Test Bank

Chapter 10: Quantitative Data Analysis

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following should be included in a frequency distribution?

a. a title, sub labels for the values of the variables, a caption, and the base number N

b. a heading, sub headings for each category, and qualitative values for variables

c. the previously established relative frequency, variables values, and total percentage value

d. the descriptive statistics, categories, and central tendency

Learning Objective: 10.1: List the guidelines for constructing frequency distributions.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Frequency Distributions

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. A ______ displays the number of cases or percentage of cases corresponding to each of a variables value or group of values.

a. base number N

b. descriptive variable

c. frequency distribution

d. discaffm

Learning Objective: 10.1: List the guidelines for constructing frequency distributions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Displaying Univariate Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. The total number of cases in the distribution is indicated by which of the following?

a. base number N

b. descriptive statistics

c. row option

d. discaffm

Learning Objective: 10.1: List the guidelines for constructing frequency distributions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Displaying Univariate Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. ______ is one of the most common and useful types of graphs.

a. Row charts

b. Plague graph

c. Frequency polygons

d. Base Number N

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Graphs

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. In a ______, a continuous line connects the points representing the number or percentage of cases with each value.

a. frequency polygon

b. bar chart

c. histogram

d. central tendency

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Graphs

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Frequency distributions and ______ are the most common approaches for displaying the distribution of single variables.

a. frequency polygons

b. graphs

c. inferential statistics

d. surveys

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Displaying Univariate Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Which of the following statements regarding a frequency distribution is accurate?

a. A frequency distribution is difficult to examine if it has many categories.

b. Frequency distributions cannot be applied to questions about attitudes.

c. Groupings should be created for categories only when researchers need to distort distributions.

d. Frequency distributions are most applicable for qualitative data analysis.

Learning Objective: 10.1: List the guidelines for constructing frequency distributions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Frequency Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Which of the following is required of categories within frequency distributions?

a. They must distort the distribution.

b. They must be logically defensible.

c. They must eliminate undesirable variables.

d. They must be difficult to examine.

Learning Objective: 10.1: List the guidelines for constructing frequency distributions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Frequency Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Frequency distributions categories must be mutually exclusive and ______, so that every case can be classified in one and only one category.

a. exhaustive

b. qualifiable

c. easily readable

d. listed in degrees

Learning Objective: 10.1: List the guidelines for constructing frequency distributions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Frequency Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Which of the following is a graph that has adjacent bars to display the distribution of quantitative variables along a continuum?

a. charts

b. lateral graphs

c. histograms

d. bar charts

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Graphs

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. A ______ chart contains solid bars separated by spaces.

a. histography

b. pie

c. frequency

d. bar

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Graphs

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Which of the following is an alternative to the histogram for displaying the distribution of a quantitative variable.

a. pie chart

b. bar chart

c. frequency polygon

d. descriptive statistic

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Graphs

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Which of the following problems should researchers be aware of regarding distributions represented in graphs?

a. Chart “junk” can confuse the reader and obscure the distributions shape.

b. Bars within charts should be of different shapes and sizes to ease readability.

c. The difference between bars should be exaggerated depending on results.

d. Shortening or lengthening the vertical axis will eliminate differences in the number of cases between values.

Learning Objective: 10.5: Discuss ethical challenges confronted in data analysis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Graphs

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Which type of statistics are useful for representing key features of the distribution of a variable?

a. summary

b. qualitative

c. variability

d. symmetry

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Summarizing Univariate Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. Central tendency is usually summarized with one of three statistics. What are these statistics?

a. the mode, measure, and frequency

b. the mode, the median, and the mean

c. the mean, the level of measurement, and variability

d. frequency, variability, and the measure

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Measures of Central Tendency

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. To choose an appropriate measure of central tendency, the analyst must consider which of the following?

a. the hypothesis being tested

b. the analyst’s personal experiences

c. the purpose for which the statistic is used

d. the previous research findings

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Measures of Central Tendency

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. What is the most frequent value in a distribution?

a. mode

b. medium

c. mean

d. measurement

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Mode

Difficulty Level: Easy

18. Which term describes probability average?

a. measurement

b. frequency distribution

c. bimodal

d. mode

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Mode

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. The ______ is the only measure of ______ that can be used to characterize the tendency of variables measured at the nominal level.

a. mode; central tendency

b. measurement; bimodal frequency

c. central frequency; mean

d. trimodal variable; frequency

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Mode

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. The extent to which cases are spread out through the distribution or clustered in one location is known as ______.

a. skewness

b. frequency

c. variability

d. median

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Mode

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. Margaret is analyzing data and sees that the majority of the cases in her study are clustered at one or the other end of the distribution. Margaret has discovered ______.

a. skewness

b. variability

c. probability

d. distribution

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Mode

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. The ______ is the position average or point that divides the distribution in half.

a. mode

b. median

c. norm

d. frequency

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Median

Difficulty Level: Easy

23. The mean is also the ______.

a. arithmetic average

b. percentage of cases

c. actual quantity

d. median

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Mean

Difficulty Level: Easy

24. Which of the following should have the most influence on the choice to use the median or mean for summarizing the central tendency of quantitative variables?

a. hypothesis of the researcher

b. purpose of the statistical study

c. number of study participants

d. analysts preferred methodology

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Median or Mean?

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. When is it inappropriate to use either the median or mean as a measure of central tendency?

a. when variables are measured at the nominal level

b. when variables are expressed through graphs at the ordinal and nominal levels

c. when researchers are examining multiple variables

d. when the mode has been previously established

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Median or Mean?

Difficulty Level: Medium

26. ______ is/are a popular measure of variation.

a. Frequency distribution

b. Mean

c. Standard deviation

d. Outliers

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measures of Variation

Difficulty Level: Easy

27. The ______ accounts for the amount each case differs from the mean.

a. frequency distribution

b. standard deviation

c. range

d. normal distribution

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Standard Deviation

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. Waldon is analyzing data on grade distributions at Canadian universities. He has discovered one extremely low set of values. These exceptionally low values represent a(n) ______ in his data.

a. range

b. quadrant

c. outlier

d. normal distribution

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Standard Deviation

Difficulty Level: Easy

29. A normal distribution will appear like a ______ when visualized.

a. bell shape

b. bar graph

c. outlier

d. hierarchy

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Standard Deviation

Difficulty Level: Easy

30. What do cross-tabulations illustrate?

a. the relations between two variables

b. the frequency of distributions

c. attitudinal data

d. percentages of participation

Learning Objective: 10.4: Explain how to percentage a cross-tabulation and how to read a table.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Crosstabs

Difficulty Level: Easy

31. To calculate range, a data analyst must take the highest value and ______ 1.

a. subtract the lowest value and add

b. multiply by the lowest value and add

c. divide by the lowest value and subtract

d. discard the lowest value and subtract

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Range

Difficulty Level: Easy

32. Which of the following statements about standard deviation is true?

a. It accounts for the amount by which each case is similar to the mode.

b. It predicts the impacts of findings on additional variables.

c. It accounts for the amount by which each case differs from the mean.

d. It predicts the difference between the first quartile and the third quartile.

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Standard Deviation

Difficulty Level: Easy

33. What is variance?

a. the square of standard deviation

b. the difference between standard deviation and range

c. another term for normal distribution

d. a rarely used measure of variation

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Standard Deviation

Difficulty Level: Easy

34. To illustrate the relation between two variables, such as attitude about employment discrimination against men and year, the analyst should use which of the following?

a. quartiles

b. crosstabs

c. normal distribution

d. outliers

Learning Objective: 10.4: Explain how to percentage a cross-tabulation and how to read a table.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Crosstabs

Difficulty Level: Easy

35. How do you read a cross tabulation table?

a. compare the percentage distribution in each column

b. generate multiple histograms

c. begin by creating many categories for analysis as possible

d. convert frequencies into percentages of 10

Learning Objective: 10.4: Explain how to percentage a cross-tabulation and how to read a table.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Crosstabs

Difficulty Level: Medium

36. When reading a crosstab table, the ______ is/are on the right.

a. test hypothesis

b. variables

c. marginal distributions

d. association range

Learning Objective: 10.4: Explain how to percentage a cross-tabulation and how to read a table.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Crosstabs

Difficulty Level: Easy

37. Elizabeth has established that the association between the variables she is analyzing is not likely the result of chance. In other words, she has established ______.

a. chi-square

b. statistical significance

c. range

d. reliability

Learning Objective: 10.4: Explain how to percentage a cross-tabulation and how to read a table.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Crosstabs

Difficulty Level: Easy

38. Which of the following statements is most accurate?

a. Statistics are the preferred method for communicating information as statistics cannot be misleading.

b. Researchers use quantitative methods of data analysis only when they will prove the original hypothesis.

c. Statistics can mislead when specific reports are chosen to accentuate particular features of a distribution.

d. Establishing statistical significance is only required when examining attitudinal data.

Learning Objective: 10.5: Discuss ethical challenges confronted in data analysis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Analyzing Data Ethically

Difficulty Level: Medium

39. Honesty and ______ are the key ethical principles that should guide data summaries.

a. generalizability

b. cultural awareness

c. variety

d. openness

Learning Objective: 10.5: Discuss ethical challenges confronted in data analysis.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Analyzing Data Ethically

Difficulty Level: Easy

40. When we summarize a distribution in a single number, we are ______.

a. typically gaining a complete picture of the distribution

b. losing much information

c. fully meeting requirements for openness and honesty

d. offering summary statistics

Learning Objective: 10.5: Discuss ethical challenges confronted in data analysis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Analyzing Data Ethically

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. It is legitimate to represent the central tendency of a variable measured at the ordinal level with the mean.

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Median or Mean?

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. The median is the most suited to measure the central tendency of variables measured at the ordinal level.

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Median or Mean?

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. A summary of distributions can be made completely based on the central tendency.

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measures of Variation

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. A normal distribution should result in a symmetrical bell-shaped distribution pattern.

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Standard Deviation

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Chi-square is the most often applied cross-tabular analysis.

Learning Objective: 10.4: Explain how to percentage a cross-tabulation and how to read a table.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Crosstabs

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. In frequency distributions the total number of cases is indicated as the base number N.

Learning Objective: 10.1: List the guidelines for constructing frequency distributions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Frequency Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Summary statistics are not useful in representing key features of the distribution of a variable.

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Summarizing Univariate Distributions

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Skewness only applies to qualitative variables measured at the nominal level.

Learning Objective: 10.3: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the three measures of central tendency.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Mode

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. It is appropriate for an analysist to choose statistics that accentuate a particular feature of a distribution.

Learning Objective: 10.5: Discuss ethical challenges confronted in data analysis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Analyzing Data Ethically

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Central tendency combined with variation describes a distribution’s overall shape.

Learning Objective: 10.5: Discuss ethical challenges confronted in data analysis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Analyzing Data Ethically

Difficulty Level: Easy

Short Answer

1. Describe the different types of graphs utilized by quantitative researchers. When graphs are appropriate for the display of data. How can graphs potentially distort the display of information? Why must researchers work to avoid these issues?

Learning Objective: 10.5: Discuss ethical challenges confronted in data analysis.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Analyzing Data Ethically

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Identify and describe the three key summary statistics employed by quantitative researchers. Briefly describe each and explain what information it provides researchers and how this is essential to quality data collection and analysis.

Learning Objective: 10.2: Identify the types of graphs and statistics that are appropriate for description and analysis of variables at each level of measurement.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Summarizing Univariate Distributions

Difficulty Level: Hard

3. Under what circumstances should you consider grouping categories in a frequency distribution? What special considerations must one take when creating categories? How might using categories inappropriately impact findings?

Learning Objective: 10.1: List the guidelines for constructing frequency distributions.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Frequency Distributions

Difficulty Level: Hard

4. Describe how you should read the following table. In your discretion be careful to name the parts of the chart and establish what each tells us about the data.

Source: General Social Survey (National Opinion Research Center 2018).

Learning Objective: 10.4: Explain how to percentage a cross-tabulation and how to read a table.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Crosstabs

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. What factors must a researcher consider when analyzing data ethically? In other words, explain how data should be ethically collected and presented. Discuss the ramifications of the unethical collection or presentation of statistical data.

Learning Objective: 10.5: Discuss ethical challenges confronted in data analysis.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Analyzing Data Ethically

Difficulty Level: Hard