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Ch7
1. A sample in which the sampling units are chosen from the population by means of a random mechanism is a:
a. probability sample b. judgmental sample
c. stratified sample d. systematic sample
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-2 Sampling Terminology
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

2. A judgmental sample is a sample in which the:


a. sampling units are chosen using a random number table
b. quality of sampling units judged before they are added to the sample
c. sampling units are chosen according to the sampler’s judgment
d. sampling units are all biased and vocal about it
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-2 Sampling Terminology
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

3. Potential sample members, called sampling units, are:


a. people b. companies
c. households d. all of these choices
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-2 Sampling Terminology
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

4. In sampling, a population is:


a. the set of all humans
b. the set of all members about which a study intends to make inferences
c. any group of test subjects
d. a random group of individuals, households, cities, or countries
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-2 Sampling Terminology
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

5. A list of all members of the population is called a:


a. sampling unit b. probability sample
c. frame d. relevant population
ANSWER: c

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Ch7
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-2 Sampling Terminology
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

6. A list of all members of the population from which we can choose a sample is called a frame, and the potential sample
members are called sampling units.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-2 Sampling Terminology
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

7. A probability sample is a sample in which the sampling units are chosen from the population by means of a random
mechanism such as a random number table.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-2 Sampling Terminology
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

8. We can measure the accuracy of judgmental samples by applying some simple rules of probability. This way,
judgmental samples are not likely to contain our built-in biases.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-2 Sampling Terminology
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

9. A sample chosen in such a way that every possible subset of same size has an equal chance of being selected is
called a(n):
a. interval estimation b. point estimation
c. simple random sample. d. statistic
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

10. The sampling method in which a population is divided into blocks and then selected by choosing a random
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Ch7
mechanism is called a:
a. random sampling b. systematic sampling
c. stratified sampling d. cluster sampling
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

11. Which of the following is not a consideration when determining appropriate sample size?
a. the cost of sampling b. the timely collection of the data
c. interviewer fatigue d. the likelihood of nonsampling error
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

12. Identifiable subpopulations within a population are called:


a. clusters
b. samples
c. blocks
d. strata
e. none of these choices
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

13. The defining property of a simple random sample is that:


a. every sample of a particular size has the same chance of being chosen
b. the easiest method to access samples are chosen
c. the fewest samples necessary for statistical significance are chosen
d. every fourth subject is chosen as a sample
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

14. Selecting a random sample from each identifiable subgroup within a population is called:
a. demographic sampling
b. systematic sampling
c. stratified sampling
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Ch7
d. cluster sampling
e. none of these choices
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

15. Which of the following are reasons for why simple random sampling is used infrequently in real applications?
a. Samples can be spread over a large geographic region.
b. Simple random sampling requires that all sampling units be identified prior to sampling.
c. Simple random sampling can result in underrepresentation or overrepresentation of certain segments of the
population.
d. All of these choices are valid reasons.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

16. Which statement is true of proportional sample sizes?


a. The proportion of a stratum in the sample is independent of the proportion of that stratum in the population.
b. The proportion of a stratum in the sample is the same as the proportion of that stratum in the population.
c. The proportion of a stratum in the sample is greater than the proportion of that stratum in the population.
d. The proportion of a stratum in the sample is less than the proportion of that stratum in the population.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

17. Simple random samples are samples in which each member of the population has the same chance of being chosen.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

18. A simple random sample is one where each member of the population has a known chance (this may differ from one
member to another) or probability of being chosen.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
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Ch7
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

19. In systematic sampling, one of the first k members is selected randomly, and then every kth member after this one is
selected. The value k is called the sampling interval and equals the ratio N / n, where N is the population size and n is the
desired sample size.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

20. In stratified sampling, the population is divided into relatively homogeneous subsets called strata, and then random
samples are taken from each stratum.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

21. In stratified sampling with proportional sample sizes, the proportion of each stratum selected differs from stratum to
stratum.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

22. In cluster sampling, the population is divided into subsets called clusters (such as cities or city blocks), and then a
random sample of the clusters is selected. Once the clusters are selected, we typically sample all of the members in each
selected cluster.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference
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Ch7

23. The probability of being chosen in a simple random sample of size n from a population of size N is:
a. 1/N b. N – 1/n
c. N/n d. n/N
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

24. The key to using stratified sampling is:


a. identifying the strata b. selecting the appropriate strata
c. defining the strata d. randomizing the strata
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

25. If systematic sampling is chosen as the sampling technique, it is probably because:


a. systematic sampling has better statistical properties than simple random sampling
b. systematic sampling is more convenient
c. systematic sampling always results in more representative sampling than simple random sampling
d. none of these choices
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

26. The primary advantage of cluster sampling is sampling convenience (and possibly less cost). The downside, however,
is that the inferences drawn from a cluster sample can be less accurate, for a given sample size, than for other sampling
plans.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

27. The finite population correction factor is a correction for the standard error when the sample size is fairly large relative
to the population size.
a. True
b. False

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Ch7
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

28. Simple random sampling can result in under-representation or over-representation of certain segments of the
population. This is one of several reasons that simple random samples are almost never used in real applications.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

29. Stratified samples are typically not used in real applications because they provide less accurate estimates of
population parameters for a given sampling cost.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

30. Cluster sampling is often less convenient and more costly than other random sampling methods.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

31. One obvious advantage of stratified sampling is that we obtain separate estimates within each stratum – which we
would not obtain if we took a simple random sample from the entire population. A more important advantage is that we
can increase the accuracy of the resulting population estimates by using appropriately defined strata.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

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Ch7
32. Systematic sampling is generally similar to simple random sampling in its statistical properties.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

33. Consider the frame of 50 full-time employees of Computer Technologies, Inc (CTI). CTI’s human resources manager
has collected annual salary figures for all employees and she has calculated a mean of $47,723, a median of $41,082 and
a standard deviation of $24,167. A simple random sample of 10 employees is presented below (salary is in $1,000’s).
Compute the mean, median, and standard deviation for the sample and compare these statistics with the measures for
the entire company.

Employee 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Salary 38.8 46.7 61.1 49.6 58.5 78.8 36.7 46.5 47.6 56.7
ANSWER: Sample statistics: mean = $52,100, median = $48,600, standard deviation = $12,279.5
Population parameters: mean = $47,723, median = $41,082, standard deviation = $24,167
The sample mean and median are larger than the corresponding population mean and median, but the
sample standard deviation is much smaller (about 51%) of the population standard deviation.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Application
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

34. A sales manager for a company that makes commercial ovens for restaurants is interested in estimating the average
number of restaurants in all metropolitan areas across the entire country. He does not have access to the data for each
metropolitan location, so he had decided to select a sample that will be representative of all such areas, and will use a
sample size of 30. Do you believe that simple random sampling is the best approach to obtaining a representative subset
of the metropolitan areas in the given frame? Explain. If not, recommend how the sales manager might proceed to select
a better sample of size 30 from this data?
ANSWER: Using a simple random sample may not be the best approach. If you are trying to determine the number
of restaurants in metropolitan areas, it seems as though this would be somewhat dependent on the size
(population) of the metropolitan areas under investigation. It may be better to stratify the samples. You
could divide the metropolitan areas into several strata based on their population and then sample within
each stratum. This may be more representative of the metropolitan areas across the country.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate | Bloom’s: Analysis
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

The manager of a small computer company has collected current annual salaries and number of years of post-secondary
education for 52 full-time employees. The data are shown below:

Current annual salaries:

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Ch7

Number of years of post-secondary education:

35. (A) Compute the mean, median, and standard deviation of the annual salaries for the 52 employees in the given
frame.

(B) Use Excel® to choose a systematic sample of size 13 from the frame of annual salaries.

(C) Compute the mean, median, and standard deviation of the annual salaries for the 13 employees included in your
systematic sample in (B)

(D) Compare your statistics in (C) with your computed descriptive measures for the frame in (A). Is your systematic
sample representative of the frame with respect to the annual salary variable?

(E) Assume that we wish to stratify these employees by the number of years of post-secondary education, select such a
stratified sample of size 15 with approximately proportional sample sizes.

(F) Compute the mean, median, and standard deviation of the annual salaries for the 15 employees included in your
stratified sample in (E).

(G) Compare these statistics in (F) with your computed descriptive measures for the frame obtained in (A). Is your
stratified sample representative of the frame with respect to the annual salary variable?
ANSWER: (A) The mean, median, and standard deviation of the given frame were computed using StatTools as
shown below:

(B) In order to generate a systematic sample, we must first divide the frame size by the desired sample
size to find the relevant intervals from which we will sample. The sampling interval in this case is 4,

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Ch7
meaning that every 4th salary will be included in the sample. Next, we randomly choose a number
between 1 and 4. Suppose that this number happens to be 1. This will be our starting point in the first
block of 4 salaries. To identify every 4th salary thereafter, we first developed an index column to assign
an index value to each salary. We then used the MOD function in Excel® to label every 4th salary with a
"1" in column C. Lastly, we used an IF statement to identify every value that has a "1" assigned to it. We
have now generated a systematic sample of size 13. The sample consists of the following values shown
below (read across rows):

$38,450 $109,285 $87,489 $49,638 $76,927 $90,473


$89,867 $28,743 $39,205 $54,199 $49,987 $21,750
$31,008

(C)

(D) After generating the summary measures for both the frame and the sample, we can conclude that the
sample does not represent the frame well. The mean, median, and standard deviation of the frame are all
much smaller than the mean, median, and standard deviation of the sample.

(E) This portion of the solution involves several steps. First, we noted the total sample size needed.
Second, we developed the strata we will use to separate the given frame: in this case we placed every
two years in a new stratum as shown below. Next, we generated a column labeled "Category", to place a
number between 1 and 5 next to the salary that corresponds with the stratum of that number. For
example, if the annual salary was of a person who only had 2 years of education beyond secondary
education, then a number 2 for Stratum 2 was placed next to the salary. The "Category" column was
generated using an IF statement. We then unstacked the categories in order to count the number of
salaries in each stratum. This was done by using StatTools's Data Utilities/Unstack function. Once this
was completed, we used the COUNT function in Excel® to count the number of values in each stratum
and then generated proportional numbers for each stratum with respect to the size of the given
population. Once the proportions are generated, we used the random number function in Excel® to assign
a random number to each salary. Then, by using Excel® to sort the salaries in each stratum by their
random number (in this case by ascending number) we selected the salaries in each stratum that will be
included in the sample. These salaries are shown below.

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Ch7

(F)

(G) When looking at the mean, median, and standard deviation of both the sample and population, we
can conclude that the stratified sample represents the population fairly well, although the summary
measures are all slightly lower than those of the population.

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Application
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

Suppose that you are an entrepreneur interested in establishing a new Internet-based auction service. Furthermore,
suppose that you have gathered basic demographic information on a large number of Internet users. You currently have
information on 1000 individuals related to their gender, age, education, marital status, annual household income, and
number of people in household. Assume that these individuals were carefully selected through stratified sampling.

36. (A) To assess potential interest in your proposed enterprise, you would like to conduct telephone interviews with a
representative subset of the 1000 Internet users. How would you proceed to stratify the given frame of 1000 individuals to
choose 50 for telephone interviews? Explain your approach.

(B) Explain how you could apply cluster sampling to obtain a sample size of 50 from this frame. What are the advantages
and disadvantages of employing cluster sampling in this case?
ANSWER: (A) Which of these factors will have an impact on the use of the auction service? You may want to use
gender, age, and annual household income. You should attempt to gather data on individuals that
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Ch7
represent the different gender, age, and annual income groups that represent your customers. You may
find that you have different responses between these groups.
(B) You may decide that you want to sample 50 people in your immediate area. You can use your local
phone directory and call customers in your area. This type of sampling is convenient and is less costly.
The drawback is that the inference drawn from this type of sample may not be representative of the entire
population.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate | Bloom’s: Analysis
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

A statistics professor has just given the final examination in his introductory statistics course. In particular, he is interested
in learning how his class of 50 students performed on this exam. The data are shown below.

78 72 73 75 79 72 75 77 71 78
83 84 71 81 82 79 71 73 89 74
75 93 74 88 83 90 82 79 62 73
88 76 76 76 80 84 84 91 70 76
74 68 80 87 92 84 79 80 91 74

37. (A) Using these 50 students as the frame, use Excel® to generate a simple random sample of size 10 from this frame.
(B) Compute the mean scores in the frame and the simple random sample you generated in (A).

(C) Compare the mean scores you computed in (B). Is your simple random sample a good representative of the frame?
Why or why not?

(D) Using these 50 students as the frame, use Excel® to generate a systematic sample of size 10 from this frame.

(E) Compare the mean scores in the frame with that in the systematic sample in (D). What do you conclude?
ANSWER:
In order to solve this problem, we first generated an index value for each score in the given frame. Then
we used StatTool’s Random Sample tool in the Data Utilities section to generate a simple random sample
of scores from the population. Lastly, we used VLOOKUP function to find the corresponding score for
each index value. This process resulted in the following sample:

Index 6 34 37 10 26 24 32 36 4 33
Score 72 76 84 78 90 88 76 84 75 76

(B) Population mean score = 78.92, Sample mean score = 79.90 in the above case.

(C) The mean of the sample generated from the given frame of scores is clearly very close to the mean of
the population. Therefore we may conclude that the simple random sample is fairly representative of the
population of introductory statistics final exam scores.

(D) In order to generate a systematic sample, we must first divide the frame size (50) by the desired
sample size (10) to find the relevant intervals from which we will sample. The sampling interval in this
case is 5, meaning that every 5th score will be included in the sample. Next, we randomly choose a
number between 1 and 5. Suppose that this number happens to be 1. This will be our starting point in the
first block of 5 scores. To identify every 5th score thereafter, we first developed an index column to assign
an index value to each score. We then used the MOD function in Excel® to label every 5th score with a “1”
assigned to it. We have now generated a systematic sample of size 10. The sample consists of the
following values: 78, 72, 83, 79, 75, 90, 88, 84, 74, and 84.

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Ch7

(E) The means of the frame and of the sample were found to be 78.92 and 80.7, respectively. We see
that these means are very close. From this analysis, we can conclude that the systematic sample is fairly
representative of the frame or population.

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Analysis
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

A university bookstore manager is mildly concerned about the number of textbooks that were under-ordered and thus
unavailable two days after the beginning of classes. The manager instructs an employee to pick a random number, go to
the place where that number book is shelved, examine the next 50 titles, and record how many titles are unavailable.

38. (A) Technically, this process does not yield a random sample of the books in the store. Why not?

(B) How could a truly random sample be obtained?


ANSWER: (A) For true random sampling, all possible combinations of 50 books must have equal probability of being
sampled. In this process, books that are shelved far from each other could not be in the same sample.
Thus not all combinations would have equal probability; some would have probability 0.
(B) Obtain an inventory list of all book titles and number the books. Use a table of random numbers (or
computer generated random numbers) to select 50 books to be examined.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Analysis
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

Sally Bird of Big Rapids Realty has received data on 60 houses that were recently sold in Mecosta County in Michigan.
The data are recorded in the table shown below. Included in this data set are observations for each of the following
variables:

· The appraised value of each house (in thousands of dollars)


· The selling price of each house (in thousands of dollars)
· The size of each house (in hundreds of square feet)
· The number of bedrooms in each house

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Ch7

39. (A) Suppose that Sally wishes to examine a representative subset of these 60 houses that has been stratified by the
number of bedrooms. Use Excel® to assist her by finding such a stratified sample of size 10 with proportional sample
sizes.

(B) Explain how Sally could apply cluster sampling in selecting a sample of size 15 from this frame.

(C) What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing cluster sampling in this case?
ANSWER:
(A) In this problem, the stratified sample was found by using strata that were based on the number of
bedrooms in the house. Once we established how to stratify the frame, we unstacked the prices
according to the strata (in this case, the number of bedrooms). This was done by using StatPro’s Data
Utilities/Unstack variables. Once this was completed, we counted the number of houses in each stratum
and then assigned a proportional size to each stratum relative to the size of the frame (in this case, size
of the frame is 60). After the proportions were generated, we used Excel to generate a random number
for each price in each stratum. Next, we used the sort function in Excel® to place the prices in order of
ascending random numbers. We then chose the prices to be included in the stratified sample. These
results are shown below. Note that the stratified sample size is 11 (not 10) due to rounding.

HOUSE # BEDROOMS PRICE


17 2 132.54
29 2 111.95
18 2 114.33
2 2 111.70
1 3 132.98
45 3 136.16
27 3 153.69
34 3 127.30
12 4 136.51
32 4 155.46

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Ch7
6 5 162.03

(B) In this situation, Sally could have selected a few neighborhoods within Mecosta County, Michigan,
and obtained all the sample information from the selected neighborhoods.

(C) By using cluster sampling, Sally would be able to generate her sample more quickly and conveniently.
The disadvantage of cluster sampling in this case is that Sally would have to make sure she selected
neighborhoods that fairly represented the variety of households in the county. For example, if the county
had a large variety of homes with only 2 bedrooms, but the sample neighborhoods selected mostly
contained homes with 4 bedrooms, the sample information would not fairly represent the entire frame. If
this were the case, cluster sampling would not be a good way to select a sample.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate | Bloom’s: Application
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-3 Methods for Selecting Random Samples
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

40. The standard error of sample mean is large when the observations in the population are spread out (large ), but
that the standard error can be reduced by taking a smaller sample.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

41. Which of the following statements correctly describe estimation?


a. It is the process of inferring the values of known population parameters from those of unknown sample
statistics.
b. It is the process of inferring the values of unknown sample statistics from those of known population
parameters.
c. It is the process of inferring the values of known sample statistics from those of unknown population
parameters.
d. It is the process of inferring the values of unknown population parameters from those of known sample
statistics.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

42. A sampling error is the result of:


a. measurement error b. nonresponse bias
c. nontruthful responses d. "unlucky" sampling
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
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Ch7
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

43. The standard deviation of is usually called the:


a. standard error of the mean b. standard error of the sample
c. standard error of the population d. randomized standard error
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

44. When a portion of the sample does not respond to the survey, ____ has occurred.
a. a measurement error
b. nonresponse bias
c. a sampling error
d. systematic failure
e. a nonlinear error
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

45. The accuracy of the point estimate is measured by its:


a. standard deviation b. standard error
c. sampling error d. nonsampling error
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

46. The sampling mean is the ____ estimate for the population mean .
a. random b. point
c. simple d. interval
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

47. Non-truthful response is a particular problem when:


a. sensitive questions are asked b. surveys are anonymous
c. interviewers are not trained d. the sample is from an unusual population

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Ch7
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

48. Measurement error occurs when:


a. a portion of the sample does not respond to the survey
b. the sample responses are not clear
c. the responses to question do not reflect what the investigator had in mind
d. the investigator does not correctly tally all responses
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

49. The two basic sources for error when using random sampling are:
a. sampling and selection
b. identification and selection
c. sampling and nonsampling
d. bias and randomness
e. linear and nonlinear
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

50. Sampling error is evident when:


a. a question is poorly worded and results in bias
b. the sample is too small
c. the sample is not random
d. the sample mean differs from the population mean
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

51. The opportunity for sampling error is decreased by:


a. larger sample sizes b. smaller sample sizes
c. affluent samples d. educated samples
ANSWER: a

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Ch7
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

52. The theorem that states that the sampling distribution of the sample mean is approximately normal when the
sample size n is reasonably large is known as the:
a. central limit theorem b. central tendency theorem
c. simple random sample theorem d. point estimate theorem
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

53. There is an approximately _____% chance that any particular will be within two standard deviations of the
population mean ( ).
a. 90 b. 95
c. 99 d. 99.7
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

54. Which of the following statements are correct?


a. A point estimate is an estimate of the range of a population parameter
b. A point estimate is a single value estimate of the value of a population parameter
c. A point estimate is an unbiased estimator if its standard deviation is the same as the actual value of the
population standard deviation
d. All of these choices are correct
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

55. An unbiased estimator is a sample statistic:


a. used to approximate a population parameter
b. which has an expected value equal to the value of the population parameter
c. whose value is usually less than the population parameter
d. that incorporates the standard error of the mean
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
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Ch7
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

56. Which of the following statements is correct?


a. A confidence interval describes a range of values that is likely not to include the actual population parameter
b. A confidence interval is an estimate of the range for a sample statistic.
c. A confidence interval is an estimate of the range of possible values for a population parameter.
d. None of these statements is correct.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

57. The approximate standard error of the sample mean is calculated as:
a. b.

c. d.

ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

58. The approximate 95% confidence interval for a population mean is:
a. b.

c. d.

ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

59. The finite population correction factor, , should generally be used when:

a. N is any finite size


b. n is less than 5% of the population size N
c. n is greater than 5% of the population size N
d. n is any finite size
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
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Ch7
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

60. The central limit theorem (CLT) is generally valid for:


a. n > 5
b. n > 10
c. n > 20
d. n > 30
e. any size n
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

61. The averaging effect means that as you average more and more observations from a given distribution, the variance
of the average:
a. increases
b. decreases
c. is unaffected
d. could either increase, decrease, or stay the same
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

62. When we sample less than 5% of the population, the finite population correction factor; fpc = , is
used to modify the formula for the standard error of the sample mean.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

63. A point estimate is a single numeric value, a “best guess” of a population parameter, calculated from the sample data.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

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Ch7
64. The difference between the point estimate and the true value of the population parameter being estimated is called
the estimation error.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

65. A confidence interval is an interval calculated from the population data, where we strongly believe the true value of
the population parameter lies.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

66. The sampling distribution of any point estimate (such as the sample mean or proportion) is the distribution of the point
estimates we would obtain from all possible samples of a given size drawn from the population.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

67. An unbiased estimate is a point estimate such that the mean of its sampling distribution is equal to the true value of
the population parameter being estimated.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

68. The standard error of an estimate is the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the estimate. It measures
how much estimates from different samples vary.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
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Ch7
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

69. The standard error of the estimate measures how much estimates vary from sample to sample.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

70. It is customary to approximate the standard error of the sample mean by substituting the sample standard
deviation s for in the formula: SE( )= .
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

71. An estimator is said to be unbiased if the mean of its sampling distribution equals the value of the population
parameter being estimated.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

72. Estimation is the process of inferring the value of an unknown population parameter using data from a random sample
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

73. The central limit theorem (CLT) states that the sampling distribution of the mean is approximately normal, no matter
what the distribution of the population, as long as the sample size is large enough.
a. True
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Ch7
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

74. When the sample size is greater than 5% of the population, the formula for the standard error of the mean should be
modified with a finite population correction.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Knowledge
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

75. The mean of the sampling distribution of always equals:


a. the population mean b. /n
c. the population standard deviation d. / n
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

76. The opportunity for nonsampling error is increased by:


a. larger sample sizes b. smaller sample sizes
c. affluent samples d. educated samples
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISCB: Statistical Inference

77. The central limit theorem (CLT) is considered to be an important result in statistics because:
a. the CLT allows us to assume that the population distribution is approximately normal, provided n is reasonably
large
b. the CLT allows us to estimate the population mean without knowing the exact form of the population
distribution, provided n is reasonably large
c. the CLT allows us to construct confidence intervals for the population mean without knowing the exact form of
the population distribution, provided n is reasonably large
d. of all of these choices
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
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Ch7
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

78. A sample of size 20 is selected at random from a population of size N. If the finite population correction factor is
0.9418, then N must be 169.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

79. The sampling distribution of the mean will have the same mean as the original population from which the samples
were drawn.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

80. The sampling distribution of the mean will have the same standard deviation as the original population from which the
samples were drawn.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

81. The randomized response technique is a way of getting at sensitive information to avoid estimation errors due to
nontruthful responses.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

82. Voluntary response bias occurs when the responses to questions do not reflect what the investigator had in mind.
a. True
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Ch7
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

83. If the sample size is greater than 30, the Central Limit Theorem (CLT) will always apply.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

84. The central limit theorem (CLT) says that as long as the sample size is reasonably large, there is about a 95% chance
that the magnitude of the sampling error for the mean will be no more than two standard errors.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

85. The size of a sample can be selected by first determining the desired standard error and then using the formula
to calculate n.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Comprehension
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

Suppose that the average weekly earnings for employees in general automotive repair shops is $450, and that the
standard deviation for the weekly earnings for such employees is $50. A sample of 100 such employees is selected at
random.

86. (A) Find the mean and standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the average weekly earnings in the sample.

(B) Find probability that the mean of the sample is less than $445.

(C) Find the probability that the mean of the sample is between $445 and $455.

(D) Find the probability that the mean of the sample is greater than $460.
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Ch7

(E) Explain why the assumption of normality about the distribution of the average weekly earnings for employees was not
involved in the answers to (A) through (D).
ANSWER: (A) E( )= = 450, and SE( )= =5
(B) P( < 445) = P(Z < -1) = 0.5000 – 0.3413 = 0.1587
(C) P(445< <455) = P(-1.0 < Z < 1.0) = 2(0.3413) = 0.6826
(D) P( > 460) = P(Z > 2.0) = 0.5000 – 0.4772 = 0.0228
(E) The sample size is large; n = 100 is greater than 30, so the distribution of the average weekly
earnings for employees is at least approximately normal.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Application
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

An editor of a local newspaper is concerned with the number of errors that are found in the daily paper. In order to
understand the extent of this problem, the editor would like to estimate the average number of errors in the daily paper.
The frame in this case is the number of errors found in the daily paper for the past six months (180 issues).

87. (A) What sample size would be required for the production personnel to be approximately 95% sure that their
estimate of the average number of errors per issue is within 4 errors of the true mean? Assume that the editor’s best
estimate of the population standard deviation ( ) is 10 errors per issue.

(B) How does your answer to (A) change if the editor wants the estimate to be within 3 errors of the actual population
mean? Explain the difference in your answers to (A) and (B).
ANSWER: (A)
(B) In this case, . This shows that we need almost twice
as many observations to decrease the absolute error from 4 to 3.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate | Bloom’s: Analysis
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

A columnist for the LA Times is working to meet a deadline on a story about commuting in Los Angeles. She wants to
include information about the current price of gasoline in the Los Angeles metro area, but her source person for this type
of information has already gone home for the day. So she decides to take her own sample as she drives home, writing
down the prices she observes as she makes her way from downtown to her neighborhood in the suburbs. Below is the
data sample she obtains (units are $/gallon).

88. (A) Do you think she has obtained a true random sample?
(B) What average price could she report, based on the above sample?

(C) What average price range could she report, based on the above sample?

(D) Do you see any issues with reporting the range calculated for (C)?
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Ch7
ANSWER:
(A) For a true random sample, all possible gas stations in the LA metro area must have an equal chance
of being sampled. In this case, only the stations on her route home were sampled, although they do at
least represent a variety of settings (different parts of town). Given her time constraints, this sample may
suffice, though.

(B) The sample mean is $3.23.

(C) Using the sample mean and sample standard deviation (0.185), she could calculate a 95%
confidence interval for the true mean price of $3.15/gallon to $3.30/gallon.

(D) The sample, in addition to perhaps not being truly random, may also be too small to justify using the
assumptions used calculating the range in (C). Typically we want n>30 unless the population data is
approximately normal as well.

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy | Bloom’s: Analysis
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

Auditors of Old Kent Bank are interested in comparing the reported value of customer savings account balances with their
own findings regarding the actual value of such assets. Rather than reviewing the records of each savings account at the
bank, the auditors decide to examine a representative sample of savings account balances. The frame from which they
will sample is shown below.

$75.30 $614.11 $696.34 $572.08


$748.23 $21.20 $99.79 $1,233.38
$530.40 $378.37 $596.14 $239.65
$2,995.38 $1,069.06 $929.80 $259.98
$123.65 $68.92 $192.35 $754.45
$309.00 $163.31 $71.75 $904.92
$40.70 $161.12 $459.38 $171.48
$402.81 $157.44 $41.81 $87.08
$489.97 $468.12 $400.57 $319.40
$533.82 $1,801.35 $1,666.50 $37.16
$85.92 $91.43 $193.14 $106.95
$214.62 $10.62 $582.18 $39.65
$123.66 $76.33 $291.73 $398.48
$659.18 $101.24 $1,740.47 $322.26
$1,509.34 $1,599.04 $358.62 $492.05
$1,052.68 $596.33 $100.54 $1,288.70
$421.46 $1,799.51 $581.21 $571.63
$180.58 $98.82 $358.68 $38.93
$874.78 $2,761.93 $750.44 $376.60
$269.48 $456.79 $216.81 $305.49

89. (A) What sample size would be required for the auditors to be approximately 95% sure that their estimate of the
average savings account balance at this bank is within $150 of the true mean? Assume that their best estimate of the
population standard deviation is $300.

(B) Choose a simple random sample of the size found in (A).

(C) Compute the observed sampling error based on the sample you have drawn from the population. How does the actual
sampling error compare to the maximum possible probable absolute error established in (A)? Explain

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Ch7
ANSWER: (A)
(B) The simple random sample of size 16 was generated using StatTool’s Random Sample tool in the
Data Utilities section. Next, the VLOOKUP function was used to place the appropriate balances next to
the customers that were selected to be included in the sample. The following sample was obtained.
Customer Balance
40 456.79
51 193.14
63 239.65
37 1799.51
8 402.81
20 269.48
42 99.79
39 2761.93
78 38.93
3 530.40
35 1599.04
64 259.98
14 659.18
32 10.62
11 85.92
68 87.08
(C)
Based on the above sample (results will differ):
The sample mean = $593.39
The frame mean = $537.31
The sampling error is the difference between the sample mean and the frame mean. In this case, the
sampling error is $56.08, which is much less than the maximum probable absolute error of $150. This is
the case because the maximum probable absolute error is, by definition, the largest possible amount that
will still give 95% certainty. As illustrated here, the observed sampling error is smaller than the largest
possible error.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate | Bloom’s: Application
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

90. A cannery claims that its sardine cans have a net weight of 8 oz., with a standard deviation of 0.1 oz. You take a
simple random sample of 30 cans and encounter a sample mean of 7.85 oz. Are you inclined to believe the claim?
ANSWER: The sampling distribution of is normal (since n 30) with mean and standard deviation given by E(
)= = 8, and SE( )= = 0.0183, respectively.
Therefore, P( < 7.8) = P(Z < -8.2) = 0. If the claim were true, such a sample would not be
encountered. The cannery management is not telling the truth.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate | Bloom’s: Application
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

The manager of a local fast-food restaurant is interested in improving service provided to customers who use the
restaurant’s drive-up window. As a first step in the process, the manager asks his assistant to record the time (in minutes)
it takes to serve a large number of customers at the final window in the facility’s drive-up system. The given frame in this
case is 200 customer service times observed during the busiest hour of the day for this fast-food restaurant. The frame of
200 service times yielded a mean of 0.881. A simple random sample of 10 from this frame is presented below.

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 28


Ch7
Customer 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Service time 1.02 1.18 0.95 0.90 0.85 1.10 0.75 0.60 1.25 1.00

91. (A) Compute the point estimate of the population mean from the sample above. What is the sampling error in this
case? Assume that the population consists of the given 200 customer service times.

(B) Compute the point estimate of the population standard deviation from the sample above.

(C) Should you use the finite population correction (fpc) factor to estimate the standard error of ? Explain. If your
answer is yes, what is the value of the fpc?

(D) Determine a good approximation to the standard error of the mean in this case.
ANSWER: (A) Sample mean = 0.96. Then, sampling error = 0.96 – 0.881 = 0.079
(B) s = 0.1963
(C) Yes, we should use the finite population correction factor in this case, since a sample size of 10 is 5%
of population size of 200. Here fpc = = 0.9771.

(D)

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate | Bloom’s: Application
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

A battery manufacturer wants to estimate the average number of defective (or dead) batteries contained in a box shipped
by the company. Production personnel at this company have recorded the number of defective batteries found in each of
the 2000 boxes shipped in the past week.

92. (A) What sample size would be required for the production personnel to be approximately 95% sure that their
estimate of the average number of defective batteries per box is within 0.3 unit of the true mean? Assume that the best
estimate of the population standard deviation ( ) is 0.9 defective batteries per box.

(B) How does your answer to (A) change if the production personnel want their estimate to be within 0.5 unit of the actual
population mean? Evaluate the tradeoff between required accuracy and sample size requirement for this case and the
case in (A).
ANSWER: (A)
(B) In this case, . This shows that we need almost 3
times as many observations to reduce the absolute error from 0.5 to 0.3 units. However, 36 is still a
relatively small sample, and may be with it to keep the absolute error within 0.3 units.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Challenging | Bloom’s: Analysis
TOPICS: A-Head: 7-4 Introduction to Estimation
OTHER: BUSPROG: Analytic | DISC: Statistical Inference

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not behold things still more extravagantly credulous and ferocious;
namely, the burning of women for the imaginary crime of witchcraft,
incidents of which we have given in the body of this work, a crime
much more innocent than that of priestcraft, which triumphantly
prevailed at the very same period, and which still holds the minds of
thousands in subjection?
A belief in judicial astrology was supported and cultivated by men
remarkable for their extraordinary genius and talents.
Legends, miracles, prophecies, &c. are relics of superstitious ages.
What also is extraordinary, is, that few species of superstition, if any,
originated with the populace. They were the inventions of barbarous
ages before the dawn of reason—afterwards the fabrications of men
actuated by ambition, and a desire to servilize the human mind.
As regards the Romans only, a people whom we are taught from
our infancy to respect, and who, indeed, in their better days, were
truly venerable for their virtue and valour, what is there in their
history more astonishing than their implicit belief in augury[1]? Their
belief in omens or preternatural appearances of the heavenly bodies,
in eclipses, comets, and dreadful thunder-storms, may be forgiven.
They had made small progress in astronomy; they had not learnt that
an eclipse is a matter of common calculation; and that storms are, in
most cases, highly beneficial to the earth, and nowise connected with
past or future events. But when we find them giving implicit credit to
their priests, who thought proper to predict good or evil, merely from
the appearance of the entrails of sacrificed animals, from the flight of
birds, from chickens, foxes, &c. we are at a loss to conceive how a
deception of this kind could have prevailed, without being detected
and exposed by the good sense of the people. The mob alone, or the
common soldiers and sailors, were not merely influenced by the
reports of the augurs[2]; their kings or commanders undertook no
expedition without consulting these oracles, and were always
unsuccessful, if they confided so much in themselves as to disregard
their opinions. In some cases, it is easy to suppose that they might
have been in concert with the augurs, to promote some favourite
point, to raise an enthusiasm in the people in their favour, or to
inspire the soldiers with fortitude in some dangerous enterprise. But
it is not so easy to suppose that this was always the case, because,
upon the evidence of their historians, it appears that there was
generally but little connexion between them; and that, although the
people looked to the commander for orders, they regarded the
augurs as superior beings who were to grant success.
The art of augury the Romans had from the Tuscans, and the
Tuscans from the Greeks, who probably derived it from the
Chaldeans; but the progress of the art is as absurd as the origin of it
is obscure. The only wonder is, that it had so much influence upon a
people, in the whole of whose history we find so many brilliant
examples of solid sense, of learning, and of eloquence. Their
historians, who rank among the most learned of their writers, and of
whose abilities we can even now be judges, gravely relate the process
of consulting augury, and the success of it. Yet the augurs were men
following one another in regular succession. Was there none to
betray the secret? Was the art of juggling an hereditary secret
without one interruption? Tyranny first broke the chain. When Rome
was governed by tyrants, these despised augury, and prosecuted their
wicked purposes, whatever might be the appearance of the entrails of
an ox; and as they, no doubt, often succeeded in their enterprises,
augury would naturally fall into disrepute. These circumstances, in
the great chain of causes and events, would naturally pave the way
for a more rational religion. We are indebted to Henry VIII. for the
commencement of the reformation; but, if the pope would have
sanctioned his lust and his extortion, that advantage would have
probably been derived from a better sovereign.
It is a circumstance no less remarkable, that, notwithstanding we
read of the superstitions of the Greeks and Romans with wonder and
some degree of contempt, we cannot acquit ourselves of having yet
retained a very considerable portion Of the same superstitious spirit.
We are even indebted to them for almost all our popular whims. A
hare crossing the way—a person sneezing—stumbling—hearing
strange voices—and the falling of salt upon the table, were all with
them omens of good or evil, according to circumstances, and remain
so with thousands at the present time, and in this enlightened
country. Persons of otherwise no mean understanding have been
greatly perplexed, and have even turned pale at such occurrences. To
the above may be added, a coal starting from the fire[3]—the death-
watch—the sediment of the sugar rising to the top of the tea-cup, and
many others. We may also mention the success of those impostors,
who pretend to calculate nativities (see Astrology) and predict
events; and the many foolish instances for belief in the success of
lottery-tickets.
Ignorant as the Romans were of a superintending Providence, and
of the revealed will of the Divine Majesty, their trust in such omens
was pardonable, and deceived as they were by the artifices of their
soothsayers, who could contrive to time their prophecies, and
express them in such a manner that they should appear to be
punctually fulfilled, we cannot wonder if the wisest among them
were induced to place confidence in imposture. But that we should
be as much attached to this species of divination is a weakness, than
which there is none we ought more to blush at. Although we boast of
our superior understanding, improved as it is by the knowledge of
eighteen centuries, we are guilty of a weakness which is excusable
only in an unenlightened heathen. This subject might, perhaps, be
treated with the ridicule of satire, or the silence of contempt, but the
more we consider it, the more we should be inclined to doubt the
fact, that there can exist a human and reasonable being so weak, as
to believe that futurity can be revealed by trifling events, or by the
lowest of mankind, under the name of conjurors. But the fact cannot
be doubted: cases of the kind occur every day; and the happiness of
individuals and families often lies at the mercy of such impostors.
Those who are addicted to this species of superstitious credulity
are no doubt of that class of people who are called well-meaning,
and would be greatly incensed were we to ask them whether they
believed in the superintendence of a Divine Providence. They would
answer, “Surely—God forbid we did not!” And yet, is it consistent
with our received ideas, or with the revealed wisdom and perfections
of the Deity, to suppose that he should declare that futurity is locked
up from the penetration of mankind, and yet should reveal the events
of it by the sediments of a cup of coffee, the flame of a candle, or the
starting of a sulphureous coal? Is not this offering the greatest insult
to him? A step farther, we have, indeed, gone, and but a step towards
the very highest insult; we have supposed that he makes known the
secrets of futurity to the meanest vagrants and impostors, to the men
and women whom the magistrate very properly punishes as much
against their foreknowledge as against their inclination. The
impossibility of our acquiring by any means a knowledge of future
events, and the miserable condition of human life if we had that
knowledge, might be here insisted on; but they must be obvious to
every thinking man. A better dissuasive from the credulity which is
the subject of this discourse, would be to insist upon the gross and
insulting impiety of endeavouring to pry into what the Deity has
pronounced hidden and concealed, and that by agents the most
mean and contemptible. Let those who are still credulous in the
appearance of their coffee grounds, their spilling of salt, their passing
under a ladder or scaffolding[4], and all the paraphernalia of the
impostures of pretended divines, consider with what propriety,
decency and respect, they can hereafter appeal to the Deity by the
epithets of all-seeing and omniscient; and when they have done that,
let them reflect upon the dignity and importance of those agents, in
whose revelations they confide, in preference to his decrees.
Under the head of superstition may be ranked fatalism; for it
follows from this dogma of faith, that all means of averting
predestined events, that is, all future events whatever, are not only
unavailing, but impious. It is manifest, that if this were consistently
adhered to, every effort conducive to self-preservation, or even the
common comforts and accommodations of life, would be paralysed;
there would be no end to all the duties of social life; nay, to the very
existence of the human species. Though this speculative principle,
however, has never been able entirely to overpower and extinguish
the feelings and dictates of nature to this extent, except among a few
fantastical maniacs, there are proofs enough in the history of
mankind of its pernicious practical effects. One of the most
conspicuous examples of this, is found among the professors of the
Mahomedan faith, in their abstaining from the means of stopping the
progress of the plague. Among Christian sects, professing this
doctrine, the like evils have arisen in an inferior degree, as
exemplified in the opposition which the inoculation of the small-pox
met with from this religious prejudice. See Sir Gilbert Blane’s
Elements of Medical Logic, page 208.
PROOFS AND TRIALS OF GUILT IN
SUPERSTITIOUS AGES.

It were well, perhaps, did the cruelties practised in former ages lay
generally at the door of superstition. The extraordinary trials to
which those suspected of any guilty action were conducted with
many devout ceremonies, by the ministers of religion, were declared
to be the judgments of God. The kinds of ordeal were various, e. g.
holding in the hand a red hot bar; plunging the arm into boiling
water; walking blindfold amidst burning ploughshares; passing
through fires; challenging the accuser to single combat, when
frequently the ablest champion was permitted to supply his place;
swallowing a morsel of consecrated bread; swimming or sinking in a
river for witchcraft, or, as it was called, weighing a witch; stretching
out the arms before the cross, till the soonest wearied dropped his
arms, and lost his estate, which was decided by this very short
process, called juidcium crucis, &c.
A dispute occurred between the Bishop of Paris and the Abbot of
St. Denis, about the patronage of a monastery, and Pepin, surnamed
the Short, not being able to pronounce upon their confused claims,
decreed that it should be settled by one of these judgments of God:
viz. The judgment of the cross. Each of the disputants chose a man,
and both of the men appeared in the chapel, where they extended
their arms in the form of a cross. The spectators, more orderly than
those of the present day; still, although they watched every motion of
the combatants with the most pious attention, the old English spirit,
which rules so prevalently at the present period, was proof against
every other consideration—they betted on the feat, first on one side,
then on the other, according as the odds seemed to run in favour or
against. The Bishop’s man was first tried; he let his arms drop and
ruined his patron for ever. Though these trials might sometimes be
evaded by the artifice of the priest, numerous, nevertheless, were the
innocent victims who suffered from these superstitious practices.
They were very frequent between the tenth and twelfth century.
William Rufus, having accused Hildebert, the Bishop of Mans, of
high treason, was on the verge of submitting to one of these trials,
when he was convinced by Ives, Bishop of Chartres, that they were
against the canons of the constitution of the church, and adds, that in
this manner “Innocentiam defendere, est innocentiam perdere.” In
1066 an abbot of St. Aubin of Angers, having refused to present a
horse to the viscount of Tours, which the viscount claimed in right of
his lordship, whenever an abbot first took possession of that abbey;
the ecclesiastic offered to justify himself by the trial of the ordeal, or
by duel, for which purpose he proposed to find a substitute. The duel
was first agreed to by the viscount; but, reflecting that these
combatants, though sanctioned by the church, depended solely on
the address or vigour of the adversary, and consequently could afford
no substantial proof of the equity of his claim, he proposed to
compromise the matter in a manner which strongly characterised
these times: he surrendered his claim, on condition that the abbot
should not forget to mention him, his wife, and his brothers, in his
prayers! As the orisons appeared to the abbot of comparatively little
value with the horse, the proposal was accepted.
In the tenth century the right of representation was not settled: it
was a question whether a son’s sons ought to be accounted among
the children of the family, and succeed equally with their uncles, if
their fathers happened to die while their grandfathers survived. This
point was decided by one of these combats. The champion in behalf
of the right of children to represent their deceased father, proved
victorious. It was then established by a perpetual decree, that they
should from that time forward share in the inheritance along with
their uncles.
In the eleventh century, the same mode was adopted, to decide
between two rival liturgies! A couple of knights, clad in complete
armour, were the tests to decide which was the true and authentic
liturgy.
The capitularies of Dagobert say, that if two neighbours dispute
respecting the boundaries of their possessions, let a piece of turf of
the contested land be dug up by the judge, and brought by him into
the court, and the two parties shall touch it with the points of their
swords, calling on God to witness their claims: after this, let them
combat, and let victory prove who is right or who is wrong. In these
combats in Germany, a solemn circumstance was practised in these
judicial combats. In the midst of the lists they placed a bier; by the
side of which stood the accuser and the accused, one at the head and
the other at the foot, where they leaned in profound silence for some
time before the combat commenced. In his preface to Way’s
Fableaux, Mr. Ellis shews how faithfully the manners of the age are
painted in these ancient tales, by observing the judicial combat
introduced by a writer of the 14th century, who, in his poem,
represents Pilate as challenging Jesus Christ to single combat; and
another, who describes the person who pierced the side of Christ as a
knight who jousted with Jesus.
It appears that judicial combat was practised by the Jews.
Whenever the Rabbins had to decide on a dispute about property
between two parties, neither of which could produce evidence to
substantiate the claim, it was terminated by single combat. The
Rabbins were impressed with a notion that consciousness of right
would give additional confidence and strength to the rightful
possessor. It may, however, be more philosophical to observe, that
such judicial combats were more frequently favourable to the
criminal than to the innocent, because the bold wicked man is
usually more ferocious and hardy than he whom he singles out as his
victim, and who only wishes to preserve his own quiet enjoyments: in
this case the assailant is the most terrific opponent.
Those who were accused of robbery in these times were put to trial
by a piece of barley bread, on which the mass had been performed;
and if the accused could not swallow it, they were declared guilty.
This mode of trial was improved by adding to the bread a slice of
cheese; and such was their credulity and dependance on heaven in
these ridiculous trials, that they were very particular in this holy
bread and cheese, called the corsned. The bread was to be of
unleavened barley, and the cheese made of ewes milk in the month of
May[5].
The bleeding of a corpse was another proof of guilt in superstitious
ages; nor is the custom yet entirely abolished. If a person were
murdered, it was believed, that at the touch or approach of the
murderer, the blood gushed out from various parts of the body. By
the side of the bier, if the smallest change was perceptible in the eyes,
mouth, feet or hands of the corpse, the murderer was conjectured to
be present, and many innocent persons doubtless must have suffered
death from this idle chimera; for when a body is full of blood,
warmed by a sudden external heat and symptoms of ensuing
putrefaction, some of the blood vessels will burst, as they will all in
time. This practice was once allowed in England, and is still looked
on in some of the uncivilized parts of these kingdoms as a means of
detecting the criminal. It forms a rich picture in the imagination of
our old writers; and their histories and ballads are laboured into
pathos by dwelling on the suppositious phenomenon.
All these absurd institutions, Robertson observes, cherished and
inculcated, form the superstitions of the age believing the legendary
histories of those saints who crowd and disgrace the Roman
calendar. These fabulous miracles had been declared authentic by
the bulls of the Popes, and the decrees of Councils—they were
greedily swallowed by the populace; and whoever believed that the
Supreme Being had interposed miraculously on those trivial
occasions mentioned in legends, could not but expect his
intervention in matters of greater importance when solemnly
referred to his decision. Besides this ingenious remark, the fact is,
that these customs were a substitute for written laws, which that
barbarous period had not; and as it is impossible for any society to
exist without laws, the ignorance of the people had recourse to these
customs, which bad and absurd as they were, served to terminate
controversies which might have given birth to more destructive
practices. Ordeals are, in fact, the rude laws of a barbarous people,
who have not obtained a written code, and not advanced enough in
civilization, to embrace the refined investigations, the subtle
distinctions, and elaborate inquiries, which are exacted by a Court of
Law.
It may be presumed, that these ordeals owe their origin to that one
of Moses, called the “Waters of Jealousy.” The Greeks also had
ordeals, for we read in the Antigonus of Sophocles, that the soldiers
offer to prove their innocence by handling red hot iron, and walking
between fires.
One cannot but smile at the whimsical ordeals of the Siamese.
Among other practices to discover the justice of a cause, civil or
criminal, they are particularly attached to the use of certain
consecrated purgative pills, which the contending parties are made
to swallow. He who retains them longest, gains his cause! The
practice of giving Indians a consecrated grain of rice to swallow, is
known to discover the thief in any company, by the contortions and
dismay evident on the countenance of the real thief.
In the middle ages they were acquainted with secrets to pass
unhurt these secret trials: one is mentioned by Voltaire for
undergoing the ordeal of boiling water; and this statement is
confirmed by some of our late travellers in the East. The Mevleheh
dervises can hold red hot iron between their teeth. Such artifices
have been often publicly exhibited at Paris and London. On the
ordeal of the Anglo-Saxons, Mr. Sharon Turner observes, that the
hand was not to be immediately inspected, and was left to the chance
of a good constitution to be so far healed during three days (the time
they required to be bound up and sealed, before it was examined) as
to discover those appearances when inspected, which were allowed
to be satisfactory. There was also much preparatory training,
suggested by the more experienced: besides, the accused had an
opportunity of going alone into the church, and making terms with
the priest. The few spectators were always at a distance; and cold
iron or any other inoffensive substance might be substituted, and the
fire diminished at the moment. There can be no doubt they
possessed these secrets and medicaments, which they always took
care to have ready at hand, that they might pass through these trials
in perfect security.
There is an anecdote of these times given by Camerarius, in his
“Horæ Subscecivæ,” which may serve to show the readiness of this
apparatus. A rivalship existed between the Austin Friars and the
Jesuits. The Father-general of the Austin Friars was dining with the
Jesuits; and on the table being removed, he entered into a formal
discourse of the superiority of the monastic order, and charged the
Jesuits, in unqualified terms, with assuming the title of “Fratres,”
while they held not the three vows, which other monks were obliged
to consider as sacred and binding. The general of the Austin Friars
was very eloquent and very authoritative: and the superior of the
Jesuits was very unlearned, but not quite half a fool. He was rather
careless about entering the list of controversy with the Austin Friar,
but arrested his triumph by asking him if he would see one of his
Friars who pretended to be nothing more than a Jesuit, and one of
the Austin Friar’s who religiously performed the above-mentioned
three vows, show instantly which of them would be the readiest to
obey his superiors? The Austin Friar consented. The Jesuit then
turning to one of his brothers, the Holy Friar Mark, who was waiting
on them, said, “Brother Mark, our companions are cold; I command
you, in virtue of the holy obedience you have sworn to me, to bring
here instantly out of the kitchen fire, and in your hands, some
burning coals, that they may warm themselves over your hands.”
Father Mark instantly obeys, and to the astonishment of the Austin
Friars, brought in his hands a supply of red burning coals, and held
them to whoever thought proper to warm himself; and at the
command of his superior, returned them to the kitchen hearth. The
general of the Austin Friars, with the rest of his brethren, stood
amazed; he looked wistfully on one of his monks, as if he wished to
command him to do the like; but the Austin Monk, who perfectly
understood him, and saw this was not a time to hesitate, observed,
—“Reverend Father, forbear, and do not command me to tempt God!
I am ready to fetch you fire in a chafing dish, but not in my bare
hands.” The triumph of the Jesuits was complete; and it is not
necessary to add, that the miracle was noised about, and that the
Austin Friars could never account for it, notwithstanding their strict
performance of the three vows.
ASTROLOGY, &c.

“This is the excellent foppery of the world, that when we are sick in
fortune (often the surfeit of our own behaviour) we make guilt of
our disasters, the sun, the moon, and the stars; as if we were
villains by necessity; fools by heavenly compulsion; knaves,
thieves, and treachers (traitors), by spherical predominance;
drunkards, liars, and adulterers, by an inforced obedience of
planetary influence; and all that we are evil in by a Divine
thrusting on; an admirable evasion of whoremaster to lay his
goatish disposition to the charge of a star! My father
compounded with my mother under the Dragon’s tail; and my
nativity was under Ursa Major; so that it follows, I am rough and
lecherous.—Tut, I should have been that I am, had the
maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled at my
bastardizing.”—Shakspeare.

It is a singular fact, that men the most eminent for their learning
were those who indulged most in the favourite superstition of
judicial Astrology; and as the ingenious Tenhove observes, whenever
an idea germinates in a learned head, it shoots with additional
luxuriance. At the present time, however, a belief in judicial
Astrology can only exist in the people, who may be said to have no
belief at all; for mere traditional sentiments can hardly be said to
amount to a belief.
It is said that Dr. Fludd[6] was in possession of the MSS. of Simon
Forman, the Astrologer. We have seen that the studies of
Mathematics, Astronomy, and Medicine, were early united in several
persons connected with the faculty of medicine. Real Astronomy
gave birth to judicial Astrology; which offering an ample field to
enthusiasm and imposture, was eagerly pursued by many who had
no scientific purpose in view. It was connected with various juggling
tricks and deceptions, affected an obscure jargon of language, and
insinuated itself into every thing in which the hopes and fears of
mankind were concerned. The professors of this pretended science
were at first generally persons of mean education, in whom low
cunning supplied the place of knowledge. Most of them engaged in
the empirical practice of physic, and some, through the credulity of
the times, even arrived at a degree of eminence in it; yet since the
whole foundation of their art was folly and deceit, they nevertheless
gained many proselytes and dupes, both among the well-informed
and the ignorant.
When Charles the First was confined, Lilly, the famous Astrologer,
was consulted for the hour that should favour his escape.
A story, which strongly proves how much Charles II. was bigoted
to judicial astrology, and whose mind was certainly not
unenlightened, is recorded in Burnet’s History of his own times. The
most respectable characters of the age, Sir William Dugdale, Elias
Ashmole, Dr. Grew, and others, were members of an astrological
club[7]. Congreve’s character of Foresight, in Love for Love, was then
no uncommon person, though the humour now is scarcely
intelligible. Dryden cast the nativities of his sons; and, what is
remarkable, his prediction relating to his son Charles, was
accomplished. This incident is of so late a date, one might hope it
would have been cleared up; but, if it be a fact, it must be allowed
that it forms a rational exultation for its irrational adepts.
In 1670, the passion for horoscopes and expounding the stars,
prevailed in France among the first rank. The new-born child was
usually presented naked to the astrologer, who read the first
lineaments in its forehead, and the transverse lines in its hands, and
thence wrote down its future destiny. Catherine de Medicis brought
Henry IV. then a child, to old Nostradamus, whom antiquaries
esteem more for his Chronicle of Provence than for his vaticinating
powers. The sight of the reverend seer, with a beard which “streamed
like a meteor in the air,” terrified the future hero, who dreaded a
whipping from so grave a personage. Will it be credited, that one of
these magicians, having assured Charles IX. that he would live as
many days as he should turn about on his heels in an hour, standing
on one leg, that his Majesty every morning performed that solemn
exercise for an hour; the principal officers of the court, the judges,
the chancellors, and generals, likewise, in compliment, standing on
one leg, and turning round!
It has been reported of several famous for their astrological skill,
that they have suffered a voluntary death merely to verify their own
predictions: this has been said of Cardan, and Burton the author of
the Anatomy of Melancholy.
It is curious to observe the shifts to which astrologers are put when
their predictions are not verified. Great winds were predicted, by a
famous adept, about the year 1586. No unusual storms, however,
happened. Bodin, to save the reputation of the art, applied it as a
figure to some revolutions in the state, and of which there were
instances enough at that moment. Among their lucky and unlucky
days, they pretend to give those of various illustrious persons and of
families. One is very striking:—Thursday was the unlucky day of our
Henry VIII. He, his son Edward VI. Queen Mary, and Queen
Elizabeth, all died on a Thursday! This fact had, no doubt, great
weight in this controversy of the astrologers with their adversaries.
The life of Lilly, the astrologer, written by himself, is a curious
work. He is the Sidrophel of Butler. It contains so much artless
narrative, and at the same time so much palpable imposture, that it
is difficult to know when he is speaking what he really believes to be
the truth. In a sketch of the state of astrology in his day, those adepts,
whose characters he has drawn, were the lowest miscreants of the
town. They all speak of each other as rogues and impostors. Such
were Booker, George Wharton, Gadbury, who gained a livelihood by
practising on the credulity of even men of learning so late as in 1650,
to the 18th century. In Ashmole’s life an account of these artful
impostors may be found. Most of them had taken the air in the
pillory, and others had conjured themselves up to the gallows. This
seems a true statement of facts. But Lilly informs us, that in his
various conferences with angels, their voice resembled that of the
Irish! The work is certainly curious for the anecdotes of the times it
contains. The amours of Lilly with his mistress are characteristic. By
his own accounts, he was a very artful man; and managed matters
admirably which required deception and invention.
In the time of the civil wars, astrology was in high repute. The
royalists and the rebels had their astrologers as well as their
soldiers! and the predictions of the former had a great influence over
the latter. On this subject, it may gratify curiosity to notice three or
four works which bear an excessive price; a circumstance which
cannot entirely be occasioned by their rarity; and we are induced to
suppose, that we still have adepts in this science, whose faith must be
strong, or whose scepticism weak.
The Chaldean sages were nearly put to the route by a quarto park
of artillery, fired on them by Mr. John Chamber, in 1691. Apollo did
not use Marsyas more inhumanly than his scourging pen this
mystical race, and his personalities made them feel more sore.
However, a Norwich knight, the very Quixote of astrology, arrayed in
the enchanted armour of his occult authors, encountered this pagan
in a most stately carousal. He came forth with “A defence of Judiciall
Astrologye, in answer to a treatise lately published by Mr. John
Chamber. By Christopher Knight. Printed at Cambridge, 1603.” This
is a handsome quarto of about 500 pages. Sir Christopher is a
learned and lively writer, and a knight worthy to defend a better
cause. But his Dulcinea had wrought most wonderfully on his
imagination. This defence of this fanciful science, if science it may be
called, demonstrates nothing, while it defends every thing. It
confutes, according to the Knight’s own ideas: it alleges a few
scattered facts in favour of astrological predictions, which may be
picked up in that immensity of fabling which disgraces history. He
strenuously denies, or ridicules, what the greatest writers have said
against this fanciful art, while he lays great stress on some passages
from obscure authors, or what is worse, from authors of no authority.
The most pleasant part is at the close, where he defends the art from
the objections of Mr. Chamber, by recrimination. Chamber had
enriched himself by medical practice, and when he charges the
astrologers by merely aiming to gain a few beggarly pence, Sir
Christopher catches fire, and shews by his quotations, that if we are
to despise an art by its professors attempting to subsist on it, or for
the objections which may be raised against its vital principles, we
ought by this argument most heartily to despise the medical science
and medical men! He gives here all he can collect against physic and
physicians, and from the confessions of Hippocrates and Galen,
Avicenna and Agrippa, medicine appears to be a vainer science than
even astrology! Sir Christopher is a shrewd and ingenious adversary;
but when he says he only means to give Mr. Chamber oil for his
vinegar, he has totally mistaken its quality.
The defence was answered by Thomas Vicars, in his “Madnesse of
Astrologers.”
But the great work is by Lilly; and entirely devoted to the adepts.
He defends nothing; for this oracle delivers his dictum, and details
every event as matters not questionable. He sits on the tripod; and
every page is embellished by a horoscope, which he explains with the
utmost facility. This voluminous monument of the folly of the age, is
a quarto, valued at some guineas! It is entitled, “Christian Astrology,
modestly treated of in three Books, by William Lilly, student in
Astrology, 2nd edition, 1659.” There is also a portrait of this arch
rogue, and astrologer! an admirable illustration for Lavater!
Lilly’s opinions, and his pretended science, were such favourites of
the age, that the learned Gataker wrote professedly against this
popular delusion. Lilly, at the head of his star-expounding friends,
not only formally replied to, but persecuted Gataker annually in his
predictions, and even struck at his ghost, when beyond the grave.
Gataker died in July 1654, and Lilly having written in his Almanack
of that year, for the month of August, this barbarous Latin verse:—
Hoc in tumbo, jacet presbyter et nebulo!

Here in this tomb lies a presbyter and a knave!

He had the impudence to assert, that he had predicted Gataker’s


death! But the truth is, it was an epitaph to the “lodgings to let:” it
stood empty, ready for the first passenger to inhabit. Had any other
of that party of any eminence died in that month, it would have been
as appositely applied to him. But Lilly was an exquisite rogue, and
never at a fault. Having prophesied, in his Almanack for 1650, that
the parliament stood upon a tottering foundation, when taken up by
a messenger during the night, he contrived to cancel the page,
printed off another, and shewed his copies before the committee,
assuring them that the others were none of his own, but forged by his
enemies.
PRACTICAL ASTROLOGY, &c.

By the word Astrology (derived from the Greek αστηρ, a star, and
λογος, a discourse,) is meant the art of prognosticating or foretelling
events[8] by the Aspects, Positions, and Influence of the
HEAVENLY BODIES.
By Aspect is to be understood an angle formed by the rays of two
planets meeting on earth, able to execute some natural power or
influence; which may be better explained by the following table.
CHARACTERS OF THE
Six Northern Signs. Six Southern Signs. Planets. Aspects.
♈︎Aries. ♎︎Libra. ♄ Saturn. ☌ Conjunction.
♉︎Taurus. ♏︎Scorpio. ♃ Jupiter. ⚹ Sextile.
♊︎Gemini. ♐︎Sagittarius. ♂ Mars. Δ Trine.
♋︎Cancer. ♑︎Capricorn. ☉ Sun. ☐ Quartile.
♌︎Leo. ♒︎Aquarius. ⦵ Earth. ☍ Opposition.
♍︎Virgo. ♓︎Pisces. ♀ Venus.
☿ Mercury.
☽ Luna.
This art, or rather this conjectural science, is principally divided
into Natural and Judiciary.
NATURAL ASTROLOGY

Is confined to the study of exploring natural effects, as CHANGE OF


WEATHER, WINDS, STORMS, HURRICANES, THUNDER, FLOODS, EARTHQUAKES,
and the like. In this sense it is admitted to be a part of natural
philosophy. It was under this view that Mr. Goad, Mr. Boyle, and Dr.
Mead, pleaded for its use. The first endeavours to account for the
diversity of seasons from the situations, habitudes, and motions of
the planets; and to explain an infinity of phenomena by the
contemplation of the stars. The Honourable Mr. Boyle admitted, that
all physical bodies are influenced by the heavenly bodies; and the
Doctor’s opinion, in his treatise concerning the Power of the Sun
and Moon, &c. is in favour of the doctrine. But these predictions and
influences are ridiculed and entirely exploded by the most esteemed
modern philosophers, of which the reader may have a learned
specimen in Rohault’s Tract. Physic. pt. ii. c. 27.
JUDICIAL OR JUDICIARY ASTROLOGY

Is a further pretence to discover or foretel MORAL EVENTS, or such as


have a dependence on the FREEDOM OF THE WILL. In this department of
astrology we meet with all the idle conceits about the HORARY REIGN of
planets, the DOCTRINE OF HOROSCOPES, the DISTRIBUTION OF THE HOUSES,
the CALCULATION OF NATIVITIES, FORTUNES, LUCKY and UNLUCKY HOURS,
and other ominous fatalities.
The professors of this conjectural science maintain “that the
Heavens are one great book, wherein God has written the history of
the world; and in which every man may read his own fortune and the
transactions of his time. This art, say they, had its rise from the same
hands as Astronomy itself: while the ancient Assyrians, whose serene
unclouded sky favoured their celestial observations, were intent on
tracing the paths and periods of the heavenly bodies; they discovered
a constant settled relation or analogy between them and things
below; and hence were led to conclude these to be the parcæ, or fates
or destinies, so much talked of, which preside at our birth, and
dispose of our future fate.”
The study of Astrology, so flattering to human curiosity, got early
admission into the favour of mankind, especially of the weak,
ignorant, and effeminate, whose follies induced the avaricious,
crafty, and designing knaves, to recommend and promote it for their
own private interest and advantage.
Origin of Astrology.
We meet with the first accounts of Astrology in Chaldea; and at
Rome it was known by the name of the Babylonish calculation;
against which Horace very wisely cautioned his readers—
—— nec Babylonios
Tentaris numeros.—Lib. l. od. xi.

that is, consult not the tables or planetary calculations used by


Astrologers of Babylonish origin. This therefore was the opinion of
the Romans on the subject of Astrology. Others have ascribed the
invention of this deception to the Arabs: be this as it may, judicial
Astrology has been too much used by the priests of all nations to
increase their own power and emoluments.
The Egyptians, the Chaldeans, the Greeks and Romans, furnish us
with innumerable instances of the extent to which Astrology was
carried for interested purposes. Brahmins in India, who take upon
themselves to be the arbiters of good and evil hours, and who set an
extravagant price upon their pretended knowledge of planetary
influence and predictions, maintain their authority at the present day
by similar means. Nor among the Christians, notwithstanding the
enlightened era in which we live, are we without our Astrologers, as
well as its admirers and advocates; for though they may not have all
pursued and adopted the same technical method, still it is certain,
that whoever pretends to discover future events by other means than
through the light of Divine revelation, may be properly classed under
the species of judicial Astrologers.
Astrological Schemes, &c.
Those who pretend to reduce the practice of Astrology to a system,
present the world with certain schemes formed upon the Aspects of
the planets, and attribute certain qualities or powers to each sign.
Thus, to discover the influence of the heavens over the life of a
person, they erect a THEME, at the given time of the moment the
person was born, by which the Astrologers pretend to discover the
star that presided, or in what part of the hemisphere it was placed,
when the individual came into the world. The erection of this THEME
they perform, or at least pretend to reform, with the assistance of the
celestial globe, or planisphere, with regard to the fixed stars; but with
respect to the planets, they do it with Astronomical tables. To
accomplish these, they have recourse to a semi-circle, which they call
POSITION, by which they represent the six great circles passing
through the intersection of the Meridian and Horizon, and dividing
the Equator into twelve equal parts. The spaces included between
these circles, are what they call the twelve HOUSES; which they refer to
the twelve triangles marked in their theme; placing six of those
HOUSES above and six underneath the horizon.
The first of the HOUSES under the horizon toward the East, they call
the Horoscope, or House of Life; the second, the House of
Wealth; the third, the House of Brothers; the fourth, the House
of Parents, &c.; as is clearly expressed in the following lines:
Vita, lucrum, fratres, genitor, natique Valetud,
Uxor, Mors, pietas, et munia, amici inimici.

Which, translated by some English students in Astrology, runs thus:


The first house shews life, the second wealth doth give;
The third how brethren, fourth how parents live;
Issue the fifth; the sixth diseases bring;
The seventh wedlock, and the eighth death’s sting;
The ninth religion; the tenth honour shews;
Friendship the eleventh, and twelfth our woes.

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