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CH 6 - Statistical Inference
1. The finite correction factor should be used in the computation of the standard deviation of the sample mean and the
standard population when n/N is
a. greater than 0.05.
b. greater than 0.5.
c. less than 0.05.
d. less than 0.5.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: The finite population correction factor can be ignored when n/N is less than or equal to
0.05.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 239
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
4. A simple random sample of size n from a finite population of size N is a sample selected such that each possible sample
of size
a. N and n have the same probability of being selected.
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CH 6 - Statistical Inference
5. The random numbers generated using Excels RAND function follows a ________________ probability distribution
between 0 and 1.
a. normal
b. uniform
c. binomial
d. random
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE: The random numbers generated using Excels RAND function follows a uniform probability
distribution between 0 and 1.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SELECTING A SAMPLE, Page 229
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
6. A random sample selected from an infinite population is a sample selected such that each element selected comes from
the same ________________ and each element is selected ______________
a. population; independently.
b. population; simultaneously.
c. sample; independently.
d. sample; simultaneously.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: A random sample from an infinite population is a sample selected such that each element
selected comes from the same population and each element is selected independently.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: POINT ESTIMATION, Page 231
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
7. The value of the ___________ is used to estimate the value of the population parameter.
a. population statistic
b. sample parameter
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CH 6 - Statistical Inference
c. population estimate
d. sample statistic
ANSWER: d
RATIONALE: To estimate the value of a population parameter, we compute a corresponding characteristic
of the sample, referred to as a sample statistic.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: POINT ESTIMATION, Page 234
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
8. The population parameter value and the point estimate differ because a sample is not a census of the entire population,
but it is being used to develop the
a. population parameter.
b. point estimate.
c. population mean.
d. standard error.
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE: These differ because a sample is not a census of the entire population, but it is being used to
develop the point estimates.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: POINT ESTIMATION, Page 234
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
9. The CEO of a company wants to estimate the percent of employees that use company computers to go on Facebook
during work hours with 95% confidence. He selects a random sample of 150 of the employees and finds that 53 of them
logged onto Facebook that day. What is the point estimate of the proportion of the population that logged onto Facebook
that day?
a. 0.25
b. 0.35
c. 0.53
d. 0.65
ANSWER: b
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 3
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
RATIONALE: The point estimate of the proportion of the population that logged onto Facebook that day is
53/150 = 0.35.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 234
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
10. A simple random sample of 31 observations was taken from a large population. The sample mean equals 5. Five is a
a. population parameter.
b. point estimate.
c. population mean.
d. standard error.
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE: A point estimate is the value of a point estimator used in a particular instance, such as an
estimate of a population parameter.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: POINT ESTIMATION, Page 234
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
11. The basis for using a normal probability distribution to approximate the sampling distribution of the sample means and
population mean is
a. Chebyshev’s theorem.
b. the empirical rule.
c. the central limit theorem.
d. Bayes’ theorem.
ANSWER: c
RATIONALE: Central Limit Theorem states: In selecting random samples of size n from a population, the
sampling distribution of the sample mean can be approximated by a normal distribution as
the sample size becomes large.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 240
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
12. When the expected value of the point estimator is equal to the population parameter it estimates, it is said to be
a. unbiased.
b. precise.
c. symmetric.
d. predicted.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: When the expected value of a point estimator equals the population parameter, we say the
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 4
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
13. A statistics teacher started class one day by drawing the names of 10 students out of a hat and asked them to do as
many pushups as they could. The 10 randomly selected students averaged 15 pushups per person with a standard deviation
of 9 pushups.Suppose the distribution of the population of number of pushups that can be done is approximately normal.
What is the standard error of the mean?
a. 0.900
b. 2.876
c. 3.061
d. 4.743
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE:
The standard error of the mean for a t distribution is For this problem, the standard
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 239
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
14. If the expected value of the sample statistic is equal to the population parameter being estimated, the sample statistic is
said to
15. For a population with an unknown distribution, the form of the sampling distribution of the sample mean is
a. approximately normal for small sample sizes.
16. The CEO of a company wants to estimate the percent of employees that use company computers to go on Facebook
during work hours with 95% confidence. He selects a random sample of 150 of the employees and finds that 53 of them
logged onto Facebook that day. What is the estimate of the standard error of the proportion
a. 0.039
b. 0.050
c. 0.350
d. 0.455
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: The estimate of the standard error of the proportion is
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 244
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
17. An estimate of a population parameter that provides an interval of values believed to contain the value of the
parameter is known as the
a. confidence level.
b. interval estimate
c. parameter level.
d. population estimate.
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE: An estimate of a population parameter that provides an interval of values believed to
contain the value of the parameter is known as the interval estimate.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 246
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 6
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
18. In order to determine an interval for the mean of a population with unknown standard deviation a sample of 24 items
is selected. The mean of the sample is determined to be 23. The number of degrees of freedom for reading the t value is
a. 21.
b. 22.
c. 23.
d. 24.
ANSWER: c
RATIONALE: The degrees of freedom for this t distribution is n – 1 = 23.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 247
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
19. As the number of degrees of freedom for a t distribution increases, the difference between the t distribution and the
standard normal distribution
a. becomes larger.
b. becomes smaller.
c. stays the same.
d. fluctuates.
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE: As the number of degrees of freedom for a t distribution increases, the difference between
the t distribution and the standard normal distribution becomes smaller.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Pages 247-248
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
20. The t value for a 99% confidence interval estimation based upon a sample of size 10 is
a. 1.645.
b. 1.812.
c. 2.576.
d. 3.169.
ANSWER: d
RATIONALE: The t value for a 99% confidence interval estimation based upon a sample of size 10 is
3.169. This can be found using the Excel function T.INV.2T(1 – 0.99, 10-1).
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 249
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
21. In interval estimation, as the sample size becomes larger, the interval estimate
a. becomes narrower.
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 7
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
b. becomes wider.
c. remains the same, since the mean is not changing.
d. gets closer to 1.96.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: In interval estimation, as the sample size becomes larger, the interval estimate becomes
narrower.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 251
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Comprehension
22. A statistics teacher started class one day by drawing the names of 10 students out of a hat and asked them to do as
many pushups as they could. The 10 randomly selected students averaged 15 pushups per person with a standard deviation
of 9 pushups.Suppose the distribution of the population of number of pushups that can be done is approximately normal.
The 95% confidence interval for the true mean number of pushups that can be done is
a. 5.75 to 24.25.
b. 8.56 to 21.40.
c. 11.31 to 18.55.
d. 13.02 to 16.98.
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE: The 95% confidence interval for the true mean number of pushups that can be done is
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 251
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
23. A statistics teacher started class one day by drawing the names of 10 students out of a hat and asked them to do as
many pushups as they could. The 10 randomly selected students averaged 15 pushups per person with a standard deviation
of 9 pushups.Suppose the distribution of the population of number of pushups that can be done is approximately normal.
If we would like to capture the population mean with 95% confidence the margin of error would be
a.
b.
c.
d.
ANSWER: c
RATIONALE:
The margin of error would be The critical value for 95% confidence with
9 degrees of freedom is 2.262 and the sample standard deviation is 9.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 251
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
24. A sample of 37 AA batteries had a mean lifetime of 584 hours. A 95% confidence interval for the population mean
was 579.2 < μ < 588.8. Which statements is the correct interpretation of the results?
a. We are 95% confident that the mean lifetime of all the bulbs in the population is between 579.2 hours and
588.8 hours.
b. The probability that the population mean is between 579.2 hours and 588.8 hours is 0.95.
c. 95% of the light bulbs in the sample had lifetimes between 579.2 hours and 588.8 hours.
d. None of these statements correctly interpret the results.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: We are 95% confident that the mean lifetime of all the bulbs in the population is between
579.2 hours and 588.8 hours.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 253
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Comprehension
25. In a random sample of 400 registered voters, 120 indicated they plan to vote for Trump for President. Determine a
95% confidence interval for the proportion of all the registered voters who will vote for Trump.
a. (0.25, 0.34)
b. (0.27, 0.32)
c. (0.29, 0.30)
d. Cannot be determined from the information given.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE:
Use the formula Filling in the given values yields
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 255
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
26. Using an α = 0.04 a confidence interval for a population proportion is determined to be 0.65 to 0.75. If the level of
significance is decreased, the interval for the population proportion
a. becomes narrower.
b. becomes wider.
c. does not change.
d. remains the same.
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE: If the level of significance is decreased, the interval for the population proportion becomes
wider. Decreasing a is equivalent to increasing the confidence level. Higher confidence
yields wider intervals.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 255
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
27. The CEO of a company wants to estimate the percent of employees that use company computers to go on Facebook
during work hours with 95% confidence.He selects a random sample of 150 of the employees and finds that 53 of them
logged onto Facebook that day.Compute the 95% confidence interval for the population proportion.
a.
b.
c.
d.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: The general formula for an interval estimate of a population proportion is
In this case, n = 150, and the critical value is 1.96. The resulting 95%
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 255
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
30. What are the two decisions that you can make from performing a hypothesis test?
31. A null and alternative hypothesis for a one proportion z test are given as H0: p = 0.8, Ha: p < 0.8. This hypothesis test
is
a. lower-tailed.
b. upper-tailed.
c. two-tailed.
d. these hypotheses are incorrectly stated.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: If the alternative hypothesis contains the not-equal-to inequality symbol, then it is a two-
tailed test. If the alternative hypothesis contains the less-than inequality symbol, then it is a
left-tailed test. If the alternative hypothesis contains the greater-than inequality symbol,
then it is a right-tailed test.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 262
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
32. A pizza shop advertises that they deliver in 30 minutes or less or it is free. People who live in homes that are
located on the opposite side of town believe it will take the pizza shop longer than 30 minutes to make and deliver
the pizza. Write the null and alternative hypotheses that can be used to conduct a significance test.
a. H0: m ≤ 30, Ha: m > 30
b. H0: m < 30, Ha: m > 30
c. H0: m ≥ 30, Ha: m < 30
d. H0: m > 30, Ha: m < 30
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: The null hypothesis, is a statement that contains a statement of equality. The null
hypothesis is that the mean delivery time is no more than 30 minutes. The alternative
hypothesis, is the complement of the null hypothesis.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 262
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Comprehension
33. A pizza shop advertises that they deliver in 30 minutes or less or it is free. People who live in homes that are
located on the opposite side of town believe it will take the pizza shop longer than 30 minutes to make and deliver
the pizza. A random sample of 50 deliveries to homes across town was taken and the mean time was computed to
be 32 minutes. What is the appropriate symbol to represent the value, 32?
a. u = 32
b.
c. n =32
d.
ANSWER: b
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 12
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
34. The proportion of dental procedures that are extractions is 0.16. Which of the following exemplifies a type I error in
this situation?
a. Reject the claim that the proportion of dental procedures that are extractions is 0.16 when the proportion is
actually different from 0.16.
b. Fail to reject the claim that the proportion of dental procedures that are extractions is 0.16 when the proportion
is actually 0.16
c. Reject the claim that the proportion of dental procedures that are extractions is 0.16 when the proportion is
actually 0.16
d. Fail to reject the claim that the proportion of dental procedures that are extractions is 0.16 when the proportion
is actually different from 0.16
ANSWER: c
RATIONALE: Reject the claim that the proportion of dental procedures that are extractions is 0.16 when
the proportion is actually 0.16. This is equivalent to rejecting the null hypothesis when the
null hypothesis is true.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 261
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
35. Larger values of have the disadvantage of increasing the probability of making a
a. Type I error.
b. Type II error.
c. random sampling error.
d. normal probability error.
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: With larger values of a we have in increased chance of rejecting the null hypothesis when
the null hypothesis is true. Therefore, larger values of have the disadvantage of increasing
the probability of making a Type I error.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 261
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Comprehension
36. The average number of hours for a random sample of mail order pharmacists from company A was 50.1 hours last
year. It is believed that changes to medical insurance have led to a reduction in the average work week. To test the validity
of this belief, the hypotheses are
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 13
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
37. A fast food restaurant has automatic drink dispensers to help fill orders more quickly. When the 12 ounce button is
pressed, they would like for exactly 12 ounces of beverage to be dispensed. There is, however, undoubtedly some
variation in this amount. The company does not want the machine to systematically over fill or under fill the cups. Which
of the following gives the correct set of hypotheses
a. H0: U > 12, Ha : U < 12.
b. H0: U = 12, Ha : U ≠ 12.
c. H0: U ≤ 12, Ha : U > 12.
d. H0: U ≥ 12, Ha : U < 12.
ANSWER: d
RATIONALE: The correct set of hypotheses is H0 : u = 12, Ha : u ≠ 12. They do not want the cups to be
over or under filled, so they should use a two-sided alternative hypothesis.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 263
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Comprehension
38. A large manufacturing plant has analyzed the amount of time required to produce an electrical part and determined
that the times follow a normal distribution with mean time μ = 45 hours. The production manager has developed a new
procedure for producing the part. He believes that the new procedure will decrease the population mean amount of time
required to produce the part. After training a group of production line workers, a random sample of 25 parts will be
selected and the average amount of time required to produce them will be determined. If the switch is made to the new
procedure, the cost to implement the new procedure will be more than offset by the savings in manpower required to
produce the parts. Use the hypotheses: Ho: μ ≥ .45 hours and Ha: μ < 45 hours. Determine the p-value of the test statistic if
the sample mean amount of time is = 43.118 hours with the sample standard deviation s = 5.5 hours.
a. 0.04973
b. 0.04999
c. 0.95818
d. 0.04354
ANSWER: b
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 14
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
RATIONALE: The appropriate test is a lower-tailed t-test for one mean. The test statistic is -1.7109 and
the associated p-value is 0.04999. This can be found using the Excel function T.DIST(test
statistic, degrees of freedom, cumulative).
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 266
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Application
39. A large manufacturing plant has analyzed the amount of time required to produce an electrical part and determined
that the times follow a normal distribution with mean time μ = 45 hours. The production manager has developed a new
procedure for producing the part. He believes that the new procedure will decrease the population mean amount of time
required to produce the part. After training a group of production line workers, a random sample of 25 parts will be
selected and the average amount of time required to produce them will be determined. If the switch is made to the new
procedure, the cost to implement the new procedure will be more than offset by the savings in manpower required to
produce the parts. Use the hypotheses: Ho: μ ≥ .45 hours and Ha: μ < 45 hours. If the sample mean amount of time is =
43.118 hours with the sample standard deviation s = 5.5 hours, give the appropriate conclusion, for α = 0.025.
41. Determine whether the alternative hypothesis is left-tailed, right-tailed, or two-tailed: Ho: μ = 11 Ha: μ > 11
a. left-tailed.
b. right-tailed.
c. two-tailed.
d. there is not enough information to make a determination.
ANSWER: b
RATIONALE: In a right-tailed hypothesis test, the alternative hypothesis has the > operator, right-tailed
test.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 263
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Comprehension
a. The greater the level of confidence, the more likely it is that the confidence interval actually includes the true
population mean.
b. The greater the level of confidence, the larger the z-score.
c. The greater the level of confidence, the wider the confidence interval.
d. Rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true is a Type II error.
ANSWER: d
RATIONALE: Rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true is a Type I error.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 261
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Knowledge
43. Statistical significance at the 0.01 level is___________ than significance at the 0.05 level .
a. more difficult to achieve
b. easier to achieve
c. less costly
d. less informative
ANSWER: a
RATIONALE: Significance at the 0.01 level of significance is more difficult to achieve than the 0.05
level of significance because it requires a great deal of evidence against the null hypothesis.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 262
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Comprehension
46. A student wants to determine if pennies are really fair, meaning equally likely to land heads up or tails up. He flips a
random sample of 50 pennies and finds that 28 of them land heads up. What are the appropriate null and alternative
hypotheses?
a. H0: p ≥ 0.5, Ha : p < 0.5
b. H0: p ≤ 0.5, Ha : p ≠ 0.5
c. H0: p = 0.5, Ha : p > 0.5
d. H0: p ≥ 28, Ha : p < 28
ANSWER: c
RATIONALE: The appropriate null and alternative hypotheses are H0 : p = 0.5, Ha : p ≠ 0.5. This is
equivalent to saying “pennies are fair” vs “pennies are not fair”.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 274
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 17
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
KEYWORDS: Blooms: Comprehension
47. A simple random sample of 11 observations from a population containing 400 female soccer players was taken, and
the following values were obtained.
48 53 72 56 63 64 56 76 50 46 73
What is the value of the point estimate of the population mean?
ANSWER: 59.7
RATIONALE:
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 234
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Application
ANSWER: infinite
RATIONALE: A sampling frame is a list of the elements from which the sample will be selected.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SELECTING A SAMPLE, Page 228
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Knowledge
ANSWER: parameters.
RATIONALE: A parameter is a numerical characteristic of the population.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SELECTING A SAMPLE, Page 228
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Knowledge
ANSWER:
RATIONALE: The value 126.07 is a sample mean. The symbol for a sample mean is .
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 234
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Knowledge
52. The sample mean is the point estimator of what population parameter?
ANSWER: u
RATIONALE: The sample mean estimates the population mean, u).
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 234
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Knowledge
53. Sample statistics, such as , s, or , that provide an estimate of the population parameter are known as
54. As the sample size increases, the standard error of the mean ______________.
ANSWER: decreases
RATIONALE: As the sample size increases, the standard error of the mean decreases. This happens
because the sample size appears in the denominator of the standard error calculation, so
dividing by a larger number yields a smaller standard error.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 239
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Comprehension
55. A simple random sample of 100 observations was taken from a large population. The sample mean and the standard
deviation were determined to be 80 and 12 respectively. Calculate the standard error of the mean.
ANSWER: 1.20
RATIONALE: The standard error of the mean is 1.20. The standard error of the mean =
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS, Page 240
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Application
56. A sample of 92 observations is taken from an infinite population. The sampling distribution of is approximately
normal because of what theorem?
57. A random sample of 150 people was taken from a very large population. Ninety of the people in the sample were
female. What is the standard error of the proportion?
ANSWER: 0.04
RATIONALE:
The standard error of the proportion is
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 245
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Application
58. Random samples of size 100 are taken from an infinite population whose population proportion is 0.2. The mean and
standard deviation of the sample proportion are?
is
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Pages 244-245
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 20
CH 6 - Statistical Inference
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Application
59. As a rule of thumb, the sampling distribution of the sample proportions can be approximated by a normal probability
distribution when
60. A cellular phone company claims that the mean amount spent per month is more than $75. A test is made of Ho: μ =
75 versus Ha: μ > 75. The null hypothesis is rejected. State the appropriate conclusion.
ANSWER: There is sufficient evidence to support the claim that the mean checkout amount is greater
than $75.
RATIONALE: The claim for this problem is that the mean checkout amount is greater than $75. The
conclusion is stated in terms of the alternative hypothesis.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Pages 262-263
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Comprehension
61. In a survey of 3539 female university students ages 18-22, 401 say they live in off-campus housing. If you constructed
90% and 95% confidence intervals for the population proportion how would they differ? As the level of confidence
________________, the confidence interval gets ___________________.
ANSWER: increases; wider. Also acceptable are the phrases decreases; narrower
RATIONALE: As the level of confidence increases, the confidence interval gets wider.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: INTERVAL ESTIMATION, Page 250
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Comprehension
62. What is the difference between the standardized normal distribution (used for tests with z) and the t distribution?
ANSWER: The t distribution is used when the population standard deviation is unknown and the
sample size is small. And the t- test statistic is calculated using n– 1 degrees of freedom.
RATIONALE: The t-distribution and the normal approximation arise only for small sample sizes.
In that case, the t-distribution is used which adjust for additional error due to the fact that
the population standard deviation is unknown.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
REFERENCES: HYPOTHESIS TESTS, Page 247
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG: Analytic skills - and DISC: Descriptive Statistics
TOPICS: Blooms: Knowledge
Only one notable event occurred between the return of the Ibandru
and the flight of the first birds southward. And that was an event I
had awaited for two years, and would once have welcomed fervently.
As it happened, it had little immediate effect; but it broke rocket-like
upon my tranquillity, awakened long-slumbering desires, and brought
me bright and vivid visions of the world I had lost.
It was in mid-July that I took an unexpectedly interesting expedition
among the mountains. Yasma accompanied me, as always; Karem
and Barkodu and a dozen other natives completed the party. We
were to carry copious provisions, were to venture further into the
wilderness than I had ever penetrated before, and were not to return
in less than three days, for we intended to journey to a snowy
western peak where grew a potent herb, "the moleb," which Hamul-
Kammesh recommended as a sure cure for all distempers of the
mind and body.
No other mountaineering expedition had ever given me so much
pleasure. Truly, the "moleb" did have remarkable qualities; even
before we had gathered the first spray of this little weed my lungs
were filled with the exhilaration of the high mountain air, and all my
distempers of the mind and body had been cured. I breathed of the
free cool breezes of the peaks, and felt how puny was the life I had
once led among brick walls; I stood gazing into the vacancies of dim,
deep canyons, and through blue miles to the shoulders of remote
cloud-wrapped ranges, and it seemed to me that I was king and
master of all this tumultuous expanse of green and brown and azure.
The scenery was magnificent; the sharply cloven valleys, the snow-
streaked summits and wide dark-green forests stretched before me
even as they may have stretched before my paleolithic forebears;
and nowhere was there a funnel of smoke, or a hut or shanty, or a
devastated woodland to serve as the signature of man.
Yet amid these very solitudes, where all things human appeared as
remote as some other planet, I was to find my first hint of the way
back to civilized lands. It was afternoon of the second day, and we
had gathered a supply of the "moleb" and were returning to Sobul,
when I beheld a sight that made me stare as if in a daze. Far, far
beneath us, slowly threading their way toward the top of the rocky
ridge we were descending, were half a dozen steadily moving black
dots!
In swift excitement, I turned to Karem and Barkodu, and asked who
these men might be. But my companions appeared unconcerned;
they remarked that the strangers were doubtless natives of these
regions; and they advised that we allow them to pass without seeing
us, for the country was infested with brigands.
But brigands or no brigands, I was determined to talk with the
newcomers. All the pleas of Yasma and the arguments of Karem
were powerless to move me. I had a dim hope that the strangers
might be of my own race; and a stronger hope that they could give
me welcome news. At all events, they were the first human beings
other than the Ibandru that I had seen for two years, and the
opportunity was not one to scorn.
As there was only one trail up the steep, narrow slope, the unknowns
would have to pass us unless we hid. And since I would not hide and
my companions would not desert me, it was not long before the
strangers had hailed us. Up and up they plodded in long snaky
curves, now lost from view beyond a ledge, now reappearing from
behind some great crag; while gradually they became more clearly
outlined. It was not long before we had made out that their garments
were of a gray unlike anything worn in Sobul; and at about the same
time we began to distinguish something of their faces, which were
covered with black beards.
As yet my companions had not overcome the suspicion that we were
thrusting ourselves into the hands of bandits. But when we came
close we found that the strangers, while stern-browed and flashing-
eyed, and not of the type that one would carelessly antagonize, were
amiably disposed. At a glance, I recognized their kinship to those
guides who, two years before, had led our geological party into this
country. Their bearing was resolute, almost martial; their well formed
features were markedly aquiline; their hair, after the fashion of the
land, was shaved off to the top of the head, and at the sides it fell in
long curls that reached the shoulders.
Gravely they greeted us in the Pushtu tongue; and gravely we
returned their salutation. But their accent was not that of the Ibandru;
often my comrades and I had difficulty in making out their phrases;
while they in turn were puzzled at much that we said. None the less,
we managed to get along tolerably well.
They came from a town a day's travel to westward, they announced;
and had been visiting some friends in the valley beneath, only a
quarter of a day's journey to the southeast. They were surprised to
see us, since travelers were not often encountered among these
mountains; but their delight equalled their surprise, for they should
like to call us their friends, and perhaps, if our homes were not too
far-off, they should sometime visit us.
It was obvious that they had never seen any of our kind before, nor
any blue and red costumes like ours. But I was not pleased to find
myself the particular object of attention. From the first, the strangers
were staring at me curiously, somewhat as one stares at a peculiar
new animal.
As long as I could, I endured their scrutiny; then, when it seemed as
if they would never withdraw their gaze, my annoyance found words.
"Maybe you wouldn't mind telling me," I asked, "why you all keep
looking at me so oddly? Do you find anything unusual about me?"
None of the strangers seemed surprised at the question. "No, I
wouldn't mind telling you," declared one who appeared to be their
leader. "We do find something unusual about you. You are wearing
the same sort of clothes as your friends, who were surely born in the
mountains; but it is clear that you were not born here. Your stride is
not of the same length as theirs; your bearing is not quite so firm;
you do not speak the language like one who learned it on his
mother's knee, and the words have a different sound in your mouth.
Besides, your companions all have dark skin and eyes, while your
skin is light, your eyes blue, your beard a medium brown. We have
seen men like you before, but none of them lived among these
mountains."
"What!" I demanded, starting forward with more than a trace of
excitement. "You have seen men like me before? Where? When?"
"Oh, every now and then," he stated, in matter-of-fact tones. "Yes,
every now and then they come to our village."
My head had begun to spin. I took another step forward, and
clutched my informer about the shoulders.
"Tell me more about them!" I gasped. "What do they come for? Who
are they?"
"Who knows who they are, or what they come for?" he returned, with
a shrug. "They hunt and fish; they explore the country; they like to
climb the mountains. Also, they always barter for the little trinkets
that we sell."
"Come, come, tell me still more! Where are they from? How do they
get to your village?"
"A road, which we call the Magic Cord, runs through our town. Not
an easy road to travel, but more than a trail. They say it leads to
wonderful far-off lands. But that I do not know; I have never followed
it far enough. That is all I can tell you."
"But you must tell me more! Come! You must! Is it hard to reach your
town? Just how do you get there?"
"It is not hard at all. This trail—the one we are on—leads all the way.
You cross the first range into the next valley, then skirt the southern
shore of a long blue lake, then cross another range, then wind
through a wooded canyon; and in the further valley, by a stream at
the canyon's end, you will find our village."
I made careful mental note of these directions, and had them
repeated with sundry more details.
"Once having started, you cannot lose your way," I was assured.
"Just remember this: we live in the village of Marhab, and our tribe is
the Marhabi."
I thanked the speaker, and we bade a friendly farewell. A few
minutes later, the six strangers were no more than specks retreating
along the vast rocky slopes.
But to them personally I scarcely gave another thought. Almost in a
moment, my life-prospects had been transformed. I could now find
my way back to my own land—yes, I could find my way if Yasma
would only go with me! Enthusiastically I turned to her, told of the
discovery, and asked if she would not accompany me to America. In
my impetuous eagerness, I scarcely gave her a chance to reply, but
went on and on, describing wildly the prospects before us, the
splendors of civilized lands, the silks and velvets in which I should
clothe her, the magnificent sights to be seen in countries beyond the
mountains.
I think that, beneath the shock of the discovery, I was under a
stupefying spell. So wrapped up was I in the great new knowledge
that I scarcely noted how, while I was speaking, Yasma walked with
head averted. But when, after some minutes, my enthusiasm
slackened and I turned to seek her response, I met with a surprise
that was like ice water in the face—I found that she was weeping!
"Yasma," I murmured, in dismay. "Yasma—what has come over
you?"
Her reply was such a passionate outburst that I was thankful the
others were hundreds of yards ahead.
"Oh, my beloved," she cried, while her little fists, fiercely clenched,
were waved tragically in air, "you should never have married me!
Never, never! It wasn't fair to you! It wasn't right! Oh, why did you
make me marry you? For now see what you have done! You have
locked yourself up in Sobul, and can't go back to your own land, no,
you can't—never again—not unless—unless without me!"
The last words were uttered with a drooping of the head and a
gesture of utmost renunciation.
"You know I would never go back without you, Yasma," I assured
her.
"But you can never go with me! I must remain in Sobul—I must! I've
told you so before, and I cannot—cannot be anything but what I am!"
"No one would ask you to be anything but what you are. But think,
Yasma, might it not really be wiser to go away? Remember how long
we have been parted even in Sobul. And would it not be better,
better for both of us, if we could leave this land and be together
always?"
"We could not be together always!" she denied, with finality. "And it
would not be better, not better for me! I must be in Sobul each year
when the birds fly south! Or I too might go the way of the birds, and
never be able to fly back!"
It was an instant before I had grasped the significance of her words.
"But you cannot mean that, Yasma!" I protested, with a return of my
old, half-buried forebodings. "No, no, you cannot—"
"I do mean it!"—In her tones there was an unfathomable sadness,
and the humility of one who bows to inexorable forces.—"I do mean
it! I know that it is so! Oh, if you love me, if you care to have me with
you, do not speak of this again! Do not ask me to go away from
Sobul, and never, never return!"
As she uttered these words, her eyes held such pleading, such
piteous pleading and sorrow and regret, that I could only take her
into my arms, and promise never to distress her so again.
Yet even as I felt her arms about me and her convulsive form
huddled against my breast, I could not help reflecting how strange
was the prison that circumstance and my own will had built about
me; and my glimpse of the doorway out had only made me realize
how unyielding were the bolts and bars.
Chapter XXII
THE TURNING POINT APPROACHES
When the days were shortening once more toward fall and the forest
leaves were showing their first tinges of yellow, I knew that I was
approaching an all-important turning point. Already I had passed two
autumns and two winters in Sobul, two autumns of mystery and two
winters of solitude; and it seemed certain that the third year would
bring some far-reaching change. I tried to tell myself that the change
would be beneficent, that the enigma of Sobul would be penetrated,
and that henceforth there would be no separation between Yasma
and myself; but even though I doubted my own hopes and feared
some undiscovered menace, I remained firm in my determination
that Yasma should not leave me this year.
More than once, when summer was still in full blossom, I gave
Yasma hints of my intention. But she either did not take them
seriously, or pretended not to; she would brush my words aside with
some attempted witticism, and did not appear to see the earnestness
beneath my mild phrases. In my dread of casting some new shadow
over us both, I delayed the crucial discussion as long as possible;
delayed, indeed, until the hot days were over and the woods were
again streaked with russet and crimson; delayed until after the
Ibandru had held their annual firelight festival; delayed until the brisk
winds brought promise of frost, and more than one of the tribesmen
had gone on that journey which would not end until the new leaves
were green. Even so, I still hesitated when the moment came to
broach the subject; I realized only too well that one false move might
precipitate a storm, and defeat my purpose.
The time I selected was a calm, clear evening, when twilight was
settling over the village and a red blaze still lingered above the
western range. Arm in arm Yasma and I had been strolling among
the fields; and as we returned slowly to our cabin, a silence fell
between us, and her exuberant spirits of the afternoon disappeared.
Looking down at her small figure, I observed how frail she actually
was, and how dependent; and I thought I noted a sorrow in her eyes,
a grief that had hovered there frequently of late and that seemed the
very mark of the autumn season. But the sense of her weakness, the
realization of something melancholy and even pathetic about her,
served only to draw me closer to her, made it seem doubly sad that
she should disappear each autumn into the unknown.
And as I pondered the extraordinary fate that was hers and mine,
words came to me spontaneously. "I want you to do me a favor,
Yasma," I requested. "A very particular favor."
"But you know that I'll do any favor you ask," she assented, turning
to me with the startled air of one interrupted amid her reveries.
"This is something out of the ordinary, Yasma. Something you may
not wish to do. But I want it as badly as I've ever wanted anything in
the whole world."
"What can it be that you want so badly and yet think I wouldn't give?"
"Do you promise?" I bargained, taking an unfair advantage. "Do you
promise, Yasma?"
"If it's anything within my power—and will bring you happiness—of
course I'll promise!"
"This will bring me the greatest happiness. When the last birds fly
south, and the last of your people have gone away, I want you to
stay here with me."
Yasma's response was a half-suppressed little cry—though whether
of pain or astonishment I could not tell. But she averted her head,
and a long silence descended. In the gathering darkness it would
have been impossible to distinguish the expression of her face; but I
felt intuitively what a blow she had been dealt.
Without a word we reached our cabin, and entered the dim, bare
room. I busied myself lighting a candle from a wick we kept always
burning in a jar of oil; then anxiously I turned to Yasma.
She was standing at the window gazing out toward the ghostly
eastern peaks, her chin sagging down upon her upraised palm.
"Yasma," I murmured.
Slowly she turned to face me. "Oh, my beloved," she sighed, coming
to me and placing her hands affectionately upon my shoulders, "I do
not want to pain you. I do not want to pain you, as you have just
pained me. But you have asked the one thing I cannot grant."
"But, Yasma, this is the only thing I really want!"
"It is more than I can give! You don't know what you ask!" she
argued, as she quickly withdrew from me.
"But you promised, Yasma," I insisted, determined to press my
advantage.
"I didn't even know what I was promising! Why, it just never occurred
to me to think of such a thing; I imagined that had all been settled
long ago. Was it right to make me promise?" she contested,
stanchly.
"I don't see why not," I maintained, trying to be calm. "Certainly, it's
not unjust to ask you not to desert me."
"Oh, it isn't a question of injustice!" she exclaimed, with passion. "If I
were starved, would it be unjust for me to want food? If I were
stifling, would it be unjust to crave air? Each year when the birds fly
south my people leave Sobul, not because they wish to or plan to but
because they must, just as the flower must have warmth and light!"
"But do you think you alone must have warmth and light? Do I not
need them too? Must I be forsaken here all winter while you go
wandering away somewhere in the sunshine? Think, Yasma, I do not
absolutely ask you to stay! I would not ask you to stay in such a
dreary place! But take me with you, wherever you go! That is all I
want!"
"But that I can never do," she replied, falling into a weary, lifeless
tone. "I cannot take you with me. It is not in your nature. You can
never feel the call. You are not as the Ibandru; you would not be able
to follow us, any more than you can follow the wild geese."
"Then if I cannot go, at least you can remain!"
"No Ibandru has ever remained," she objected, sadly, as though to
herself. "Yulada does not wish it—and Yulada knows best."
Somehow, the very mention of that sinister figure made me suddenly
and unreasonably angry.
"Come, I've heard enough of Yulada!" I flared. "More than enough!
Never speak of her again!" And by the wavering candlelight I could
see Yasma's face distended with horror at my blasphemy.
"May Yulada forgive you!" she muttered, and bent her head as if in
prayer.
"Listen to me, Yasma!" I appealed, in rising rage. "Let's try to see
with clear eyes. You said something about fairness—have you ever
thought how fair you are to me? I can't go back to my own land
because I wouldn't leave you; but here in your land you yourself
leave me for months at a time. And I don't even know why you go or
where. Would you think it fair if I were gone half the time and didn't
tell you why?"
Into her flushed face had come anger that rivalled my own. Her
proud eyes flashed defiance as she cried, "No, I wouldn't think it fair!
And if you are tired of staying here, you can go—yes, you can just
go!"
"Very well then, I will go!" I decided, on a mad impulse. "If you don't
want me, I'll go at once! I'll return to my own people! The road is
open—I'll not trouble you to stay here this winter!"
As though in response to a well formed plan rather than to an
irrational frenzy, I began to fumble about the room for bits of clothing,
for scraps of food, for my notebook and empty revolver; and made
haste to bind my belongings together as if for a long journey.
For several minutes Yasma watched me in silence. Then her
reaction was just what it had been when, in a similar fury, I had run
from her in the woods long before. While I persisted with my
preparations and the suspense became prolonged, I was startled by
a half-stifled sob from my rear. And, the next instant, a passionate
form thrust itself upon me tensely, almost savagely, tearing the
bundle from my grasp and weaving its arms about me in a tearful
outburst.
"No, no, no, you must not!" she cried, in tones of pleading and
despair. "You must not go away! Stay here, and I'll do anything you
want!"
"Then you'll remain all winter?" I stipulated, though by this time I was
filled with such remorse and pity that I would gladly have abandoned
the dispute.
"Yes, I'll remain all winter—if I can," she moaned. "But I do not know,
I do not know—if Yulada will let me."
It struck me that in her manner there was the sadness of one who
stands face to face with misfortune; and in her words I could catch a
forewarning of events I preferred not to anticipate.
Chapter XXIII
THE LAST FLIGHT
As the evening twilight came earlier and the trees were burnished a
deeper scarlet and gold, a strange mood came over Yasma. She
was no longer her old frolicsome self; she would no longer go
dancing light-heartedly among the woods and fields; she would not
greet me with laughter when I returned to our cabin, nor play her little
games of hide-and-seek, nor smile at me in the old winsome
whimsical way. But she was as if burdened with a deep sorrow. Her
eyes had the look of one who suffers but cannot say why; her
actions were as mechanical as though her life-interest had forsaken
her. She would sit on the cabin floor for hours at a time, staring into
vacancy; she would stand with eyes fastened upon the wild birds as
their successive companies went winging southward; she would
gaze absently up at Yulada, or would mumble unintelligible prayers;
she would go off by herself into the forest, and when she returned
her cheeks would be moist.
At times, indeed, she struggled to break loose from this melancholia.
For a moment the old sweet untroubled smile would come back into
her eyes, and she would take my hand, and beg me not to mind her
queer ways; but after a few minutes the obsession would return.
Now and then she would be actually merry for a while, but I would
fancy that in her very gaiety there was something strained; and more
than once her jovial mood ended in tears. I could not understand her
conduct; I was more deeply worried than she could have known; and
often when she sat at my side, wrapped in some impenetrable
revery, I would be absorbed in a bleak revery of my own, wherein
Yasma would have the central place.
Yet, even at this late date, it would have been possible to avert
catastrophe. Dimly I recognized that I had only to release Yasma