Test the Hypothesis That $\sigma _ { 1 } > \sigma _ { 2 } \text { at the } \alpha = 0.01$

Multiple Choice

Test the hypothesis that $\sigma _ { 1 } > \sigma _ { 2 } \text { at the } \alpha = 0.01$ level of significance for the given sample data.
$\begin{array} { c | c c } & \text { Population 1 } & \text { Population 2 } \\\hline \mathrm { n } & 25 & 17 \\\mathrm {~s} & 5.23 & 2.5\end{array}$

A) Test statistic: F=4.38 . Critical value: \mathrm{F}=3.18 . Reject H₀
B) Test statistic: F=4.38 . Critical value: \mathrm{F}=3.18 . Do not reject H₀
C) Test statistic: F=2.09 . Critical value =1.87 . Reject H₀
D) Test statistic: F=2.09 . Critical value =3.18 . Do not reject H₀