D. scatter plot.
84 Which of the following statements is likely to be true?

.
A. The median personal income of California taxpayers would probably be near the mean.
B. The interquartile range offers a measure of income inequality among California residents.
C. For income, the sum of squared deviations about the mean is negative about half the
time.
D. For personal incomes in California, outliers in either tail would be equally likely.
85. Which statistics offer robust (resistant to outliers) measures of

center?
A. Mean, midrange, mode.
B. Median, midhinge, trimmed

mean.
C. Trimmed mean, midrange, midhinge.
D. Mean, mode, quartiles.

86 The Empirical Rule says that:
.
A. most business data sets are normally

distributed.
B. outliers are within three standard deviations of the mean.
C. in most business data we expect the mean and median to be

similar.
D. about 32 percent of the data are beyond one standard deviation from the
mean.
87 Three randomly chosen Seattle students were asked how many round trips they made to Canada last year. Their replies were 3,
. 4, 5. The geometric mean is:
A. 3.877.
B. 4.000.
C. 3.915.
D. 4.422.
88 Three randomly chosen California students were asked how many times they drove to Mexico last year. Their replies were 4, 5,
. 6. The geometric mean is:
A. 3.87.
B. 5.00.
C. 5.42.
D. 4.93.
89 Three randomly chosen Colorado students were asked how many times they went rock climbing last month. Their replies were
. 5, 6, 7. The standard deviation is:
A. 1.212.
B. 0.816.
C. 1.000.
D. 1.056.
90 Patient survival times after a certain type of surgery have a very right-skewed distribution due to a few high outliers.
. Consequently, which statement is most likely to be correct?
A. Median > Midrange
B. Mean < Median
C. Mean > Midrange
D. Mean > Trimmed Mean
91 So far this year, stock A has had a mean price of $6.58 per share with a standard deviation of $1.88, while stock B has had a
. mean price of $10.57 per share with a standard deviation of $3.02. Which stock is more volatile?
A. Stock A
B. Stock B
92. Outliers are indicated using fences on a
A. box plot.
B. dot plot.
C. histogram.
D. Pareto chart.
93. Which is not a measure of

variability?
A. Mean absolute deviation (MAD)
B. Range
C. Coefficient of variation
D. Trimmed mean
94 Twelve randomly chosen students were asked how many times they had missed class during a certain semester, with this
. result: 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 5, 9, 1, 2, 3, 3, 10. The geometric mean is:
A.
B. 2.604
C. 1.517
D.
. result: 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 5, 9, 1, 2, 3, 3, 10. The median is:
A. 7.0.
B. 3.0.
C. 3.5.
D. 2.5.
96. One disadvantage of the range is that:
A. only extreme values are used in its calculation.
B. it is expressed in different units than the

mean.
C. it does not exist for some data

sets.
D. it is undefined if any X values are 0 or

negative.
97 Which is a characteristic of the standard deviation?

.
A. It is not greatly affected by outliers.
B. It is measured in the same units as the mean.
C. It measures dispersion around the

median.
D. It has a natural, concrete meaning.
. result: 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, 3, 4, 3, 1, 1, 5, 18. For this sample, the geometric mean is:
A. 2.158.
B. 1.545.
C. 2.376.
D. 3.017.
. result: 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, 3, 4, 3, 1, 1, 5, 18. For this sample, the median is:
A. 2.
B. 3.
C. 3.5.
D. 2.5.
. result: 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, 3, 4, 3, 1, 1, 5, 18. For this sample, which measure of center is least representative of the "typical"
student?
A. Mean
B. Median
C. Mode
D. Midrange
101. Here are statistics on order sizes of Megalith Construction Supply's shipments of two kinds of construction materials last
year.
Which order sizes have greater variability?
A. Girders
B. Rivets
D. Cannot be determined without knowing

n
102 The quartiles of a distribution are most clearly revealed in which display?
.
A. Box plot
B. Scatter plot
C. Histogram
D. Dot plot
103. The sum of the deviations around the mean is:

A. greater than zero if data are right-skewed.
B. smaller when the units are smaller (e.g., milligrams versus

kilograms).
C. always zero.
D. dependent on the sample size.
104. What does the graph below (profit/sales ratios for 25 Fortune 500 companies)
reveal?
A. That the median exceeds the

mean.
B. That the data are slightly left-skewed.
C. That the interquartile range is about

8.
D. That the distribution is bell-shaped.
105 Find the sample correlation coefficient for the following data.
.
A. .8911
B. .9132
C. .9822
D. .9556
106 Heights of male students in a certain statistics class range from X = 61 to X = 79. Applying the Empirical Rule, a reasonable
min max
. estimate of σ would be:
A. 2.75.
B. 3.00.
C. 3.25.
D. 3.50.
107 A reporter for the campus paper asked five randomly chosen students how many occupants, including the driver, ride to school
. in their cars. The responses were 1, 1, 1, 1, 6. The coefficient of variation is:
A. 25 percent.
B. 250 percent.
C. 112 percent.
D. 100 percent.
108 A smooth distribution with one mode is negatively skewed (skewed to the left). The median of the distribution is $65. Which of
. the following is a reasonable value for the distribution mean?
A. $76
B. $54
C. $81
D. $65
109. In a positively skewed distribution, the percentage of observations that fall below the median
is:
A. about 50 percent.
B. less than 50 percent.
C. more than 50 percent.
D. can't tell without knowing n.
110. Which is a weakness of the mode?
A. It does not apply to qualitative data.
B. It is inappropriate for continuous data.
C. It is hard to calculate when n is small.
D. It is usually about the same as the

median.
111. The mode is least appropriate

for:
A. continuous data.
B. categorical data.
C. discrete data.
D. Likert scale data.
112 Craig operates a part-time snow-plowing business using a 2002 GMC 2500 HD extended cab short box truck. This box plot of
. Craig's MPG on 195 tanks of gas does not support which statement?
A. There are several outliers.
B. This is a very right-skewed distribution.
C. Most MPG values are concentrated in a narrow range.
D. The interquartile range is less than 2

MPG.
113 Estimate the mean exam score for the 50 students in Prof. Axolotl's class.
.
A. 59.2
B. 62.0
C. 63.5
D. 64.1
114 A survey of salary increases received during a recent year by 44 working MBA students is shown. Find the approximate mean
. percent raise.
A. 6.56
B. 6.74
C. 5.90
D. 6.39
115 The following frequency distribution shows the amount earned yesterday by employees of a large Las Vegas casino. Estimate
. the mean daily earnings.
A. $112.50
B. $125.01
C. $105.47
D. $117.13
116 The following table is the frequency distribution of parking fees for a day:
.
The mean parking fee is:
A. $7.07.
B. $6.95.
C. $7.00.
D. $7.25.
117. Find the standard deviation of this sample: 4, 7, 9, 12,

15.
A. 4.550
B. 3.798
C. 4.278
D. 2.997
th th

minutes.
C. A waiting time of 45 minutes would be an outlier.
D. The lower fences are not relevant in this problem.
119 Five homes were recently sold in Oxnard Acres. Four of the homes sold for $400,000, while the fifth home sold for $2.5 million.
. Which measure of central tendency best represents a typical home price in Oxnard Acres?
A. The mean or
median.
B. The median or
mode.
C. The mean or mode.
D. The midrange or mean.
120 In Tokyo, construction workers earn an average of ×420,000 (yen) per month with a standard deviation of ×20,000, while in
. Hamburg, Germany, construction workers earn an average of €3,200 (euros) per month with a standard deviation of €57. Who
is earning relatively more, a worker making ×460,000 per month in Tokyo or one earning €3,300 per month in Hamburg?
A. The workers are the same in relative terms.
B. The Tokyo worker is relatively better

off.
C. The Hamburg worker is relatively better

off.
121 Which statement is false? Explain.

.
A. If μ = 52 and σ = 15, then X = 81 would be an

outlier.
B. If the data are from a normal population, about 68 percent of the values will be within μ ±
σ.
C. If μ = 640 and σ = 128, then the coefficient of variation is 20

percent.
122 Which is not a measure of variability?

.
B. Standard deviation
C. Midhinge
D. Interquartile range
123 If Q = 150 and Q = 250, the upper fences (inner and outer) are:
1 3
A. 450 and 600.
B. 350 and 450.
C. 400 and 550.
D. impossible to determine without more information.
124. Variables X and Y have the strongest correlation in which scatter

plot?
A. Figure A.
B. Figure B.
C. They are about the same.
125. Which of the following statements is likely to apply to the incomes of 50 randomly chosen taxpayers in
California?
A. The median income would probably be near the mean.
B. The midhinge would be a robust measure of

center.
C. The sum of squared deviations about the mean would be negative.
D. Outliers in either tail would be equally likely.
126 A certain health maintenance organization (HMO) examined the number of office visits by each of its members in the last year.
. For this data set, we would anticipate that the geometric mean would be
A. a reasonable measure of
center.
B. zero because some HMO members would not have an office

visit.
C. too high because the distribution is likely to be skewed to the left.
D. negative because some data values would be below the mean.
. 5, 6, 7. The coefficient of variation is:
A. 16.7 percent.
B. 13.6 percent.
C. 20.0
percent.
D. 35.7
percent.
128. The mean of a population is 50 and the median is 40. Which histogram is most likely for samples from this
population?
A. Sample A.
B. Sample B.
C. Sample C.
129 If Excel's sample skewness coefficient is positive, we conclude that

.
A. the population is skewed to the right, if the sample size is small.
B. the population is symmetric, as long as the sample size is very large.
C. the coefficient is within the range of chance for a symmetric

population.
D. we should consult a table of percentiles that takes sample size into

consideration.
130 If Excel's sample kurtosis coefficient is negative, we conclude that

.
A. the population is platykurtic, as long as the sample size is

small.
B. the population is leptokurtic, as long as the sample size is large.

population.

consideration.
Short Answer Questions
131 In Osaka, Japan, stock brokers earn ×6000 per hour on the average, with a standard deviation of ×1200. In Stuttgart,
. Germany, stock brokers earn an average of €18 per hour with a standard deviation of €6. In which country is the variation in
wages greatest?
132 Find the coefficient of variation of these numbers: 14, 17, 17, 19, 26. Would the variability of those numbers be greater than,
. less than, or the same as the variability of 24, 27, 27, 29, 36? Defend your answer.
133 Ten randomly chosen students at a certain university were asked how many times they smoked marijuana during the
. preceding week. Their answers were 0, 8, 0, 0, 2, 4, 0, 0, 6, 0. A campus newspaper article appeared, with the headline
"Average Student Uses No Pot." Is this a fair assessment of central tendency? Discuss the alternatives.
134 Twelve students were asked how many credit cards they owned. The responses were 0, 0, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 11. (a) Find
. the mean, median, and mode. (b) Which measure of center seems best in this case? (c) Find the first and third quartiles. What
do they tell you?
135 Eleven students were asked how many siblings they had. The responses were 0, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5. Find the mean,
. median, mode, and geometric mean. Which would you prefer in this case, and why not the others?
136 Patient waiting times in the Tardis Orthopedic Clinic have a mean of 50 minutes with a standard deviation of 25 minutes. Within
. what range would approximately 95 percent of the waiting times lie if we were sampling a normal distribution? Do you think the
distribution is likely to be normal? Explain.
137 The athletic departments at 10 randomly selected U.S. universities were asked by the Equal Employment Opportunity
. Commission to state what percentage of their nursing scholarships were presently held by women. The responses were 5, 4,
2, 1, 1, 2, 10, 5, 5, 5. Find the mean, median, mode, and geometric mean. Which is the most appropriate measure of central
tendency? The least appropriate? Explain your answer. Is there an outlier?
138 A survey of 10 randomly chosen drivers showed the following number of persons per car, including the driver: 1, 5, 1, 5, 2, 1, 1,
. 1, 2, 1. Describe the center, variability, and skewness for this sample.
139 A national survey showed that most commuter cars contain only the driver. Hungry for a story, a campus newspaper reporter
. asked five randomly chosen commuter students how many occupants, including the driver, rode to school in their cars. Their
responses were 1, 1, 1, 1, and 6. The next day a story appeared in the paper headlined "University Commuters Double
National Average Ridership." Is this a reasonable assessment of central tendency? How would you characterize the variability
of the sample?
140 A 10-point quiz was given by Professor Ennuyeaux. Of the 10 students in the class, half got zero and the others got perfect
. scores. List the students' scores. Then find the mean, median, mode, and geometric mean of their scores. Which is the most
appropriate measure of center? The least appropriate?
141 The owner of a chicken farm kept track of each hen's eating and egg production for many months, with the results below.
. Which has more variation, feed consumption or egg output?
142. Below are the ages of 21 CEOs. Find the mean, median, and mode. Are there any outliers?
Explain.
46, 48, 49, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55, 57, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 62, 63, 63, 65, 67, 75
143 Bob's sample of freshman GPAs showed a mean of 2.72 with a standard deviation of 0.31. (a) What range would you predict
. for all the grades? For the middle 95 percent? Explain. (b) Why might your estimates be inaccurate?
144 A team of introductory statistics students went to a grocery store and recorded the total calories and fat calories for various
. kinds of soup. They produced a table of statistics and two dot plots. Write a succinct summary of the center, variability, and
shape for each data set. Note: TrimMean is the 5 percent trimmed mean (removing the smallest 5 percent and the largest 5
percent of the values, rounded to the nearest integer).
145 Here are descriptive statistics from Excel for annual per-pupil expenditures in 94 Ohio cities and home sizes in a certain
. neighborhood. Very briefly compare the variability and shape of the two data sets.
146 Below are shown a dot plot and summary statistics for a random sample of 34 shower heads. The measurements are
. maximum flow rates (in gallons per minute) at pressure of 80 pounds per square inch. Use the data to illustrate the difference
between the two alternative definitions of "outlier," and make any other comments you feel are relevant. Note: TrimMean
removes the smallest 5 percent and the largest 5 percent of the values.
147 Briefly describe these data. Sketch its box plot and describe the sample
. succinctly.
148 Craig operates a part-time snow-plowing business using a 2002 GMC 2500 HD extended cab short box truck. Describe Craig's
. gasoline mileage based on this histogram of 195 tanks of gas.
. gasoline mileage based on this box plot of 195 tanks of gas.
150 Here are advertised prices of 21 used Chevy Blazers. Describe the distribution (center, variability, shape).
.
151 Briefly describe this sample of departure delays on American Airlines flights out of Denver over a seven-day period, March 3-9
. (n = 149 flights).
152 Six graduates from Fulsome University's Master's of Waste Management program were hired by a Saudi Arabian firm at
. $110,000 each, while the other four graduates were unemployed. The university placement office bragged, "Our MWM
graduates enjoyed a median starting salary of $110,000." Is this a reasonable assessment of central tendency? What are the
alternatives?
Answer Key
True / False Questions
1. A data set with two values that are tied for the highest number of occurrences is called
bimodal.
TRUE
Bimodal means two modes.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking

Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 04-01 Explain the concepts of center, variability, and
shape.
Topic: Measures of Center
2 The midrange is not greatly affected by outliers.

.
FALSE
Extremes distort the midrange (average of highest and lowest data values).
Range: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ……………………100 1000 (101 numbers)
MIDRANGE = (1+1000)/2
Midrange = (x min + x max)/2
(NOTE: mean is affected by outlier
Median and mode are not affected by outlier)
(extreme value = outliers)

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 04-02 Calculate and interpret common measures of
center.
3. The second quartile is the same as the median.
TRUE
The second quartile, the median, and the 50 percentile are the same thing.
th
Quintiles: 5 groups (each accounts for 20% of the number of data)

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 04-07 Calculate quartiles and other
percentiles.
Topic: Percentiles, Quartiles, and Box Plots
4. A trimmed mean may be preferable to a mean when a data set has extreme
values.
TRUE
Trimming diminishes the effect of outliers.

Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
center.
5. One benefit of the box plot is that it clearly displays the standard
deviation.
FALSE
A box plot shows quartiles.

Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 04-08 Make and interpret box
plots.
6 It is inappropriate to apply the Empirical Rule to a population that is right-

. skewed.
TRUE
The E.R. applies to normal populations.

Blooms: Apply
Learning Objective: 04-05 Apply the Empirical Rule and recognize
outliers.
Topic: Standardized Data
7 Given the data set 10, 5, 2, 6, 3, 4, 20, the median value is 5.

.
TRUE
Sort and find middle value.

Sort data in the ascending order: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 20.
Median = 5

Blooms: Apply
center.
8 Given the data set 2, 5, 10, 6, 3, the median value is 3.

.
FALSE
Sort and find middle value: 2 3 5 6 10.

Blooms: Apply
center.
9. When data are right-skewed, we expect the median to be greater than the
mean.
FALSE
It's the other way around, as the mean will be pulled up by extremes.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
shape.
10. The sum of the deviations around the mean is always zero.
TRUE
The mean is the fulcrum (balancing point), so deviations must sum to

zero.

Blooms: Remember
center.
11 The midhinge is a robust measure of center when there are outliers.
.
TRUE
Outliers have little effect on the midhinge (average of the 25 and 75 percentiles).
th th

Blooms: Understand
percentiles.
12. Chebyshev's Theorem says that at most 50 percent of the data lie within 2 standard deviations of the
mean.
FALSE
At least 75 percent by Chebyshev.

Blooms: Apply
Learning Objective: 04-04 Apply Chebyshev's
theorem.
13 Chebyshev's Theorem says that at least 95 percent of the data lie within 2 standard deviations of the
. mean.
FALSE
At least 75 percent by Chebyshev.

Blooms: Apply
theorem.
14 If there are 19 data values, the median will have 10 values above it and 9 below it since n is odd.
.
FALSE
When n is odd, the median is the middle member of the sorted data set. In this case, the median is x and there will be 9 below
10
x (x ,..., x ) and 9 above x (x ,..., x ).

10 1 9 10 11 19

Blooms: Apply
center.
15 If there are 20 data values, the median will be halfway between two data values.
.
TRUE
Median is between two data values when n is even.

Blooms: Apply
center.
16. In a left-skewed distribution, we expect that the median will be greater than the
mean.
TRUE
Mean is likely to be pulled down by low extremes.

Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
shape.
17 If the standard deviations of two samples are the same, so are their coefficients of
. variation.
FALSE
The means may differ, which affects the C.V.

Blooms: Apply
variability.
Topic: Measures of Variability
18 A certain health maintenance organization (HMO) examined the number of office visits by its members in the last year. This data
. set would probably be skewed to the left due to low outliers.
FALSE
Lower bound is zero, but high extremes are likely for sicker individuals.
Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 3 Hard
shape.
19 A certain health maintenance organization (HMO) examined the number of office visits by its members in the last year. For this
. data set, the mean is probably not a very good measure of a "typical" person's office visits.
TRUE
Lower bound is zero, but high extremes are likely for sicker individuals.

Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
20 Referring to this box plot of ice cream fat content, the median seems more "typical" of fat content than the midrange as a
. measure of center.
TRUE
Midrange (average of low and high) will be pulled down by left-tail minimum.
EXPLANATION:
If the data is skewed or has outliers, the median is a more robust measure of the centre than
the midrange.
The midrange is the mathematical average of the minimum and maximum values in the
dataset and can be influenced heavily by outliers.
Whereas, the median is the value that separates the lower 50% of the dataset from the upper
50%, and it is not affected by extreme values or outliers in the same way as the midrange.
Here, In the given boxplot, the data is heavily left skewed, and the distribution is totally non-
symmetric. Hence, we can say that the median is a better measure of the "typical" value than
the midrange.
Hence, True
Explanation:
Therefore the statement that, the median seems more "typical" of fat content than the
midrange as a measure of center is True.
Blooms: Apply
plots.
21 Referring to this box plot of ice cream fat content, the mean would exceed the median.
.
FALSE
Data are skewed left.

Blooms: Apply
plots.
22 Referring to this box plot of ice cream fat content, the skewness would be negative.
.
TRUE
Data are skewed left (negative skewness) as indicated by long left tail.

Blooms: Apply
plots.
23 Referring to this graph of ice cream fat content, the second quartile is about 61.
.
TRUE
Drop a line to lower axis to hit at 61.

Blooms: Apply
plots.
24 The range as a measure of variability is very sensitive to extreme data values.

.
TRUE
Range depends only on highest and lowest data values, so it is easily distorted.

Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
variability.
25 In calculating the sample variance, the sum of the squared deviations around the mean is divided by n - 1 to avoid
. underestimating the unknown population variance.
TRUE
Check the definition. You lose one piece of information because the mean is estimated.

Blooms: Understand
variability.
26 Outliers are data values that fall beyond ±2 standard deviations from the
. mean.
FALSE
Outliers are 3 standard deviations from the mean.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
outliers.
27 The Empirical Rule assumes that the distribution of data follows a normal curve.
.
TRUE
Unlike Chebyshev, the E.R. assumes a normal population.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
outliers.
28. The Empirical Rule can be applied to any distribution, unlike Chebyshev's theorem.
FALSE
The E.R. assumes a normal population, while Chebyshev applies to any

population.

Blooms: Understand
outliers.
29 When applying the Empirical Rule to a distribution of grades, if a student scored one standard deviation below the mean, then
. she would be at the 25 percentile of the distribution.
th
FALSE
About 15.87 percent (not 25 percent) are less than one standard deviation below the mean (in a normal distribution).
(100%-68%)/2 = 16%
She would be at the 25 percentile of the distribution. This means that she will be top 75%.
th
NOTE:
Tại vị trí mean – SD thì đó là 16th percentile
Tại vị trí mean + Sd thì đó là top 16%

Blooms: Apply
outliers.
30 Kurtosis cannot be judged accurately by looking at a histogram.

.
TRUE
Histograms are affected by scaling, so peakedness is hard to judge.

Blooms: Apply
Learning Objective: 04-11 Assess skewness and kurtosis in a
sample.
Topic: Skewness and Kurtosis
31 A platykurtic distribution is more sharply peaked (i.e., thinner tails) than a normal
. distribution.
FALSE
Platykurtic is flatter than a normal distribution (thicker tails).

Blooms: Remember
sample.
32. A leptokurtic distribution is more sharply peaked (i.e., thinner tails) than a normal
distribution.
TRUE
Leptokurtic is more sharply peaked and has thinner tails.

Blooms: Remember
sample.
33 A positive kurtosis coefficient in Excel indicates a leptokurtic condition in a distribution.

.
TRUE
The sign of Excel's kurtosis coefficient indicates the kurtosis direction relative to a normal distribution.
Blooms: Remember
sample.
34 A sample consists of the following data: 7, 11, 12, 18, 20, 22, 43. Using the "three standard deviation" criterion, the last
. observation (X = 43) would be considered an outlier.
FALSE
43 is not more than three standard deviations above the mean for this data set.
µ = 19
σ = 11.9
(µ ± 3σ)
 Interval = (-16,7 ; 54,7)
 43 is within that interval; therefore, 43 is within 3 standard deviation. So, 43 is not outlier
NOTE: Tuy nhiên nếu đề hỏi số 56 có phải outlier hay không, thì câu trả lời là có vì 56 > 54,7.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 04-06 Transform a data set into standardized
values.
Multiple Choice Questions
35. The coefficient of variation is
A. measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
B. a unit-free statistic.
C. helpful when the sample means are zero.
D. a measure of correlation for two variables.

The C.V. is unit free. It is the standard deviation as a percentage of the
mean.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
variability.
36 Which is not an advantage of the method of medians to find Q and Q ?

1 3
A. Ease of interpolating quartile positions
B. Ease of application in small data sets
C. Intuitive definitions without complex

formulas
D. Same method as Excel's =QUARTILE.EXC function.
When the quartiles lie between two data values, the method of medians goes halfway between the values (very simple), while
Excel interpolates between them in a more complex way.

Blooms: Understand
percentiles.
37 Which is a characteristic of the mean as a measure of center?

.
A. Deviations do not sum to zero when there are extreme values.
B. It is less reliable than the mode when the data are continuous.
C. It utilizes all the information in a

sample.
D. It is usually equal to the median in business data.
The mean utilizes all n data values. Deviations always sum to zero around the mean. The mean works for continuous data
(unlike the mode). The mean often differs from the median in business data.

Blooms: Understand
center.
38 The position of the median is:

.
A. n/2 in any sample.
B. n/2 if n is even.
C. n/2 if n is odd.
D. (n + 1)/2 in any sample.
This formula always works for the median position. For example, if n = 10 (even) the median is at position (10 + 1)/2 = 5.5, or
halfway between x and x . But if n = 11 (odd) the median is at position (11 + 1)/2 = 6, which is observation x .
5 6 6

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
39. Which is a characteristic of the trimmed mean as a measure of center?
A. It is similar to the mean if there are offsetting high and low

extremes.
B. It is especially helpful in a small

sample.
C. It does not require sorting the sample.
D. It is basically the same as the midrange.
After sorting, we can trim unusual values to stabilize the mean.

Blooms: Understand
center.
40 Which is not a characteristic of the geometric mean as a measure of center?

.
A. It is similar to the mean if the data are skewed
right.
B. It mitigates the effects of large data values.
C. It is useful in business data to calculate average growth rates.
D. It cannot be calculated when the data contain negative or zero values.
Although both the mean and the geometric mean are affected by high extremes in skewed data, the geometric mean tends to
reduce their influence.

Blooms: Understand
center.
41 Which is not a characteristic of the standard deviation?

.
A. It is always the square root of the variance.
B. It is not applicable when data are continuous.
C. It can be calculated when the data contain negative or zero

values.
D. Its physical interpretation is not as easy as the MAD.
The standard deviation applies to any data measured on a ratio or interval scale. Because it is a square root, its visual
interpretation may be less clear than the MAD.

Blooms: Remember
variability.
42 Chebyshev's Theorem:
.
A. applies to all samples.
B. applies only to samples from a normal population.
C. gives a narrower range of predictions than the Empirical Rule.

D. is based on Sturges' Rule for data classification.
The strength of Chebyshev's Theorem is that it makes no assumption about normality, while the E.R. only works for normal
populations.

Blooms: Remember
theorem.
43 Which of the following is not a valid description of an outlier?

.
A. A data value beyond the outer fences
B. A data value that is very unusual
C. A data value that lies below Q or above Q

1 3
D. A data value several standard deviations from the

mean.
Data values outside the quartiles (top or bottom 25 percent) are not very
unusual.

Blooms: Apply
outliers.
44 If samples are from a normal distribution with μ = 100 and σ = 10, we

. expect:
A. about 68 percent of the data within 90 to 110.
B. almost all the data within 80 to 120.
C. about 95 percent of the data within 70 to 130.
D. about half the data to exceed 75.
Review the Empirical Rule. The range 90 to 110 is the μ ± 1σ range.

Blooms: Apply
outliers.
45 In a sample of 10,000 observations from a normal population, how many would you expect to lie beyond three standard
. deviations of the mean?
A. None of them
B. About 27
C. About 100
D. About 127
Within μ ± 3σ we would expect 99.73 percent of 10,000, or 9,973 data values.

Blooms: Apply
outliers.
46 The Excel formula for the standard deviation of a sample array named Data
. is:
A. =STDEV.S(Data).
B. =STANDEV(Data).
C. =STDEV.P(Data).
D. =SUM(Data)/(COUNT(Data)-1).
STDEV.S(Data) denotes a sample standard deviation.
AACSB: Technology
Blooms: Remember
variability.
47. Which is not true of an outlier?

A. It is likely to be from a different population.
B. It suggests an error in recording the data.
C. It is best discarded to get a better mean.
D. It is an anomaly that may tell the researcher something.
We are reluctant to delete outliers, as they may tell us something

important.

Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
outliers.
48. Estimating the mean from grouped data will tend to be most accurate when:
A. observations are distributed uniformly within

classes.
B. there are few classes with wide class limits.
C. the sample is not very large and bins are wide.
D. the standard deviation is large relative to the mean.
Many bins and uniform data distribution within bins would give a result closest to the ungrouped mean
μ.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 04-10 Calculate the mean and standard deviation from grouped
data.
Topic: Grouped Data
49 Which is true of the kurtosis of a distribution?

.
A. A distribution that is flatter than a normal distribution (i.e., thicker tails) is

mesokurtic.
B. A distribution that is more peaked than a normal distribution (i.e., thinner tails) is
platykurtic.
C. It is risky to assess kurtosis if the sample size is less than 50.

D. The expected range of the kurtosis coefficient increases as n
increases.
Shape is hard to judge in small samples. The 50 is just a rule of thumb. Excel computes kurtosis for samples of any size, but
tables of critical values may not go down below 50.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
sample.
50 Which is true of skewness?

.
A. In business data, positive skewness is unusual.
B. In a negatively skewed distribution, the mean is likely to exceed the

median.
C. Skewness often is evidenced by one or more

outliers.
D. The expected range of Excel's skewness coefficient increases as n

increases.
Skewness due to extreme data values is common in business data. Right skewness is common, which increases the mean
relative to the median.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
sample.
51 Which is not true of the Empirical Rule?

.
A. It applies to any distribution.
B. It can be applied to fewer distributions than Chebyshev's

Theorem.
C. It assumes that the distribution of data follows a bell-shaped, normal curve.
D. It predicts more observations within μ ± kσ than Chebyshev's

Theorem.
The E.R. applies only to normal populations, while Chebyshev's Theorem is general.
Blooms: Understand
outliers.
52 Which is a correct statement concerning the median?

.
A. In a left-skewed distribution, we expect that the median will exceed the mean.
B. The sum of the deviations around the median is zero.
C. The median is an observed data value in any data set.
D. The median is halfway between Q and Q on a box plot.

1 3
The mean is pulled down in left-skewed data, but deviations around it sum to zero in any data set. The median may be between
two data values and may not be in the middle of the box plot.

Blooms: Apply
center.
53. Which statement is true?
A. With nominal data we can find the

mode.
B. Outliers distort the mean but not the standard deviation.
C. Business and economic data are rarely skewed to the

right.
D. If we sample a normal population, the sample skewness coefficient is exactly

0.
The mode works well for nominal data.

Blooms: Understand
center.
54 Exam scores in a small class were 10, 10, 20, 20, 40, 60, 80, 80, 90, 100, 100. For this data set, which statement is incorrect
A. The median is 60.00.
C. The 5 percent trimmed mean would be

awkward.
D. The geometric mean is

35.05.
To find the geometric mean, multiply the data values and take the 11 root to get G = 41.02. Outliers affect both the mean and
th
the standard deviation. There are multiple modes in this example.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
55 Exam scores in a small class were 0, 50, 50, 70, 70, 80, 90, 90, 100, 100. For this data set, which statement is incorrect
A. The median is 70.
C. The geometric mean is useless.
D. The mean is 70.
The median is 75 (halfway between x = 70 and x = 80 in the sorted array). The zeros render the geometric mean useless. The
5 6
modes in this case are not unique.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
56. Exam scores in a random sample of students were 0, 50, 50, 70, 70, 80, 90, 90, 90, 100. Which statement is
incorrect?
A. The standard deviation is 29.61.
B. The data are slightly left-

skewed.
C. The midrange and mean are almost the

same.
D. The third quartile is 90.
The midrange is (0 + 100)/2 = 50, while the mean is 69.

Blooms: Apply
center.
57 For U.S. adult males, the mean height is 178 cm with a standard deviation of 8 cm and the mean weight is 84 kg with a standard
. deviation of 8 kg. Elmer is 170 cm tall and weighs 70 kg. It is most nearly correct to say that:
A. Elmer's weight is more unusual than his height.
B. Elmer is heavier than he is tall.
C. Height and weight have the same degree of variation.
D. Height has more variation than weight.
Convert Elmer's height and weight to z-scores. For Elmer's weight, z = (x - μ)/σ = (70 - 84)/8 = -1.75, while for Elmer's height, z
= (x - μ)/σ = (170 - 178)/8 = -1.00. Therefore, Elmer is farther from the mean weight than from the mean height.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
values.
58. John scored 85 on Prof. Hardtack's exam (Q = 40 and Q = 60). Based on the fences, which is
1 3
correct?
A. John is an extreme outlier.
C. John is not an
outlier.
th
The upper inner fence is 60 + 1.5(60 - 40) = 90 so John is not an outlier.

Blooms: Apply
percentiles.
59 John scored 35 on Prof. Johnson's exam (Q = 70 and Q = 80). Based on the fences, which is correct?
1 3
A. John is unusual but not an outlier.
C. John is neither unusual nor an outlier.

th
The lower inner fence is 70 - 1.5(80 - 70) = 55 so John is an outlier. Actually, John is an extreme outlier because the lower outer
fence is 70 - 3.0(80 - 70) = 40.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
percentiles.
60. A population consists of the following data: 7, 11, 12, 18, 20, 22, 25. The population variance
is:
A. 6.07.
B. 36.82.
C. 5.16.
D. 22.86.
Use the population formula or Excel's =VAR.P(Data).

Blooms: Apply
variability.
61 Consider the following data: 6, 7, 17, 51, 3, 17, 23, and 69. The range and the median
. are:
A. 69 and 17.5.
B. 66 and 17.5.
C. 66 and 17.
D. 69 and 17.
Range = x - x = 69 - 3 = 66. Median is halfway between 17 and 17.

max min

Blooms: Apply
center.
62 When a sample has an odd number of observations, the median is the:

.
A. observation in the center of the data array.
B. average of the two observations in the center of the data array.
C. value of the most frequent observation.
D. average of Q and Q .
1 3
Median position is always (n + 1)/2. It need not be halfway between the quartiles.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
center.
63 As a measure of variability, compared to the range, an advantage of the standard deviation

. is:
A. being calculated easily through the use of a formula.
B. considering only the data values in the middle of the data

array.
C. describing the distance between the highest and lowest values.
D. considering all data values.
The range is easy to calculate but utilizes only two data values, which may be unusual.

Blooms: Remember
variability.
64 Which two statistics offer robust measures of center when outliers are present?
.
A. Mean and mode.
B. Median and trimmed

mean.
C. Midrange and geometric

mean.
D. Variance and standard deviation.
Extremes are excluded from the trimmed mean and do not affect the median.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
center.
65. Which Excel function is designed to calculate z = (x - μ)/σ for a column of

data?
A. =STANDARDIZE
B. =NORM.DIST
C. =STDEV.P
D. =AVEDEV
You need the sample mean and sample standard deviation to find the z-score.
AACSB: Technology
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
values.
66 Which Excel function would be least useful to calculate the quartiles for a column of
. data?
A. =STANDARDIZE
B. =PERCENTILE.EXC
C. =QUARTILE.EXC
D. =RANK
Check Appendix J for function definitions.
AACSB: Technology
Blooms: Remember
percentiles.
67 A sample of 50 breakfast customers of McDonald's showed the spending below. Which statement is least likely to be
. correct?
A. The median is very close to the midhinge.
B. The median purchase is slightly less than $5.
C. About 75 percent of the customers spend less than

$7.
D. The mean is a reasonable measure of center.
Outliers and right-skewness would affect the mean.

Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 3 Hard
plots.
68 VenalCo Market Research surveyed 50 individuals who recently purchased a certain CD, revealing the age distribution shown
. below. Which statement is least defensible?
A. The mean age probably exceeds the median age.
B. The mode would be a reasonable measure of

center.
C. The data are somewhat skewed to the left.
D. The CD is unlikely to appeal to retirees.
EXPLANATION:
The mean would be lower than the median due to left-skewness.
This distribution is skewed left so mean < median < mode.

Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
69 Given a sample of three items (X = 4, 6, 5), which statement is incorrect?

.
A. The geometric mean is 5.2.
B. The standard deviation is 1.
C. The coefficient of variation is 20 percent.
D. The quartiles are useless.
Multiply and take the 3 root to get the geometric mean of 4.932. With only three data values, the quartiles cannot be calculated
rd
(we can't divide three items into four groups).

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
center.
70 A sample of customers from Barnsboro National Bank shows an average account balance of $315 with a standard deviation of
. $87. A sample of customers from Wellington Savings and Loan shows an average account balance of $8350 with a standard
deviation of $1800. Which statement about account balances is correct?
A. Barnsboro Bank has more variation.
B. Wellington S&L has more variation.
C. Both have the same

variation.
Calculate the coefficient of variation for each bank. For Barnsboro, CV = 100 × s/= 100 × 87/315 = 27.62, while for Wellington
CV = 100 × s/= 100 × 1800/8350 = 21.56.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
variability.
71 Histograms are best used to:

.
A. provide a visual estimate of the standard deviation.
B. show the quartiles of the data set.
C. assess the shape of the

distribution.
D. reveal the interquartile range of the data set.
A histogram does not show quartiles or standard deviation.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
shape.
72 The ______________ shows the relationship between two variables.

.
A. box plot
B. bar chart
C. histogram
D. scatter plot
The X-Y scatter plot measures association in a visual way.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 04-09 Calculate and interpret a correlation coefficient and
covariance.
Topic: Correlation and Covariance
73 If the mean and median of a population are the same, then its distribution is:
.
A. normal.
B. skewed.
C. symmetric.
D. uniform
.
Symmetry exists in normal or uniform populations.

Blooms: Remember
center.
74. In the following data set {7, 5, 0, 2, 7, 15, 5, 2, 7, 18, 7, 3, 0}, the value 7
is:
A. the mean.
B. the mode.
C. both the mode and median.
D. both the mean and

mode.
The value 7 occurs four times. The median is 5. The mean is 6.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
center.
Topic: Measures 3of Center
75 The median of 600, 800, 1000, 1200 is:

.
A. 800.
B. 1000.
C. 900.
D. 950.
Median is halfway between 800 and 1000.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
center.
76. The 25 percentile for waiting time in a doctor's office is 19 minutes. The 75 percentile is 31 minutes. The interquartile range is:
th th
A. 12 minutes.
B. 16 minutes.
C. 22 minutes.
D. impossible to determine without knowing n.
The IQR is 31 - 19 = 12.

Blooms: Apply
percentiles.
th th


minutes.
C. A waiting time of 45 minutes exceeds the upper inner fence.
D. A waiting time of 70 minutes would be an outlier.
Apply definitions of fences. For example, the upper inner fence is 31 + 1.5(31 - 19) = 49.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
percentiles.
78 When using Chebyshev's Theorem, the minimum percentage of sample observations that will fall within two standard deviations
. of the mean will be __________ the percentage within two standard deviations if a normal distribution is assumed (Empirical
Rule).
A. smaller than
B. greater
than
C. the same as
Chebyshev guarantees fewer observations within two standard deviations than the E.R.

Blooms: Apply
theorem.
79 Which distribution is least likely to be skewed to the right by high values?

.
A. Annual incomes of n passengers on a flight from New York to

London
B. Weekend gambling losses of n customers at a major casino
C. Accident damage losses by n renters of an auto rental company

D. Cost of a plain McDonald's hamburger in n U.S. cities
A few high values would skew the data badly in all but the hamburger example, because a McDonald's hamburger is a standard
menu item.

Blooms: Analyze
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
80 Based on daily measurements, Bob's weight has a mean of 200 pounds with a standard deviation of 16 pounds, while Mary's
. weight has a mean of 125 pounds with a standard deviation of 15 pounds. Who has the smaller relative variation?
A. Bob
B. Mary
Calculate the coefficients of variation for Bob and Mary. Bob's CV = 100 × s/= 100 × 16/200 = 8.00, while Mary's CV = 100 × s/=
100 × 15/125 = 12.00. Therefore, Bob's weight varies less than Mary's weight in relative terms.

Blooms: Apply
variability.
81 Frieda is 67 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds. Women her age have a mean height of 65 inches with a standard deviation of
. 2.5 inches and a mean weight of 125 pounds with a standard deviation of 10 pounds. In relative terms, it is correct to say that:
A. Frieda is taller and thinner than women in her age group.
B. for this group of women, weight has greater variation than

height.
C. Frieda's height is more unusual than her weight.
D. the variation coefficient exceeds 10 percent for both height and

weight.
Calculate the z-scores for Frieda's weight and Frieda's height. For Frieda's height, z = (x - μ)/σ = (67 - 65)/(2.5) = 0.80, while for
Frieda's weight, z = (x - μ)/σ = (135 - 125)/10 = 1.00. Therefore, Frieda's weight is farther from the mean than her height. For
heights, the CV = 100 × σ/μ = 100 × (2.5)/(65) = 3.8%, while for weights, CV = 100 × σ/μ = 100 × 10/125 = 8.0% (both CVs are
below 10%).

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
variability.
82. Which statement is false?
A. The coefficient of variation cannot be used when the mean is

zero.
B. The standard deviation is in the same units as the mean (e.g., kilograms).
C. The mean from a frequency tabulation may differ from the mean from raw
data.
D. The skewness coefficient is zero in a sample from any normal

distribution.
Normal populations are symmetric, but a sample may differ from the population.

Blooms: Apply
sample.
83 The values of x and x can be inferred accurately except in a:

min max
A. box plot.
B. dot plot.
C. histogram.
D. scatter plot.
The bin limits in a histogram may be rounded, so the values of x and x may be unclear.
min max

Blooms: Understand
shape.
84 Which of the following statements is likely to be true?

.
A. The median personal income of California taxpayers would probably be near the mean.
B. The interquartile range offers a measure of income inequality among California

residents.
C. For income, the sum of squared deviations about the mean is negative about half the
time.
D. For personal incomes in California, outliers in either tail would be equally likely.
Incomes are likely to be skewed due to high extremes, while income is bounded on the low end by zero. A wider IQR would
suggest greater inequality of incomes.

Blooms: Analyze
Difficulty: 3 Hard
percentiles.
85 Which statistics offer robust (resistant to outliers) measures of center?

.
A. Mean, midrange, mode.
B. Median, midhinge, trimmed

mean.
C. Trimmed mean, midrange, midhinge.
D. Mean, mode, quartiles.
Any measure of center using the mean is subject to the influence of

outliers.

Blooms: Remember
center.
86 The Empirical Rule says that:

.
A. most business data sets are normally

distributed.
B. outliers are within three standard deviations of the mean.

C. in most business data we expect the mean and median to be
similar.
D. about 32 percent of the data are beyond one standard deviation from the
mean.
The E.R. says that about 68 percent of the observations are within one standard deviation of the mean. Business data often are
skewed.

Blooms: Understand
outliers.
87 Three randomly chosen Seattle students were asked how many round trips they made to Canada last year. Their replies were 3,
. 4, 5. The geometric mean is:
A. 3.877.
B. 4.000.
C. 3.915.
D. 4.422.
Multiply the three numbers and take the 3 root of 60 to get 3.915.
rd

Blooms: Apply
center.
88 Three randomly chosen California students were asked how many times they drove to Mexico last year. Their replies were 4, 5,
. 6. The geometric mean is:
A. 3.87.
B. 5.00.
C. 5.42.
D. 4.93.
Multiply the three numbers and take the 3 root of 120 to get 4.932.
rd

Blooms: Apply
center.
. 5, 6, 7. The standard deviation is:
A. 1.212.
B. 0.816.
C. 1.000.
D. 1.056.
Use the sample formula or Excel's =STDEV.S(Data).

Blooms: Apply
variability.
90 Patient survival times after a certain type of surgery have a very right-skewed distribution due to a few high outliers.
. Consequently, which statement is most likely to be correct?
A. Median > Midrange
B. Mean < Median
C. Mean > Midrange
D. Mean > Trimmed Mean
Mean is pulled up by high outliers.

Blooms: Evaluate
center.
91 So far this year, stock A has had a mean price of $6.58 per share with a standard deviation of $1.88, while stock B has had a
. mean price of $10.57 per share with a standard deviation of $3.02. Which stock is more volatile?
A. Stock A
B. Stock B
Calculate the coefficient of variation.

Blooms: Apply
variability.
92 Outliers are indicated using fences on a

.
A. box plot.
B. dot plot.
C. histogram.
D. Pareto chart.
On a boxplot, outliers are identified by their distance from the median. Data values outside the inner fences (median ± 1.5 IQR)
are outliers. Data values beyond the outer fences (median ± 3.0 IQR) are extreme outliers. This definition of "outlier" is not the
same as the Empirical Rule, which is based on the distance from the mean.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
plots.

.
B. Range
C. Coefficient of variation
D. Trimmed mean
The trimmed mean is a measure of center.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
variability.
. result: 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 5, 9, 1, 2, 3, 3, 10. The geometric mean is:
A.
B. 2.604
C. 1.517
D.
Take the 12 root of the product (97,200) to get 2.604.

th

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
. result: 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 5, 9, 1, 2, 3, 3, 10. The median is:
A. 7.0.
B. 3.0.
C. 3.5.
D. 2.5.
Sort and go halfway between the two middle data values.

Blooms: Apply
center.
96. One disadvantage of the range is that:
A. only extreme values are used in its calculation.
B. it is expressed in different units than the

mean.
C. it does not exist for some data

sets.
D. it is undefined if any X values are 0 or

negative.
Range ignores all but the extremes.

Blooms: Remember
variability.
97 Which is a characteristic of the standard deviation?

.
A. It is not greatly affected by outliers.
B. It is measured in the same units as the mean.
C. It measures dispersion around the

median.
D. It has a natural, concrete meaning.
Although we square the deviations around the mean, we take the square root of the sum to get back to the original units of X.
However, the standard deviation is affected by outliers and its interpretation may be nonintuitive.

Blooms: Remember
variability.
. result: 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, 3, 4, 3, 1, 1, 5, 18. For this sample, the geometric mean is:
A. 2.158.
B. 1.545.
C. 2.376.
D. 3.017.
Take the 12 root of the product (32,400) to get 2.376.

th

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
. result: 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, 3, 4, 3, 1, 1, 5, 18. For this sample, the median is:
A. 2.
B. 3.
C. 3.5.
D. 2.5.
Sort and look halfway between the two middle data values.

Blooms: Apply
center.
. result: 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, 3, 4, 3, 1, 1, 5, 18. For this sample, which measure of center is least representative of the "typical"
student?
A. Mean
B. Median
C. Mode
D. Midrange
The unusual data value pulls up the mean (3.75) but affects the midrange (1 + 18)/2 = 9.5 even more noticeably.

Blooms: Apply
center.
101 Here are statistics on order sizes of Megalith Construction Supply's shipments of two kinds of construction materials last year.
.
Which order sizes have greater variability?
A. Girders
B. Rivets
D. Cannot be determined without knowing

n
Calculate the coefficient of variation. For girders, the CV = 100 × s/= 100 × (48)/(160) = 30.00%, while for rivets, CV = 100 ×
s/= 100 × 702/2800 = 25.07.

Blooms: Apply
variability.
102 The quartiles of a distribution are most clearly revealed in which display?
.
A. Box plot
B. Scatter plot
C. Histogram
D. Dot plot
The histogram, scatter plot, or dot plot will not directly show quartiles.

Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
plots.
103. The sum of the deviations around the mean is:
A. greater than zero if data are right-skewed.
B. smaller when the units are smaller (e.g., milligrams versus

kilograms).
C. always zero.
D. dependent on the sample size.
Sum must be zero unless you calculated the mean incorrectly.

Blooms: Understand
variability.
104. What does the graph below (profit/sales ratios for 25 Fortune 500 companies) reveal?
A. That the median exceeds the

mean.
B. That the data are slightly left-skewed.
C. That the interquartile range is about

8.
D. That the distribution is bell-shaped.
Box is skewed right, so mean probably exceeds the median. The IQR is about 12 - 4 =
8.

Blooms: Analyze
plots.
105 Find the sample correlation coefficient for the following data.
.
A. .8911
B. .9132
C. .9822
D. .9556
You could use Excel's =CORREL(XData,YData).

Blooms: Apply
covariance.
106 Heights of male students in a certain statistics class range from X = 61 to X = 79. Applying the Empirical Rule, a reasonable
min max
. estimate of σ would be:
A. 2.75.
B. 3.00.
C. 3.25.
D. 3.50.
One-sixth of the presumed 6σ range would be (79 - 61)/6 = 3.

Blooms: Apply
outliers.
107 A reporter for the campus paper asked five randomly chosen students how many occupants, including the driver, ride to school
. in their cars. The responses were 1, 1, 1, 1, 6. The coefficient of variation is:
A. 25 percent.
B. 250 percent.
C. 112 percent.
D. 100 percent.
You first have to calculate the mean and standard deviation.

Blooms: Apply
variability.
108 A smooth distribution with one mode is negatively skewed (skewed to the left). The median of the distribution is $65. Which of
. the following is a reasonable value for the distribution mean?
A. $76
B. $54
C. $81
D. $65
Mean is expected to be less than the median due to left-skewness.

Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
center.
109. In a positively skewed distribution, the percentage of observations that fall below the median
is:
A. about 50 percent.
B. less than 50 percent.
C. more than 50 percent.

D. can't tell without knowing n.
Median always puts about half above and half below.

Blooms: Remember
center.
110 Which is a weakness of the mode?

.
A. It does not apply to qualitative data.
B. It is inappropriate for continuous data.
C. It is hard to calculate when n is small.
D. It is usually about the same as the

median.
Mode is helpful for categorical data and is easy to calculate in small samples, but requires sorting the sample. Continuous
(decimal) data generally have no mode, or, if a mode exists, it is often not near the center.

Blooms: Apply
center.
111 The mode is least appropriate for:

.
A. continuous data.
B. categorical data.
C. discrete data.
D. Likert scale data.
Mode is good for discrete or categorical data but fails for continuous
data.
11 Craig operates a part-time snow-plowing business using a 2002 GMC 2500 HD extended cab short box truck. This box plot of
2 Craig's MPG on 195 tanks of gas does not support which statement?
A. There are several outliers.
B. This is a very right-skewed distribution.
C. Most MPG values are concentrated in a narrow range.
D. The interquartile range is less than 2

MPG.
Narrow box. With outliers in both tails, it's unclear which way skewness would be.
N = 195
Outlier = 8.6; 10.2; 17; 18; and 21.2
X = 10.4; Q = 12.2; Q = 13; Q = 13.4; X = 15

min 1 2 3 max
IQR = Q3 – Q1 = 13.4 – 12.2 = 1.2 MPG (Sentence D is true)
Range = x max – x min = 15 – 10.4 = 4.6 MPG (narrow range: C is true)
Box plot: 4 groups
Group % data
X min to Q1 25%
Q1 to Q2 25%
Q2 to Q3 25%
Q3 to X max 25%

Blooms: Apply
plots.
113 Estimate the mean exam score for the 50 students in Prof. Axolotl's class.
.
A. 59.2
B. 62.0
C. 63.5
D. 64.1
Apply the formulas for weighted average using interval midpoint multiplied by frequency.

Blooms: Apply
data.
Topic: Grouped Data
114 A survey of salary increases received during a recent year by 44 working MBA students is shown. Find the approximate mean
. percent raise.
A. 6.56
B. 6.74
C. 5.90
D. 6.39

Blooms: Apply
data.
Topic: Grouped Data
115 The following frequency distribution shows the amount earned yesterday by employees of a large Las Vegas casino. Estimate
. the mean daily earnings.
A. $112.50
B. $125.01
C. $105.47
D. $117.13

Blooms: Apply
data.
Topic: Grouped Data
116 The following table is the frequency distribution of parking fees for a day:
.
The mean parking fee is:
A. $7.07.
B. $6.95.
C. $7.00.
D. $7.25.

Blooms: Apply
data.
Topic: Grouped Data
117. Find the standard deviation of this sample: 4, 7, 9, 12,

15.
A. 4.550
B. 3.798
C. 4.278
D. 2.997
Use the sample formula or Excel's =STDEV.S(Data).

Blooms: Apply
variability.
th th

minutes.
C. A waiting time of 45 minutes would be an outlier.
D. The lower fences are not relevant in this problem.
Add 1.5 times the interquartile range to the third quartile to get the upper inner fence. Add 3.0 times the interquartile range to
the third quartile to get the upper outer fence. An outlier is beyond the inner upper fence.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
percentiles.
119 Five homes were recently sold in Oxnard Acres. Four of the homes sold for $400,000, while the fifth home sold for $2.5 million.
. Which measure of central tendency best represents a typical home price in Oxnard Acres?
A. The mean or
median.
B. The median or
mode.
C. The mean or mode.
D. The midrange or mean.
Outliers will affect the mean or midrange.
Summary:
5 homes
 4 homes sold for $400,000

 1 home sold for $2.5 million (outliers)
Mean, midrange should be avoided

Mean = (400,000*4 + 2.5 million)/5 =
Midrange = (400,000 + 2.5 million)/2 =
Median or mode are not affected by outliers.

Blooms: Apply
center.
120 In Tokyo, construction workers earn an average of ×420,000 (yen) per month with a standard deviation of ×20,000, while in
. Hamburg, Germany, construction workers earn an average of €3,200 (euros) per month with a standard deviation of €57. Who
is earning relatively more, a worker making ×460,000 per month in Tokyo or one earning €3,300 per month in Hamburg?
A. The workers are the same in relative terms.
B. The Tokyo worker is relatively better

off.
C. The Hamburg worker is relatively better

off.
Calculate and compare the z-score for each nation's workers. For Tokyo, z = (x - μ)/σ = (460000 - 420000)/(20000) = 2.00,
while for Hamburg, z = (x - μ)/σ = (3300 - 3200)/57 = 1.75. Therefore, wages for this worker are higher in Tokyo.
Summary:
Tokyo: μ1 = 420,000 (yen) and SD1 = 20,000 yen
Hamburg: μ2 = 3,200 (euros) and SD2 = 57 (euros)
It is hard to compare between yen and euros -> STANDARDISED DATA
 a worker making ×460,000 per month in Tokyo (x = 460,000 yen) -> z = (460,000-420,000)/20,000 = 2
1 1
 a worker making €3,300 per month in Hamburg ( x = 3,300) -> z = (3,300 – 3,200)/57 = 1.75
2 2
z than z -> person in Tokyo

1 2

Blooms: Apply
values.
121 Which statement is false? Explain.

.
A. If μ = 52 and σ = 15, then X = 81 would be an

outlier.
B. If the data are from a normal population, about 68 percent of the values will be within μ ±
σ.
C. If μ = 640 and σ = 128, then the coefficient of variation is 20

percent.
Calculate the z-score to detect outliers: z = (x - μ)/σ = (81 - 52)/(15) = 1.93, which is not an outlier, while the CV is 100 × σ/μ =
100 × 128/640 = 20%.
Giả sử z = -2.37, so this is unusual? YES

Blooms: Apply
values.

.
B. Standard deviation
C. Midhinge
D. Interquartile range
The midhinge measures center, not variability.

Blooms: Remember
variability.
123 If Q = 150 and Q = 250, the upper fences (inner and outer) are:
1 3
A. 450 and 600.
B. 350 and 450.

C. 400 and 550.
D. impossible to determine without more information.
Add 1.5 times the interquartile range to the third quartile to get the upper inner fence. Add 3.0 times the interquartile range to
the third quartile to get the upper outer fence.
IQR = Q3 – Q1 = 250 -150 = 100
Upper fence (inner) = Q3 + 1.5*IQR = 250 + 1.5*100 = 400
Upper fence (outer) = Q3 + 3*IQR = 250 + 3*100 = 550

Blooms: Apply
percentiles.
124. Variables X and Y have the strongest correlation in which scatter

plot?
A. Figure A.
B. Figure B.
C. They are about the same.
Except for sign, the correlations appear roughly the same.

Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
covariance.
125. Which of the following statements is likely to apply to the incomes of 50 randomly chosen taxpayers in
California?
A. The median income would probably be near the mean.
B. The midhinge would be a robust measure of center.
C. The sum of squared deviations about the mean would be negative.
D. Outliers in either tail would be equally likely.

Data will be extremely skewed by a few very rich taxpayers.

Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
126 A certain health maintenance organization (HMO) examined the number of office visits by each of its members in the last year.
. For this data set, we would anticipate that the geometric mean would be
A. a reasonable measure of
center.
B. zero because some HMO members would not have an office visit.
C. too high because the distribution is likely to be skewed to the left.
D. negative because some data values would be below the mean.
Zeros would exist for those who had no office visits, so the geometric mean would be zero.

Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
. 5, 6, 7. The coefficient of variation is:
A. 16.7
percent.
B. 13.6 percent.
C. 20.0
percent.
D. 35.7
percent.
Calculate mean and standard deviation first.
(CV = 100 * s/x where s: standard deviation, x = mean

Blooms: Apply
variability.
128. The mean of a population is 50 and the median is 40. Which histogram is most likely for samples from this
population?
A. Sample A.
B. Sample B.
C. Sample C.
Mean exceeds median so skewed right.
(SUMMARY: mean > median : skewed right)

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
center.
129 If Excel's sample skewness coefficient is positive, we conclude that

.
A. the population is skewed to the right, if the sample size is small.
B. the population is symmetric, as long as the sample size is very large.

population.

consideration.
We have tables that show the expected range of expected variation for a sample skewness coefficient for various sample sizes
from a symmetric, normal population.

Blooms: Apply
sample.
130 If Excel's sample kurtosis coefficient is negative, we conclude that

.
A. the population is platykurtic, as long as the sample size is

small.
B. the population is leptokurtic, as long as the sample size is large.

population.

consideration.
We have tables that show the expected range of expected variation for a sample kurtosis coefficient for various sample sizes
from a normal population.

Blooms: Apply
sample.
Short Answer Questions
131 In Osaka, Japan, stock brokers earn ×6000 per hour on the average, with a standard deviation of ×1200. In Stuttgart,
. Germany, stock brokers earn an average of €18 per hour with a standard deviation of €6. In which country is the variation in
wages greatest?
Osaka CV = 25 percent, Stuttgart CV = 33.3 percent, so variation is greater in Stuttgart.
Feedback: Osaka CV = 20 percent, Stuttgart CV = 33.3 percent, so variation is greater in Stuttgart. The point is to show that
you cannot assess relative variation based solely on the standard deviation when the units of measurement differ. (You have to
look also at the mean.)

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
variability.
132 Find the coefficient of variation of these numbers: 14, 17, 17, 19, 26. Would the variability of those numbers be greater than,
. less than, or the same as the variability of 24, 27, 27, 29, 36? Defend your answer.
Relative variation is greater in the first sample.
Feedback: First sample: mean = 8.6, standard deviation = 4.5055, CV = 24.25 percent. Second sample: mean = 28.6, standard
deviation = 4.5055, CV = 15.75 percent. The standard deviations are the same, but the relative variation is greater in the first
sample because the mean is smaller.

Blooms: Apply
variability.
133 Ten randomly chosen students at a certain university were asked how many times they smoked marijuana during the
. preceding week. Their answers were 0, 8, 0, 0, 2, 4, 0, 0, 6, 0. A campus newspaper article appeared, with the headline
"Average Student Uses No Pot." Is this a fair assessment of central tendency? Discuss the alternatives.
Mode and median are 0, but the mean is 2. Geometric mean is zero due to zeros.
Feedback: Mode and median are 0, but the mean is 2. It is correct that 6 out of 10 students used no marijuana, but to say that
the "average" is zero ignores the four users who bring up the mean. The geometric mean is useless since it is zero whenever
the data set contains zero.

Blooms: Analyze
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
134 Twelve students were asked how many credit cards they owned. The responses were 0, 0, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 11. (a) Find
. the mean, median, and mode. (b) Which measure of center seems best in this case? (c) Find the first and third quartiles. What
do they tell you?
(a) Mean is 3.33, median is 3, mode is not unique; (b) The mean is slightly influenced by the highest data value, but is not
greatly different than the median. (c) Quartiles depend on which method is used (e.g., Minitab gives 1.25 and 4.75).
Feedback: Mean is 3.33, median is 3. The mode is useless because 0, 2, 3, 4, and 5 each occur twice. In this case the mean
or median gives a reasonable indication of what is "typical." Using the method of medians, Q = 1.5 and Q = 4.5. The method
1 3
of medians only requires sorting the data, finding the median, and then finding the median of the observations below the
median and the median of the observations above the median. Excel and Minitab may use different methods of calculating
quartiles. Excel's =QUARTILE.INC would give 1.75 and 4.25; Minitab would give 1.25 and 4.75, while Excel's
=QUARTILE.EXC will agree with Minitab.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking

Blooms: Evaluate
center.
135 Eleven students were asked how many siblings they had. The responses were 0, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5. Find the mean,
. median, mode, and geometric mean. Which would you prefer in this case, and why not the others?
Mean is 2.364, median is 2, mode is 2.
Feedback: Mean is 2.364, median is 2, mode is 2. Any of these conveys a reasonable idea of the "typical" student. The median
is representative of the data, but a good case can also be made for the mode (5 of 10 students had 2 siblings). There are no
outliers, so the mean is not badly distorted (but 7 are below it and 4 above it). Only the mean reflects the fact that an "average"
family has more than two children. The geometric mean is unhelpful because of the zero in the data set.

Blooms: Evaluate
center.
136 Patient waiting times in the Tardis Orthopedic Clinic have a mean of 50 minutes with a standard deviation of 25 minutes. Within
. what range would approximately 95 percent of the waiting times lie if we were sampling a normal distribution? Do you think the
distribution is likely to be normal? Explain.
By the Empirical Rule, range is 0 to 100 minutes, but waiting times may be skewed by a few long waits (nonnormal).
Feedback: By the Empirical Rule, 50 ± (2)(25) gives a range of 0 to 100 minutes. However, the E.R. assumes normality, which
is unlikely for waiting times (probably right-skewed by a few unusually long waits). The large standard deviation likely is due to
outliers.

Blooms: Evaluate
outliers.
137 The athletic departments at 10 randomly selected U.S. universities were asked by the Equal Employment Opportunity
. Commission to state what percentage of their nursing scholarships were presently held by women. The responses were 5, 4,
2, 1, 1, 2, 10, 5, 5, 5. Find the mean, median, mode, and geometric mean. Which is the most appropriate measure of central
tendency? The least appropriate? Explain your answer. Is there an outlier?
Mean is 4, median is 4.5, mode is 5, geometric mean is 3.1623. The boxplot shows that 10 is an outlier but not an extreme
outlier (based on the fences criterion for outliers).
Feedback: Mean is 4, median is 4.5, mode is 5, geometric mean is 3.1623. For this data set, an argument can be made for
each of these measures of central tendency. The mean or median would probably be most "typical," although the mode does
represent 4 of the 10 observations. The geometric mean downplays the outlier (10) but is not really "typical" of any university.
The boxplot shows that 10 is an outlier but not an extreme outlier (based on the fences criterion for outliers).
Blooms: Evaluate
center.
138 A survey of 10 randomly chosen drivers showed the following number of persons per car, including the driver: 1, 5, 1, 5, 2, 1, 1,
. 1, 2, 1. Describe the center, variability, and skewness for this sample.
Mean is 2, median is 1, mode is 1. Data are right-skewed.
Feedback: Mean is 2, median is 1, mode is 1. For this sample, the mode (6 of 10) most clearly characterizes the "typical" car
occupancy, which is also true of the median. However, only the mean would indicate that more than one person is actually
traveling, on average. The geometric mean is 1.585, which is not especially helpful but does downplay the two 5's. Data are
right-skewed.

Blooms: Evaluate
shape.
Topic: Numerical Description
139 A national survey showed that most commuter cars contain only the driver. Hungry for a story, a campus newspaper reporter
. asked five randomly chosen commuter students how many occupants, including the driver, rode to school in their cars. Their
responses were 1, 1, 1, 1, and 6. The next day a story appeared in the paper headlined "University Commuters Double
National Average Ridership." Is this a reasonable assessment of central tendency? How would you characterize the variability
of the sample?
The mean is 2, median is 1, and mode is 1. Coefficient of variation (112 percent) indicates high dispersion (standard deviation
exceeds the mean).
Feedback: The mean is 2, median is 1, and mode is 1. While technically correct, the paper's story is misleading since 80
percent of the cars contained only one occupant. Data are extremely right-skewed. The standard deviation is 2.236, so the
coefficient of variation (112 percent) indicates very high dispersion (standard deviation exceeds the mean).

Blooms: Evaluate
variability.
140 A 10-point quiz was given by Professor Ennuyeaux. Of the 10 students in the class, half got zero and the others got perfect
. scores. List the students' scores. Then find the mean, median, mode, and geometric mean of their scores. Which is the most
appropriate measure of center? The least appropriate?
Mean is 5, median is 5, bimodal (0, 10), geometric mean is 0.
Feedback: 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10. Mean is 5, median is 5, bimodal (0, 10). Geometric mean is zero (useless due to
zeros in the data set). There is no "typical" or correct description of central tendency since there is no centrality in the data. In
such cases, stick with the mean and median but add a verbal caveat about the extremely bimodal nature of the data.

Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 3 Hard
center.
141 The owner of a chicken farm kept track of each hen's eating and egg production for many months, with the results below.
. Which has more variation, feed consumption or egg output?
Feed CV = 14.3 percent, egg CV = 25.0 percent. Egg production is more variable.
Feedback: Feed CV = 14.3 percent, egg CV = 25.0 percent. Egg production is more variable. Problem illustrates that when
units of measurement or means differ, you cannot use the standard deviation to compare variation.

Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
variability.
142 Below are the ages of 21 CEOs. Find the mean, median, and mode. Are there any outliers? Explain.
. 46, 48, 49, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55, 57, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 62, 63, 63, 65, 67, 75
Mean is 57.714, median is 58, four modes (49, 57, 62, 63). Standard deviation is s = 7.233. No outliers, but there is one
unusual data value at 75.
Feedback: Mean is 57.714, median is 58, four modes (49, 57, 62, 63). Standard deviation is s = 7.233. No outliers, but there is
one unusual data value at 75. Its standardized value is z = (75 - 57.714)/7.233 = 2.39. Using the method of medians, Q = 51, 1
Q = 58, Q = 62.5, students could also construct fences.

2 3

Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 1 Easy
outliers.
143 Bob's sample of freshman GPAs showed a mean of 2.72 with a standard deviation of 0.31. (a) What range would you predict
. for all the grades? For the middle 95 percent? Explain. (b) Why might your estimates be inaccurate?
By the Empirical Rule, we expect the middle 95 percent between μ - 2σ and μ + 2σ (2.10 and 3.34) and all the GPAs between
μ - 3σ and μ + 3σ (1.79 and 3.65). The E.R. is based on the normal distribution, so could be inaccurate if grades are skewed.
Feedback: By the Empirical Rule, we expect the middle 95 percent between μ - 2σ and μ + 2σ (2.10 and 3.34) and all the
GPAs between μ - 3σ and μ + 3σ (1.79 and 3.65). The E.R. is based on the normal distribution, so could be inaccurate if
grades are skewed. If there is skewness, it is more likely to be to the left since many hard-working students will earn GPAs in
the range 3.00 to 4.00, while very few will be below 2.00 (but a few really poor performers could pull the mean down, since
GPA could even be 0.00).

Blooms: Evaluate
outliers.
144 A team of introductory statistics students went to a grocery store and recorded the total calories and fat calories for various
. kinds of soup. They produced a table of statistics and two dot plots. Write a succinct summary of the center, variability, and
shape for each data set. Note: TrimMean is the 5 percent trimmed mean (removing the smallest 5 percent and the largest 5
percent of the values, rounded to the nearest integer).
Both are right-skewed (mean > median) though not greatly so, judging from the dot plots. Trimmed mean is only slightly less
than the mean, suggesting that we don't have too many extreme values. However, on the Calories dot plot there is one outlier
because z = (180 - 96.63)/26.91 = 3.10.
Feedback: Both are right-skewed (mean > median) though not greatly so, judging from the dot plots. In each case, the trimmed
mean is only slightly less than the mean, suggesting that we don't have too many extreme values. However, on the Calories
dot plot there is one extreme value, which turns out to be an outlier since its standardized score is z = (180 - 96.63)/26.91 =
3.10. Better students will notice more details and aspects of the data and discuss them.

Blooms: Evaluate
shape.
145 Here are descriptive statistics from Excel for annual per-pupil expenditures in 94 Ohio cities and home sizes in a certain
. neighborhood. Very briefly compare the variability and shape of the two data sets.
Expenditure per pupil is right-skewed (mean > median), skewness coefficient is also high; home size is practically symmetric
(mean ≅ median) and has skewness near zero. Expenditure per pupil has at least one severe outlier z = 7.76, while home size
has no outliers but one unusual value at z = 2.71.
Feedback: Expenditure per pupil is right-skewed (mean > median), and the skewness coefficient is also high. Home size is
practically symmetric (mean ≅ median) and has skewness near zero, though many students will say it's right-skewed. (It is
important to realize that skewness is a matter of degree, not a "yes-no" decision.) The modes are unhelpful since both data
sets are continuous measurements. The CVs indicate that expenditure per pupil has much greater dispersion (40.2 percent)
than home size (11.2 percent). Expenditure per pupil has at least one severe outlier at z = (11,226 - 2724.61/1095.22) = 7.76,
while home size has no outliers but one possibly unusual value at z = (2908 - 2231.41/249.32) = 2.71. Better student answers
will notice and discuss more of the data features, perhaps attempting to draw a histogram.

Blooms: Evaluate
shape.
146 Below are shown a dot plot and summary statistics for a random sample of 34 shower heads. The measurements are
. maximum flow rates (in gallons per minute) at pressure of 80 pounds per square inch. Use the data to illustrate the difference
between the two alternative definitions of "outlier," and make any other comments you feel are relevant. Note: TrimMean
removes the smallest 5 percent and the largest 5 percent of the values.
Upper inner fence is 3.5, upper outer fence is 4.1, so by these definitions, three (maybe four) data points are "unusual" (above
the upper inner fence) and three are outliers (beyond the upper outer fence).
Feedback: Requires definitions of fences. The upper inner fence is Q + 1.5(Q - Q ) = 2.9 + 1.5(2.9 - 2.5) = 3.5, while the upper
3 3 1
outer fence is Q + 3.0(Q - Q ) = 2.9 + 3.0(2.9 - 2.5) = 4.1. By these definitions, three (maybe four) data points are "unusual"
3 3 1
(above the upper inner fence) and three are outliers (beyond the upper outer fence). Using the standardized variable definition,
the cutoff for an "unusual" data point is = 2.882 + 2(0.750) = 4.382 (which includes 3 data points), while the cutoff for an
"outlier" is = 2.882 + 3(0.750) = 5.132 (which includes 1 data point). Therefore, the definitions generally agree on what is
"unusual" but not on what constitutes an "outlier."

Blooms: Evaluate
Difficulty: 3 Hard
percentiles.
147 Briefly describe these data. Sketch its box plot and describe the sample succinctly.
.
Skewed right (mean > median), at least one outlier at z = 3.22, box plot will be skewed right and asymmetric.
Feedback: Skewed right (mean > median) as reflected also in the trimmed mean (below the mean). There is at least one
outlier, whose standardized score is z = (49 - 12.89)/11.23 = 3.22. Box plot will be skewed right (long right whisker) and has
asymmetric "box" whose upper half (Q to Q ) is wider than its lower half (Q to Q ). The picture is that in most Rose Bowl
2 3 1 2
games, the winning margin tends to be small, but in a few games there was a "blowout" that raises the mean. Astute students
may notice the 0 and ask how the winning margin can be zero. (In 1922, Washington and Jefferson played California to a
scoreless tie, this being before the "sudden death" overtime had been established.)
Blooms: Evaluate
plots.
. gasoline mileage based on this histogram of 195 tanks of gas.
Fairly symmetric, yet a few high values will draw up the mean.
Feedback: Fairly symmetric. A few high values exist (they could be outliers, but we would need standard deviation or quartiles
to say for sure). Astute students could apply the Empirical Rule to estimate σ = (X - X )/6, or σ = (X - X )/4 and try to check
Max Min Max Min
for outliers, but this would not be expected. Some will suggest that the data are normal but there were data measurements
(e.g., three tanks erred on the high side, one on the low side).

Blooms: Evaluate
shape.
. gasoline mileage based on this box plot of 195 tanks of gas.
Range is from just under 9.0 to just over 21.0; typical gas mileage is concentrated near 13 mpg, with the middle 50 percent
between about 12.5 and 13.5 (middle of the "box"); two unusual data values on low end and three on high end (beyond inner
fences).
Feedback: Range is from just under 9.0 to just over 21.0. Typical gas mileage is concentrated near 13 mpg, with the middle 50
percent between about 12.5 and 13.5 (middle of the "box"). Symmetric except for one data point in right tail. Two unusual data
values on low end and three on high end (beyond inner fences). On the high end, two are outliers (beyond outer fence).
Requires knowing definitions of fences.

Blooms: Evaluate
plots.
150 Here are advertised prices of 21 used Chevy Blazers. Describe the distribution (center, variability, shape).
.
Range is from 7,000 to almost 18,000; median is around 11,500; interquartile range is about 11,000 to 14,000, with right-
skewness.
Feedback: Range is from 7,000 to almost 18,000. Median is around 11,500 with interquartile range about 11,000 to 14,000.
Right-skewed, based on the extremely asymmetric box, but whiskers are roughly symmetric. Mean would probably be well
above the median, based on skewness. Requires knowing how to read quartiles from a box plot.

Blooms: Evaluate
plots.
151 Briefly describe this sample of departure delays on American Airlines flights out of Denver over a seven-day period, March 3-9
. (n = 149 flights).
Short left whisker, skewed right. Most data are packed into a very narrow range, but there are 14 outliers (above the upper
fence) and 3 or 4 more above the inner fence.
Feedback: An early departure ("pushback after doors closed") can occur once a plane is fully loaded. In this data set, flights
departed up to 6 minutes early. The short left whisker and narrow box show that most data values are packed into a very
narrow range. The quartiles Q , Q , and Q are near -5 (i.e., flights typically push back about 5 minutes early). Only 9 flights
1 2 3
departed more than 20 minutes late. There are 14 outliers (above the upper outer fence) and 3 or 4 more above the upper
inner fence. Data are extremely right-skewed. Factors such as weather can cause long departure delays, but for most flights
an early or on-time departure is the norm.

Blooms: Evaluate
plots.
152 Six graduates from Fulsome University's Master's of Waste Management program were hired by a Saudi Arabian firm at
. $110,000 each, while the other four graduates were unemployed. The university placement office bragged, "Our MWM
graduates enjoyed a median starting salary of $110,000." Is this a reasonable assessment of central tendency? What are the
alternatives?
Can't use geometric mean due to zeros, but none of the measures is typical of anyone.
Feedback: The median and mode are 110, but the mean is only 66. We can't use geometric mean due to zeros. Sample is
small, so no measure is very reliable, but an honest placement service would note that 40 percent of the graduates were
unemployed and that the salary was only for those who actually found jobs.

Blooms: Evaluate
center.

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Chapter 04: Descriptive Statistics

True / False Questions

2 The midrange is not greatly affected by outliers.

3 The second quartile is the same as the median.

6 It is inappropriate to apply the Empirical Rule to a population that is right-

7 Given the data set 10, 5, 2, 6, 3, 4, 20, the median value is 5.

8 Given the data set 2, 5, 10, 6, 3, the median value is 3.

10 The sum of the deviations around the mean is always zero.

11 The midhinge is a robust measure of center when there are

24 The range as a measure of variability is very sensitive to extreme data values.

30 Kurtosis cannot be judged accurately by looking at a

33 A positive kurtosis coefficient in Excel indicates a leptokurtic condition in a distribution.

Multiple Choice Questions

35 The coefficient of variation is

A. measured on a scale from 0 to 100.

C. helpful when the sample means are zero.

D. a measure of correlation for two variables.

36. Which is not an advantage of the method of medians to find Q and Q ?

A. Ease of interpolating quartile positions

B. Ease of application in small data sets

C. Intuitive definitions without complex

D. Same method as Excel's =QUARTILE.EXC function.

37. Which is a characteristic of the mean as a measure of center?

A. Deviations do not sum to zero when there are extreme values.

C. It utilizes all the information in a

D. It is usually equal to the median in business data.

38. The position of the median is:

A. n/2 in any sample.

D. (n + 1)/2 in any sample.

39. Which is a characteristic of the trimmed mean as a measure of center?

A. It is similar to the mean if there are offsetting high and low

B. It is especially helpful in a small

C. It does not require sorting the sample.

D. It is basically the same as the midrange.

40. Which is not a characteristic of the geometric mean as a measure of

A. It is similar to the mean if the data are skewed

B. It mitigates the effects of large data values.

C. It is useful in business data to calculate average growth rates.

D. It cannot be calculated when the data contain negative or zero values.

41 Which is not a characteristic of the standard deviation?

A. It is always the square root of the variance.

B. It is not applicable when data are continuous.

C. It can be calculated when the data contain negative or zero

D. Its physical interpretation is not as easy as the MAD.

42. Chebyshev's Theorem:

A. applies to all samples.

B. applies only to samples from a normal population.

C. gives a narrower range of predictions than the Empirical Rule.

D. is based on Sturges' Rule for data classification.

43 Which of the following is not a valid description of an outlier?

A. A data value beyond the outer fences

B. A data value that is very unusual

C. A data value that lies below Q or above Q

D. A data value several standard deviations from the

44 If samples are from a normal distribution with μ = 100 and σ = 10, we

A. about 68 percent of the data within 90 to

B. almost all the data within 80 to 120.

C. about 95 percent of the data within 70 to 130.

D. about half the data to exceed 75.