Deck 7: Producing Data- Sampling

Question 1

A political party sends a mail survey to 1500 randomly selected registered voters in a community. The survey asks respondents to give an opinion about the job performance of the current president. Of the 1500 surveys sent out, 480 are returned, and of these, only 120 show that the respondent is satisfied with the president's job performance. This is an example of:

A)a survey with little bias, because an individual will know for certain whether he or she approves of the president's job performance.
B)a survey with little bias, because 1500 voters represent an important part of the president's district.
C)a survey with no bias.
D)None of the answer options is correct.

Answer 1

None of the answer options is correct.

Question 2

To assess the opinion of students at The Ohio State University about campus safety, a reporter for the student newspaper interviews 15 students that she meets walking on the campus late at night who are willing to give their opinion. The sample obtained is:

A)a simple random sample of students feeling safe.
B)a stratified random sample of students feeling safe.
C)a probability sample of students with night classes.
D)probably biased.

Answer 2

probably biased.

Question 3

A student organization wanted to study voting preferences in its student body during the 2012 presidential election. They selected 120 students at random from each class, freshmen through seniors. The sampling technique used is:

A)simple random sampling.
B)stratified random sampling.
C)volunteer sampling.
D)multistage sampling.

Answer 3

stratified random sampling.

Question 4

Each month, the census bureau mails survey forms to 250,000 households asking questions about the people living in the household and about such things as motor vehicles and housing costs. Telephone calls are made to households that don't return the form. In one month, responses were obtained from 240,000 of the households contacted. The sample is:

A)the 250,000 households initially contacted.
B)the 240,000 households that responded.
C)the 10,000 households that did not respond.
D)all U.S. households.

Question 5

The Excite Poll is an online poll at poll.excite.com. You click on an answer to become part of the sample. One poll question was "Do you prefer watching first-run movies at a movie theater or waiting until they are available on home video or pay-per-view?" A total of 8896 people responded, with 1118 saying they preferred theaters. From this survey, you should conclude that:

A)Americans prefer watching movies at home.
B)a larger sample is necessary.
C)the poll uses voluntary response, so the results tell us little about the population of all adults.
D)movie theaters should lower their prices.

Question 6

A political party sends a mail survey to 1500 randomly selected registered voters in a community. The survey asks respondents to give an opinion about the job performance of the current president. Of the 1500 surveys sent out, 480 are returned, and of these, only 120 show that the respondent is satisfied with the president's job performance. The population is:

A)the 1500 registered voters in the community selected to receive the survey.
B)the 480 respondents who answered the survey.
C)the 120 respondents satisfied with the president's job performance.
D)all registered voters in the community.

Question 7

A small math department has six faculty members and 30 students. The department can send six people to a national convention, and it would like to send four students and two faculty members. Of the 30 students, four are selected randomly. Two faculty members are randomly selected from the six. This is an example of:

A)simple random sampling.
B)stratified random sampling.
C)voluntary response sampling.
D)a census.

Question 8

A group of veterinarians at a major veterinary hospital was interested in investigating a possible link between enteroliths (stones that form in the colon of horses) and diet. They decided to conduct a survey of the feeding practices for horses admitted to the veterinary hospital. To obtain a simple random sample, they used a computer to generate 4-digit ID numbers for all horses. They used random digit tables to select the horses. Which of the following is a step in selecting a random sample by this procedure?

A)Pick a random starting point in the table and read 4 digits.
B)Read 4 digits across a line, and if the 4 digits correspond to a horse ID, select the animal.
C)Discard any sequence that does not correspond to a horse ID, and move to the next 4 digits.
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 9

A group of veterinarians at a major veterinary hospital was interested in investigating a possible link between enteroliths (stones that form in the colon of horses) and diet. They decided to conduct a survey of the feeding practices for horses admitted to the veterinary hospital. To obtain a random sample of the 5000 horses that had been admitted to the hospital over the last 10 years, the veterinarians sequentially assigned numbers (starting with 1) to the horses, in order of admittance. They then picked a random starting point and decided to sample every hundredth horse to get a random sample of 50 horses. This procedure corresponds to:

A)simple random sample, because all horses have the same chance of being picked.
B)a stratified random sample, because the procedure is obviously not a simple random sample.
C)a type of random sample, but not a simple random sample, because not all samples are possible.
D)None of the answer options is correct.

Question 10

To assess the opinion of students at The Ohio State University about campus safety, a reporter for the student newspaper interviews 15 students that she meets walking on the campus late at night who are willing to give their opinion. The method of sampling used is:

A)simple random sampling.
B)a Gallup Poll.
C)voluntary response.
D)a census.

Question 11

A group of veterinarians at a major veterinary hospital was interested in investigating a possible link between enteroliths (stones that form in the colon of horses) and diet. They decided to conduct a survey of the feeding practices for horses in the hospital's state. They created a survey questionnaire and decided to administer it to the owners of every fifth horse being treated at the hospital. The sample is:

A)a volunteer sample.
B)a simple random sample.
C)a convenience sample.
D)a stratified random sample.

Question 12

Veterinarians often use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to treat lameness in horses. A group of veterinary researchers wanted to find out how widespread the practice is in the United States. They obtained a list of all veterinarians treating large animals, including horses. They sent questionnaires to all the veterinarians on the list. Such a survey is called a census. The response rate was 40%. What is the population of interest?

A)all veterinarians
B)all veterinarians treating large animals
C)all veterinarians in the United States treating large animals, including horses
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 13

A political party sends a mail survey to 1500 randomly selected registered voters in a community. The survey asks respondents to give an opinion about the job performance of the current president. Of the 1500 surveys sent out, 480 are returned, and of these, only 120 show that the respondent is satisfied with the president's job performance. The sample is:

A)the 1500 randomly selected voters who received the questionnaire.
B)the 480 surveys returned.
C)the 120 voters surveyed who are satisfied with the president's job performance.
D)the voters in the president's district.

Question 14

Each month, the census bureau mails survey forms to 250,000 households asking questions about the people living in the household and about such things as motor vehicles and housing costs. Telephone calls are made to households that don't return the form. In one month, responses were obtained from 240,000 of the households contacted. A household that does not return the form and cannot be contacted by telephone is an example of:

A)simple random sampling.
B)undercoverage.
C)nonresponse.
D)volunteer bias.

Question 15

To assess the opinion of students at The Ohio State University about campus safety, a reporter for the student newspaper interviews 15 students that she meets walking on the campus late at night who are willing to give their opinion. The sample is:

A)all those students walking on campus late at night.
B)all students at universities with safety issues.
C)the 15 students interviewed.
D)all students approached by the reporter.

Question 16

Veterinarians often use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat lameness in horses. A group of veterinary researchers wanted to find out how widespread the practice is in the United States. They obtained a list of all veterinarians treating large animals, including horses. They sent questionnaires to all the veterinarians on the list. Such a survey is called a census. The response rate was 40%. Which of the following statements is correct?

A)The sample consisted of all veterinarians on the list and, therefore, equaled the target population.
B)The sample consisted of all veterinarians who returned the questionnaire.
C)The sample consisted of all veterinarians who treat horses with NSAIDs.
D)None of the answer options is correct.

Question 17

Veterinarians often use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to treat lameness in horses. A group of veterinary researchers wanted to find out how widespread the practice is in the United States. They obtained a list of all veterinarians treating large animals, including horses. They sent questionnaires to all the veterinarians on the list. Such a survey is called a census. The response rate was 40%. Which of the following statements is not correct?

A)Such a low response rate has the potential for response bias.
B)The intended sample consisted of the target population.
C)The chance to be selected into the sample was the same for all veterinarians.
D)The sample was a volunteer sample.

Question 18

Each month, the census bureau mails survey forms to 250,000 households asking questions about the people living in the household and about such things as motor vehicles and housing costs. Telephone calls are made to households that don't return the form. In one month, responses were obtained from 240,000 of the households contacted. The population of interest is:

A)the residents of a suburb who support a new recreation center.
B)the 250,000 households contacted.
C)only U.S. households with phones.
D)all U.S. households.

Question 19

Surveys, if not done correctly, can lead to seriously biased samples. Which of the following is not a bias due to the sampling plan?

A)bias due to selecting a volunteer sample
B)bias due to selecting a convenience sample
C)bias due to nonresponse
D)bias due to selecting a stratified random sample

Question 20

A group of veterinarians at a major veterinary hospital was interested in investigating a possible link between enteroliths (stones that form in the colon of horses) and diet. They decided to conduct a survey of the feeding practices for horses in the hospital's state. They created a survey questionnaire and decided to administer it to the owners of every fifth horse being treated at the hospital. The population of interest is:

A)all horses brought to the clinic.
B)all horses in the state.
C)all horses that are diagnosed with enteroliths.
D)None of the answer options is correct.

Question 21

The magazine High Times has a website that once asked visitors whether recreational marijuana use should be legal. This is an example of:

A)voluntary response sampling.
B)a survey with little bias, because a large simple random sample was used.
C)a survey with little bias, because someone who responded would know his or her opinion.
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 22

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. The sociologist used an introductory sociology class to carry out the survey and asked only the freshmen to answer the questions. The sample is called:

A)a convenience sample.
B)a volunteer sample.
C)a random sample.
D)a targeted sample.

Question 23

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. The sociologist decides to use his introductory sociology class to conduct the survey. If the survey is not representative of the freshmen at the university, the conclusions from the study are likely to be:

A)on target.
B)biased.
C)overefficient.
D)None of the answer options is correct.

Question 24

A 1992 Roper poll found that 22% of Americans say that the Holocaust may not have happened. The actual question asked in the poll was "Does it seem possible or impossible to you that the Nazi extermination of the Jews never happened?" and 22% responded "possible." The results of this poll cannot be trusted because:

A)undercoverage is present-obviously, those people who did not survive the Holocaust could not be in the poll.
B)the question is worded in a confusing manner.
C)we do not know who conducted the poll or who paid for the results.
D)nonresponse is present-many people will refuse to participate, and those who do will be biased in their opinions.

Question 25

A student asks each person in one of his classes how many hours, on average, they spend studying each week. This is an example of:

A)convenience sampling.
B)a double-blind experiment.
C)a simple random sample.
D)voluntary response sampling.

Question 26

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. The sociologist used an introductory sociology class to carry out the survey. The sociologist has learned from previous studies that females and males often behave differently regarding study and sleep patterns. She decides that she needs to ensure adequate numbers of females and males. She should take:

A)a multi-stage sample.
B)two convenience samples, one of females and one of males.
C)a stratified random sample.
D)a multi-group sample.

Question 27

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. The sociologist, who knows about proper sampling, selects which type of a sample?

A)a volunteer sample
B)a random sample
C)a two-step sample
D)a hierarchical sample

Question 28

A news release for a diet product company reports: "There's good news for the 65 million Americans currently on a diet." Its own study showed that people who lose weight can keep it off. The sample was 20 graduates of the company's program who endorsed the program in commercials. The results of the sample are probably:

A)biased, overstating the effectiveness of the diet.
B)biased, understating the effectiveness of the diet.
C)unbiased, because the people in the sample are nationally recognized individuals.
D)unbiased, but they could be more accurate if a larger sample size was used.

Question 29

Advice columnist Ann Landers once asked her readers with children to answer the following question: "If you had it to do over again, would you have children?" Readers were invited to send a response to this question by mail. Of the approximately 10,000 responses Landers received, approximately 70% said "no." The sample:

A)is probably representative of all parents.
B)is probably not representative of all parents, because people who feel very strongly about this issue are more likely to respond than people who do not.
C)has little bias, because more than 10,000 people responded, yielding a very large sample.
D)is probably not representative, because more than 10,000 people responded.

Question 30

Researchers must be cautious when designing web-based surveys, because these surveys are particularly sensitive to:

A)voluntary response bias.
B)undercoverage.
C)nonresponse.
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 31

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. The sociologist used an introductory sociology class to carry out the survey, instructing the students to participate only if they were freshmen. The sample consists of:

A)the students enrolled in the class.
B)the students who were in class for the survey and answered the survey questions.
C)the freshmen at the university.
D)the freshmen in the class who answered the survey questions.

Question 32

A public opinion poll in Ohio was set up to determine whether registered voters in the state approved of a measure to ban smoking in all public areas. The researchers selected a simple random sample of 50 registered voters from each county in the state and asked whether the voters approved or disapproved of the measure. This is an example of:

A)a systematic county sample.
B)a stratified sample.
C)a multistage sample.
D)a simple random sample.

Question 33

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. The sociologist used an introductory sociology class to carry out the survey. The population of interest is:

A)the students at the university.
B)the students in the sociology class.
C)the freshmen at the university.
D)the freshmen in the sociology class.

Question 34

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. Which of the following strategies will provide a simple random sample?

A)Contacting the registrar and obtaining a list of all freshmen, from which a random sample will then be selected.
B)Using the enrollment list of the introductory class and selecting all the freshmen.
C)Using the class list of the introductory class and randomly selecting a fraction of the students enrolled.
D)Using all the students in the class because, after all, they resemble typical students at the university.

Question 35

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. Students will often overstate the number of hours studied, because they do not want to admit to not studying enough. This type of distortion is called:

A)false answer.
B)non-response bias.
C)undercoverage bias.
D)response bias.

Question 36

At a large university, a simple random sample of five female professors is selected, and a simple random sample of 10 male professors is selected. The two samples are combined to give an overall sample of 15 professors. The overall sample is:

A)a simple random sample.
B)biased due to imbalance.
C)a stratified sample.
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 37

Advice columnist Ann Landers once asked her readers with children to answer the following question: "If you had it to do over again, would you have children?" Readers were invited to send a response to this question by mail. Of the approximately 10,000 responses Landers received, approximately 70% said "no." The sample is:

A)the approximately 10,000 readers who wrote in.
B)the approximately 70% of women who answered "no."
C)the respondents who regretted having children.
D)all readers.

Question 38

During the 1936 presidential election between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Alf Landon, the Literary Digest received 2.3 million mail-in ballots that it used to predict the results: a landslide in favor of Landon. Clearly, there has never been a President Landon, so the prediction was incorrect. Why?

A)A sample taken only from Literary Digest readers would not necessarily represent the views of the American public in general.
B)The survey relied on voluntary responses, which would introduce a bias.
C)The survey was subject to nonresponse bias.
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 39

Advice columnist Ann Landers once asked her readers with children to answer the following question: "If you had it to do over again, would you have children?" Readers were invited to send a response to this question by mail. Of the approximately 10,000 responses Landers received, approximately 70% said "no." The population of interest is:

A)the more than 10,000 people who responded.
B)all readers who are parents.
C)the readers with children who regret having children.
D)the children who are unwanted.

Question 40

To select a sample of undergraduate students in the United States, I first select a simple random sample of four states. From each of these states, I select a simple random sample of two colleges or universities. Finally, from each of these eight colleges or universities, I select a simple random sample of 20 undergraduates. My final sample consists of 160 undergraduates. This is an example of:

A)simple random sampling.
B)stratified random sampling.
C)multistage sampling.
D)convenience sampling.

Question 41

A properly designed survey should have which of the following?

A)a random sample
B)a carefully defined objective
C)a clearly defined population of interest
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 42

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. A random sample allows which tool to be used for trustworthy inference?

A)the laws of probability
B)the laws of correct surveys
C)the laws of generality
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 43

Which of the following might cause undercoverage of older people in surveys of the general population?

A)online surveys
B)surveys that employ randomly dialed cell phone numbers
C)surveys conducted at shopping malls
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Question 44

A sociologist studying freshmen at a major university carried out a survey, asking (among other questions) how often students went out per week, how many hours they studied per day, and how many hours they slept at night. The sociologist, who would like a simple random sample but finds it too time consuming to obtain such a sample, decides to use all students enrolled in his own class. This type of sample:

A)is a convenience sample.
B)likely results in undercoverage of certain types of freshmen.
C)could lead to biased conclusions.
D)All of the answer options are correct.