Deck 11: Sample Surveys

Question 1

A computer network manager wants to test the reliability of some new and expensive fiber-optic Ethernet cables that the computer department just received.The computer department received 10 boxes containing 20 cables each.The manager does not have the time to test every cable in each box.The manager will choose one box at random and test 4 cables chosen randomly within that box.What is the sampling frame?

A)The 10 boxes
B)The one box of 20 cables chosen at random from the 10 boxes
C)The proportion of reliable cables
D)200 cables
E)The 4 cables chosen for testing

Answer 1

The one box of 20 cables chosen at random from the 10 boxes

Question 2

A magazine publisher always mails out a questionnaire four months before a subscription ends.This questionnaire asks its subscribers if they are going to renew their subscriptions.On average,only 9% of the subscribers respond to the questionnaire.Of the 9% who do respond,an average of 49% say that they will renew their subscription.This 9% who respond to the questionnaire are known as what?

A)The sample
B)The bias
C)The population
D)The sampling frame
E)The population parameter of interest

Answer 2

The sample

Question 3

A computer network manager wants to test the reliability of some new and very expensive fiber-optic Ethernet cables that the computer department just received.The computer department received 7 boxes containing 50 cables each.The manager does not have the time to test every cable in each box,so the manager assigns a subordinate to do a census.How many cables will be sampled if the subordinate does a census?

A)50 cables
B)It will depend on the sampling of cables and the sampling of boxes (the sampling frame)
C)350 cables
D)10 cables
E)7 cables

Answer 3

350 cables

Question 4

Mr.Smith works at a computer consultant company that provides technical information to computer departments of various manufacturing companies.Mr.Smith is alarmed at the number of spyware programs on the internet.Mr.Smith successfully samples every one of his clients only to ask (yes or no)if they have had any known problems with spyware infections on their computers or network.None of Mr.Smith's clients reported any spyware infections.With regards to Mr.Smith's contacting his clients,what is the census?

A)The total number of spyware programs on the internet.
B)The number of spyware infections outside the sampling frame.
C)Zero,there were no known infections.
D)The sampling of all of Mr.Smith's clients.
E)The total number of computers at all of Mr.Smith's clients.

Question 5

The spell-checker in a desktop publishing application may not catch all misspellings (e.g.their,there)or correctly interpret the spellings of proper names.Jackie is an expert editor and can proofread extremely quickly.Jackie is hired by a book publisher to check the spelling of every word in the latest proof of a history book.With regard to Jackie's assignment,what is the population?

A)The number of history books of this edition that are printed upon Jackie's approval
B)The latest proof of the history book
C)Finding misspellings in the latest proof of the history book
D)Every word in the latest proof of the history book
E)The total number of misspellings that Jackie finds in the latest proof of the history book

Question 6

A magazine publisher mails a survey to every subscriber asking about the quality of its subscription service.The total number of subscribers represents what?

A)The sampling frame
B)Involuntary sampling
C)The population parameter of interest
D)A census
E)The population size

Question 7

A computer network manager wants to test the reliability of some new and expensive fiber-optic Ethernet cables that computer department just received.The computer department received 3 boxes containing 10 cables each.The manager does not have the time to test every cable in each box.The manager will choose one box at random and test 2 cables chosen randomly within that box.What is the sample?

A)The one box of 10 cables chosen at random from the 3 boxes
B)The proportion of reliable cables
C)The 2 cables chosen for testing
D)The 3 boxes
E)30 cables

Question 8

A computer network manager wants to test the reliability of some new and expensive fiber-optic Ethernet cables that the computer department just received.The computer department received 8 boxes containing 40 cables each.The manager does not have the time to test every cable in each box.The manager will choose one box at random and test 8 cables chosen randomly within that box.What is the population?

A)The one box of 40 cables chosen at random from the 8 boxes.
B)The entire shipment of 8 boxes.
C)The entire shipment of 320 cables.
D)The 8 cables chosen randomly for testing.
E)The proportion of reliable cables.

Question 9

George,a network engineer,ordered 600 CAT 5e Ethernet cables for use at his company's network.After receiving these cables,he decided to randomly test 180 of these cables before using them.He was alarmed to find out that 83% of these cables failed completely.He returned the entire lot to the manufacturer.When he tested the cables,what was George's sample size?

A)180 cables
B)498 cables
C)149 cables
D)600 cables
E)420 cables

Question 10

A magazine publisher mails a survey to every subscriber asking about the quality of its magazine.The publisher wants 100% of the subscribers to respond.This 100% response rate will represent what?

A)A sampling frame
B)A population parameter of interest
C)A sampling method
D)A census
E)An involuntary sample

Question 11

A magazine publisher wants to create a new regionalized version of its national magazine for the west coast.The publisher sends a survey to some of its west-coast subscribers chosen at random regarding interest for this new version of its national magazine.A list of all of the west-coast subscribers who receive the national magazine and may or may not have been chosen for this survey are known as what?

A)A census
B)The population parameter of interest
C)The sampling frame
D)The population
E)The sampling method

Question 12

A computer network manager wants to test the reliability of some new and expensive fiber-optic Ethernet cables that the computer department just received.The computer department received 7 boxes containing 20 cables each.The manager does not have the time to test every cable in each box.The manager will choose one box at random and test 4 cables chosen randomly within that box.What is the population parameter of interest?

A)The 4 cables chosen for testing
B)The 7 boxes
C)The proportion of reliable cables
D)The one box of 30 cables chosen at random from the 7 boxes
E)140 cables

Question 13

A magazine publisher mails a survey to every subscriber asking about the timeliness of its subscription service.The publisher finds that only 4% of the subscribers responded.This 4% represents what?

A)The sampling method
B)The sampling frame
C)A census
D)The population parameter of interest
E)The sample

Question 14

A magazine publisher is informed that 54% of subscribers last year did not renew their subscriptions.This publisher wants to randomly survey 11% of these past subscribers asking the reason why they did not renew their subscriptions.A list of last year's subscribers who did not renew their subscriptions is known as what?

A)The population
B)The bias
C)A census
D)The population parameter of interest
E)The sampling frame

Question 15

Jennifer is a quality control inspector for a well-known computer modem manufacturer.Jennifer oversees five assembly lines,each assembly line produces the same number of modems per day.Jennifer randomly selects one assembly line each morning and performs further sampling and quality control procedures on that assembly line's modems for the rest of the day.This morning,Jennifer randomly selected the modems of assembly line #5 for quality control inspection.Futhermore,Jennifer will then perform systematic sampling on that assembly line's modems.What has been excluded from being in the sampling frame today?

A)Some of the modems of assembly line #5
B)An unbiased sample for assembly line #5
C)The modems of assembly lines #1,2,3,and 4
D)A sampling method for assembly line #5
E)Nothing has been excluded from the sampling frame

Question 16

A magazine publisher always mails out a questionnaire five months before a subscription ends.This questionnaire asks its subscribers if they are going to renew their subscriptions.On average,only 3% of the subscribers respond to the questionnaire.Of the 3% who do respond,an average of 44% say that they will renew their subscription.The value 44% is known as what?

A)The sampling method
B)The bias
C)The population
D)The sample statistic
E)The population parameter of interest

Question 17

A magazine publisher mails a survey to every subscriber asking about the quality of its subscription service.Mailing a survey to every subscriber represents what?

A)The sampling frame
B)A census
C)The sample
D)The population parameter of interest
E)The sampling method

Question 18

A magazine publisher will mail a survey to 14% of its subscribers that will be chosen at random.The survey asks about the quality of its subscription service.A list of all subscribers represents what?

A)The sampling method
B)The population
C)The population parameter of interest
D)A census
E)The sampling frame

Question 19

Mr.Smith works at a computer consultant company that provides technical information to computer departments of various manufacturing companies.Mr.Smith is alarmed at the number of spyware programs on the internet.Mr.Smith attempts to call every one of his clients only to ask (yes or no)if they have had any known problems with spyware infections on their computers or network.With regards to Mr.Smith's attempts to contact his clients for information about infections,what is the population?

A)The total number of infections of spyware on Mr.Smith's clients' computers.
B)The total number of computers at all of Mr.Smith's clients.
C)Only the number of computers infected with spyware that Mr.Smith is informed of.
D)Only the total number of clients that Mr.Smith successfully contacts.
E)All of Mr.Smith's clients.

Question 20

A magazine publisher mailed a survey to all of its subscribers asking if the magazine is helpful in their daily lives.Every subscriber responded and 65% replied that the magazine was helpful.The value 65% is known as what?

A)The sampling method
B)The population parameter of interest
C)The bias
D)The population
E)The sampling frame

Question 21

Before premiering a blockbuster movie at a theatre,test screenings are done beforehand.A small number of selected theatres are chosen geographically throughout the country.Each theatre chosen is supposed to be representative of theatregoers in that area.Everyone is interviewed when the movie is over.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Multistage sampling
B)Stratified sampling
C)Cluster sampling
D)Attempted census
E)Voluntary response sampling

Question 22

A cereal manufacturer randomly samples households across the country by telephone.The survey asks the consumer to explain honestly in fifty words or less why he or she likes or dislikes its brand of cereals.It is also stated that for those who participate in this telephone survey,a random drawing will be held for an all-expense paid,two-week cruise.What,if any,will be the most noticeable bias for this survey?

A)Response bias
B)Undercoverage of the population
C)Nonresponse bias
D)Voluntary response bias
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 23

A mega-discount chain store just opened a new clothing store in town emphasizing mainly women's clothing.Before opening,management had to decide whether to only carry either men's,women's,boys',girls',or infants' clothing.After performing representative sampling of potential customers from each of these groups,it was decided to carry only women's clothing.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Stratified sampling
B)Cluster sampling
C)Systematic sampling
D)Convenience sampling
E)Multistage sampling

Question 24

At the end of each semester a local university requires a professor's evaluation.An evaluation survey is given to each student to fill out.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Systematic sampling
B)Stratified sampling
C)Attempted census
D)Voluntary response sampling
E)Cluster sampling

Question 25

Inside the boxes of a new brand of cereal,is a short survey that can be mailed back for free to the manufacturer.The survey asks the consumer if he or she likes the cereal or not.What,if any,will be the most noticeable bias for this survey?

A)Undercoverage of the population
B)Nonresponse bias
C)Response bias
D)Voluntary response bias
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 26

A newspaper conducted a random telephone survey during the day regarding the percentage of stay-at-home moms and dads in the typical household.What,if any,will be the most noticeable bias for this survey?

A)Undercoverage of the population
B)Nonresponse bias
C)Voluntary response bias
D)Response bias
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 27

During the winter season,a prominent newspaper reporter is interested in writing a story about the lack of proper heating of apartment buildings in the city in which he lives.During a particular frigid weekend,this reporter manages to interview almost everyone in his own apartment building.The reporter finds that everyone,including himself,is satisfied with the heating in the apartment building.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Cluster sampling
B)Convenience sampling
C)Voluntary response sampling
D)Systematic sampling
E)Attempted census

Question 28

A newly-premiered play just ended that evening at a local theatre.Theatre management briefly interviews every eighth person leaving the theatre to see if that person will recommend the play at that theatre to other people.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Voluntary response sampling
B)Convenience sampling
C)Cluster sampling
D)Systematic sampling
E)Stratified sampling

Question 29

A newspaper reporter randomly sampled households by telephone during various times of the day.The people sampled are within the area of the newspaper's distribution.The newspaper reporter asked,"Are you patriotic in a time of war or armed conflict?" What,if any,will be the most noticeable bias for this survey?

A)Nonresponse bias
B)Undercoverage of the population
C)Response bias
D)Voluntary response bias
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 30

At a small college there are 120 freshmen,90 sophomores,110 juniors,and 80 seniors.A school administrator selects a random sample of 12 of the freshmen,a random sample of 9 of the sophomores,a random sample of 11 of the juniors,and a random sample of 8 of the seniors.She then interviews all the students selected.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Stratified sampling
B)Systematic sampling
C)Cluster sampling
D)Voluntary response sampling
E)Attempted census

Question 31

A popular soft drink company periodically sets up survey booths in various malls and grocery stores that are chosen at random.The employees working the booths ask interested individuals to fill out a very short survey on the quality of the company's drinks.While filling out the surveys,the individuals are told that a properly completed survey will be rewarded with giveaways,such as free samples,T-shirts,generous coupons,and possibly an appearance in a new television commercial.What,if any,will be the most noticeable bias?

A)Voluntary response bias
B)Undercoverage of the population
C)Response bias
D)Nonresponse bias
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 32

A popular soft drink company distributes written surveys with its product that a customer can fill out and mailed in or the survey can be filled out electronically on the internet.What,if any,will be the most noticeable bias?

A)Voluntary response bias
B)Nonresponse bias
C)Response bias
D)Undercoverage of the population
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 33

Management at a particular post office wants to know about the quality of its face-to-face service at its customer service windows.For one week,the post office will ask the customers directly.After a customer is helped,a different employee asks the customer a short question about his or her customer service experience.The customer's comments are then transcribed by a secretary.This survey runs smoothly and a lot of customer comments are collected.What,if any,is the most noticeable bias for this survey regarding customer service at this post office for that week?

A)Nonresponse bias
B)Voluntary response bias
C)Undercoverage of the population
D)Response bias
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 34

A newspaper reporter decided to sample residents of all major metropolitan areas in the entire country.This sampling asked if the residents liked living in their city,or are they considering moving,and if so,where? Unfortunately,this survey went over budget and was stopped,and only the east coast of the country was adequately interviewed.With regards to having this survey labeled as representing the entire country,what,if any,will be the most noticeable bias for this survey as it is now?

A)Response bias
B)Nonresponse bias
C)Undercoverage of the population
D)Voluntary response bias
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 35

At the local university a survey was being done on whether or not the students liked the cafeteria food.The survey was located in the college newspaper and was to be filled out and sent to the editing office.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Attempted census
B)Systematic sampling
C)Stratified sampling
D)Cluster sampling
E)Voluntary response sampling

Question 36

One day a popular morning show on a local radio station conducted a phone-in survey regarding the recent rise in the city's various utility rates.The survey lasted the entire morning show.Other than time constraints of the show,no callers were knowingly refused to voice their opinion on-air.The transcribed results were sent to various governmental agencies and local politicians.Identify the type of sampling used.

A)Attempted census
B)Voluntary response sampling
C)Cluster sampling
D)Convenience sampling
E)Systematic sampling

Question 37

A non-for-profit consumer agency wanted to investigate the economic and humanitarian contribution of this country's pharmaceutical companies by sampling large companies and businesses of all types.It was decided to sample the pharmaceutical companies first.After surveying the pharmaceutical companies,someone at the consumer agency wanted to distribute the data early.What,if any,will be the most noticeable bias in distributing the survey at this point in time?

A)Undercoverage of the population
B)Response bias
C)Voluntary response bias
D)Nonresponse bias
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 38

Management at a post office is curious about its services in one small town.Every address within that town,including business and residential,is mailed a survey inquiring about the post office's quality of service.The post office does receive a respectable 25% response rate to the survey.However,what,if any,is the most noticeable bias for this survey?

A)Voluntary response bias
B)Nonresponse bias
C)Response bias
D)Undercoverage of the population
E)There does not seem to be any bias.

Question 39

A blockbuster movie had just premiered on exactly 1,257 screens throughout the country.Within the first week,a few theatres were chosen at random,and then theater management interviewed approximately 5% of the theatregoers at those selected theatres.All these theatregoers loved the movie,therefore management decided to increase the number of showings per week.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Voluntary response sampling
B)Systematic sampling
C)Convenience sampling
D)Simple random sampling
E)Multistage sampling

Question 40

An education researcher randomly selects 38 schools from one school district and interviews all the teachers at each of the 38 schools.Identify the type of sampling used in this example.

A)Systematic sampling
B)Cluster sampling
C)Attempted census
D)Voluntary response sampling
E)Stratified sampling

Question 41

A large university is comprised of several different colleges,institutes,and schools of study.These colleges,institutes,and schools are spread out throughout the city and nearby suburbs.The president of the university is curious about the average cost for a full-time,undergraduate student to attend one semester.All relevant costs to the student will be counted,including tuition,room and board,transportation,books,and so on.Tuition varies greatly within this university,and there are significant population differences among the colleges,institutes,and schools.What would be the most appropriate sampling method to use in order to estimate an average cost of attending this university for one semester?

A)Simple random sampling
B)Attempted census
C)Voluntary response sampling
D)Convenience sampling
E)Stratified sampling

Question 42

Several watch-dog consumer groups have criticized the fast food industry for serving food with excessive fat content.One watch-dog announced that it will randomly select one fast food chain per week.The watch-dog will then decide,as a group,to purchase one item off the menu that has been advertised the most on television and in the newspapers.The watch-dog will then have that heavily-advertised,just-purchased item professionally sampled for fat content.Weekly results will be posted on the watch-dog's website.For this scenario,what best describes the watch-dog's sampling activities each week?

A)Cluster sampling
B)Attempted census
C)Systematic sampling
D)Stratified sampling
E)Multistage sampling

Question 43

The human resources department of a large,well-known telecommunications firm would like to know the job satisfaction of the employees working at its company.The HR department's goal is to have every employee participate in this survey.For this scenario,what sampling method best fits HR's goal?

A)Systematic sampling
B)Stratified sampling
C)Attempted census
D)Convenience sampling
E)Simple random sampling

Question 44

The human resources department of a large,well-known telecommunications firm would like to know the job satisfaction of the employees working at its company,but the HR department is restricted by company policy to use only email to distribute and collect any type of employee questionnaire or survey.What sampling method is HR being forced to rely upon?

A)Stratified sampling
B)Convenience sampling
C)Voluntary response sampling
D)Attempted census
E)Cluster sampling

Question 45

The human resources department of a large,well-known telecommunications firm would like to know the job satisfaction of the employees working at its company.This HR department hires an outside,impartial consultant to sample its management and its non-management employees separately.For this scenario,what is the best sampling method to use?

A)Cluster sampling
B)Voluntary response sampling
C)Stratified sampling
D)Convenience sampling
E)Attempted census

Question 46

Geologists have an interest in the structure and the history of the earth.A geologist can go back in time by drilling deep into the ground,retrieving a core sample,estimating the ages of the various layers,and examining the composition.A timeline can be built of the entire area from where the core sample was drilled.A geologist may retrieve several core samples to confirm the history of the earth's structure in that sampled area.Mountains,lakes,and unstable ground can easily impede a simple random sampling of a desired geographical area,therefore what is the most realistic sampling method that represents the actual drillings,comparisons,and scientific examinations of several core samples within the same geographical area?

A)Convenience sampling
B)Cluster sampling
C)Stratified sampling
D)Systematic sampling
E)Multistage sampling

Question 47

The human resources department of a large,well-known telecommunications firm is behind schedule in writing a report about the job satisfaction of the company's employees.In an effort to quickly sample some people,the HR manager orders his subordinates to give out paper surveys "to anyone you see sitting at their desk",and the survey,completed or not,will be picked up in five minutes.Only the completed surveys will be used in the report.What sampling method best describes what this HR manager is doing?

A)Attempted census
B)Stratified sampling
C)Voluntary response sampling
D)Convenience sampling
E)Cluster sampling

Question 48

The human resources manager of a large,well-known telecommunications firm is genuinely concerned about the well-being of the company's employees.This HR manager will e-mail everyone within the company asking for suggestions in improving the health of employees working there.The manager will list specific problems that may affect an employee,including weight,smoking,and stress.For this scenario,what sampling method is being used?

A)Cluster sampling
B)Voluntary response sampling
C)Attempted census
D)Stratified sampling
E)Multistage sampling

Question 49

The human resources manager of a large,well-known telecommunications firm wants to improve manager/employee relationships throughout the company.This HR manager wants to have several focus groups,each filled with randomly selected managers and employees in proportion to the company's overall manager/employee ratio.What sampling method best describes what is wanted by the HR manager?

A)Convenience sampling
B)Voluntary response sampling
C)Attempted census
D)Stratified sampling
E)Cluster sampling

Question 50

The human resources department of a large,well-known telecommunications firm is behind schedule in sampling the job satisfaction of the company's employees.In an effort to catch-up,the HR manager quickly goes down an alphabetical list of employees and e-mails a survey to every tenth employee.An neutral third party collects all surveys and ensures all of the selected employees respond to the survey.What sampling method best describes what the HR manager is doing?

A)Convenience sampling
B)Systematic sampling
C)Voluntary response sampling
D)Stratified sampling
E)Cluster sampling