Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions

Multiple Choice

1. The expected value of equals the mean of the population from which the sample is drawn
a. only if the sample size is 30 or greater
b. only if the sample size is 50 or greater
c. only if the sample size is 100 or greater
d. for any sample size
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

2. The basis for using a normal probability distribution to approximate the sampling distribution of is
a. Chebyshev’s theorem
b. the empirical rule
c. the central limit theorem
d. Bayes’ theorem
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

3. The standard deviation of is referred to as the

a. standard proportion
b. sample proportion
c. average proportion
d. standard error of the proportion
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

4. The standard deviation of is referred to as the

a. standard x
b. standard error of the mean
c. sample standard mean
d. sample mean deviation
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

5. The value of the ___________ is used to estimate the value of the population parameter.
a. population statistic
b. sample parameter
c. population estimate
d. sample statistic
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

6. The population being studied is usually considered ______ if it involves an ongoing process that makes listing or
counting every element in the population impossible.
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
a. finite
b. infinite
c. skewed
d. symmetric
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

7. A probability sampling method in which we randomly select one of the first k elements and then select every kth
element thereafter is
a. stratified random sampling
b. cluster sampling
c. systematic sampling
d. convenience sampling
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

8. The standard deviation of a point estimator is the

a. standard error
b. sample statistic
c. point estimate
d. sampling error
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

9. The finite correction factor should be used in the computation of when n/N is greater than
a. .01
b. .025
c. .05
d. .10
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

10. The set of all elements of interest in a study is

a. set notation
b. a set of interest
c. a sample
d. a population
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

11. A subset of a population selected to represent the population is a

a. subset
b. sample
c. small population

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

12. The purpose of statistical inference is to provide information about the

a. sample based upon information contained in the population
b. population based upon information contained in the sample
c. population based upon information contained in the population
d. mean of the sample based upon the mean of the population
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

13. A simple random sample of size n from a finite population of size N is a sample selected such that each possible
sample of size
a. N has the same probability of being selected
b. n has a probability of 0.5 of being selected
c. n has a probability of 0.1 of being selected
d. n has the same probability of being selected
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

14. The number of random samples (without replacement) of size 3 that can be drawn from a population of size 5 is
a. 15
b. 10
c. 20
d. 125
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

15. There are 6 children in a family. The number of children defines a population. The number of simple random samples
of size 2 (without replacement) which are possible equals
a. 12
b. 15
c. 3
d. 16
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

16. How many different samples of size 3 (without replacement) can be taken from a finite population of size 10?
a. 30
b. 1,000
c. 720
d. 120
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions

17. A population consists of 8 items. The number of different simple random samples of size 3 (without replacement) that
can be selected from this population is
a. 24
b. 56
c. 512
d. 128
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

18. A population consists of 500 elements. We want to draw a simple random sample of 50 elements from this population.
On the first selection, the probability of an element being selected is
a. 0.100
b. 0.010
c. 0.001
d. 0.002
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

19. Excel's RAND function

a. determines sample size
b. selects a simple random sample
c. randomizes a population
d. generates random numbers
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

20. A simple random sample of size n from a finite population of size N is to be selected. Each possible sample should
have
a. the same probability of being selected
b. a probability of 1/n of being selected
c. a probability of 1/N of being selected
d. a probability of N/n of being selected
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

21. A simple random sample from a process (an infinite population) is a sample selected such that
a. each element selected comes from the same population
b. each element is selected independently
c. each element selected comes from the same population and each element is selected independently
d. the probability of being selected changes
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

22. A numerical measure from a population, such as a population mean, is called

a. a statistic
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
b. a parameter
c. a sample
d. the mean deviation
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

23. A numerical measure from a sample, such as a sample mean, is known as

a. a statistic
b. a parameter
c. the mean deviation
d. the central limit theorem
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

24. A sample statistic, such as , that estimates the value of the corresponding population parameter is known as a
a. point estimator
b. parameter
c. population parameter
d. Both a parameter and a population parameter are correct.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

25. A single numerical value used as an estimate of a population parameter is known as

a. a parameter
b. a population parameter
c. both a parameter or a population parameter are correct
d. a point estimate
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

26. In point estimation, data from the

a. population is used to estimate the population parameter
b. sample is used to estimate the population parameter
c. sample is used to estimate the sample statistic
d. None of the alternative ANSWERS is correct.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

27. The sample mean is the point estimator of

a. μ
b. σ
c.
d.
ANSWER: a

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
POINTS: 1

28. The sample statistic s is the point estimator of

a. μ
b. σ
c.
d.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

29. Which of the following is(are) point estimator(s)?

a. σ
b. μ
c. s
d. All of these answers are correct.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

30. A simple random sample of 5 observations from a population containing 400 elements was taken, and the following
values were obtained.
12 18 19 20 21
A point estimate of the population mean is
a. 5
b. 18
c. 19
d. 20
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

31. A probability distribution for all possible values of a sample statistic is known as a
a. sample statistic
b. parameter
c. simple random sample
d. sampling distribution
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

32. A simple random sample of 28 observations was taken from a large population. The sample mean equaled 50. Fifty is
a
a. population parameter
b. point estimator
c. sample parameter
d. point estimate
ANSWER: d
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
POINTS: 1

33. If we consider the simple random sampling process as an experiment, the sample mean is
a. always zero
b. always smaller than the population mean
c. a random variable
d. exactly equal to the population mean
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

34. The probability distribution of all possible values of the sample mean is called the
a. central probability distribution
b. sampling distribution of the sample mean
c. random variation
d. standard error
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

35. The sampling distribution of the sample mean

a. is the probability distribution showing all possible values of the sample mean
b. is used as a point estimator of the population mean μ
c. is an unbiased estimator
d. shows the distribution of all possible values of μ
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

36. Since the sample size is always smaller than the size of the population, the sample mean must
a. always be smaller than the population mean
b. be larger than the population mean
c. be equal to the population mean
d. None of the alternative ANSWERS is correct.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

37. The expected value of the random variable is

a. σ
b. the standard error
c. the sample size
d. μ
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

38. The standard deviation of all possible values is called the

a. standard error of proportion
b. standard error of the mean
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
c. mean deviation
d. central variation
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

39. In computing the standard error of the mean, the finite population correction factor is not used when
a. n/N > 0.05
b. N/n ≤ 0.05
c. n/N ≤ 0.05
d. n ≥ 30
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

40. A finite population correction factor is needed in computing the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of
sample means
a. whenever the population is infinite
b. whenever the sample size is more than 5% of the population size
c. whenever the sample size is less than 5% of the population size
d. The correction factor is not necessary if the population has a normal distribution
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

41. From a population of 200 elements, the standard deviation is known to be 14. A sample of 49 elements is selected. It is
determined that the sample mean is 56. The standard error of the mean is
a. 3
b. 2
c. greater than 2
d. less than 2
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

42. From a population of 500 elements, a sample of 225 elements is selected. It is known that the variance of the
population is 900. The standard error of the mean is approximately
a. 1.1022
b. 2
c. 30
d. 1.4847
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

43. A simple random sample of 64 observations was taken from a large population. The population standard deviation is
120. The sample mean was determined to be 320. The standard error of the mean is
a. 1.875
b. 40
c. 5

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
d. 15
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

44. As the sample size increases, the

a. standard deviation of the population decreases
b. population mean increases
c. standard error of the mean decreases
d. standard error of the mean increases
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

45. As the sample size increases, the variability among the sample means
a. increases
b. decreases
c. remains the same
d. depends upon the specific population being sampled
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

46. Doubling the size of the sample will

a. reduce the standard error of the mean to one-half its current value
b. reduce the standard error of the mean to approximately 70% of its current value
c. have no effect on the standard error of the mean
d. double the standard error of the mean
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

47. Random samples of size 49 are taken from a population that has 200 elements, a mean of 180, and a variance of 196.
The distribution of the population is unknown. The mean and the standard error of the distribution of sample means are
a. 180 and 24.39
b. 180 and 28
c. 180 and 1.74
d. 180 and 2
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

48. Random samples of size 81 are taken from a process (an infinite population) whose mean and standard deviation are
200 and 18, respectively. The distribution of the population is unknown. The mean and the standard error of the
distribution of sample means are
a. 200 and 18
b. 81 and 18
c. 9 and 2
d. 200 and 2
ANSWER: d
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
POINTS: 1

49. Random samples of size 36 are taken from a process (an infinite population) whose mean and standard deviation are
20 and 15, respectively. The distribution of the population is unknown. The mean and the standard error of the distribution
of sample mean are
a. 36 and 15
b. 20 and 15
c. 20 and 0.417
d. 20 and 2.5
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

50. A theorem that allows us to use the normal probability distribution to approximate the sampling distribution of sample
means and sample proportions whenever the sample size is large is known as the
a. approximation theorem
b. normal probability theorem
c. central limit theorem
d. central normality theorem
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

51. The fact that the sampling distribution of the sample mean can be approximated by a normal probability distribution
whenever the sample size is large is based on the
a. central limit theorem
b. fact that there are tables of areas for the normal distribution
c. assumption that the population has a normal distribution
d. All of these answers are correct.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

52. As the sample size becomes larger, the sampling distribution of the sample mean approaches a
a. binomial distribution
b. Poisson distribution
c. hypergeometric distribution
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

53. Whenever the population has a normal probability distribution, the sampling distribution of is a normal probability
distribution for
a. only large sample sizes
b. only small sample sizes
c. any sample size
d. only samples of size thirty or greater
ANSWER: c

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
POINTS: 1

54. For a population with an unknown distribution, the form of the sampling distribution of the sample mean is
a. approximately normal for all sample sizes
b. exactly normal for large sample sizes
c. exactly normal for all sample sizes
d. approximately normal for large sample sizes
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

55. A sample of 24 observations is taken from a population that has 150 elements. The sampling distribution of is
a. approximately normal because is always approximately normally distributed
b. approximately normal because the sample size is large in comparison to the population size
c. approximately normal because of the central limit theorem
d. normal if the population is normally distributed
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

56. A sample of 92 observations is taken from a process (an infinite population). The sampling distribution of is
approximately normal because
a. is always approximately normally distributed
b. the sample size is small in comparison to the population size
c. of the central limit theorem
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

57. A population has a mean of 80 and a standard deviation of 7. A sample of 49 observations will be taken. The
probability that the mean from that sample will be larger than 82 is
a. 0.5228
b. 0.9772
c. 0.4772
d. 0.0228
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

58. A population has a mean of 180 and a standard deviation of 24. A sample of 64 observations will be taken. The
probability that the mean from that sample will be between 183 and 186 is
a. 0.1359
b. 0.8185
c. 0.3413
d. 0.4772
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
59. A population has a mean of 84 and a standard deviation of 12. A sample of 36 observations will be taken. The
probability that the sample mean will be between 80.54 and 88.9 is
a. 0.0347
b. 0.7200
c. 0.9511
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

60. A population has a mean of 53 and a standard deviation of 21. A sample of 49 observations will be taken. The
probability that the sample mean will be greater than 57.95 is
a. 0
b. .0495
c. .4505
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

Exhibit 7-1
The following data was collected from a simple random sample from a process (an infinite population).
13 15 14 16 12
61. Refer to Exhibit 7-1. The point estimate of the population mean
a. is 5
b. is 14
c. is 4
d. cannot be determined because the population is infinite
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

62. Refer to Exhibit 7-1. The point estimate of the population standard deviation is
a. 2.500
b. 1.581
c. 2.000
d. 1.414
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

63. Refer to Exhibit 7-1. The mean of the population

a. is 14
b. is 15
c. is 15.1581
d. could be any value
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
Exhibit 7-2
Four hundred registered voters were randomly selected asked whether gun laws should be changed. Three hundred said
"yes," and one hundred said "no."
64. Refer to Exhibit 7-2. The point estimate of the proportion in the population who will respond "yes" is
a. 300
b. approximately 300
c. 0.75
d. 0.25
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

65. Refer to Exhibit 7-2. The point estimate of the proportion in the population who will respond "no" is
a. 75
b. 0.25
c. 0.75
d. 0.50
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

Exhibit 7-3
The following information was collected from a simple random sample of a population.
16 19 18 17 20 18
66. Refer to Exhibit 7-3. The point estimate of the mean of the population is
a. 18.0
b. 19.6
c. 108
d. sixteen, since 16 is the smallest value in the sample
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

67. Refer to Exhibit 7-3. The point estimate of the population standard deviation is
a. 2.000
b. 1.291
c. 1.414
d. 1.667
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

Exhibit 7-4
A random sample of 121 bottles of cologne showed an average content of 4 ounces. It is known that the standard
deviation of the contents (i.e., of the population) is 0.22 ounces.
68. Refer to Exhibit 7-4. The standard error of the mean equals
a. 0.3636
b. 0.0331
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
c. 0.0200
d. 4.000
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

69. Refer to Exhibit 7-4. The point estimate of the mean content of all bottles is
a. 0.22
b. 4
c. 121
d. 0.02
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

70. Refer to Exhibit 7-4. In this problem the 0.22 is

a. a parameter
b. a statistic
c. the standard error of the mean
d. the average content of colognes in the long run
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

Exhibit 7-5
Random samples of size 17 are taken from a population that has 200 elements, a mean of 36, and a standard deviation of
8.
71. Refer to Exhibit 7-5. The mean and the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the sample means are
a. 8.7 and 1.94
b. 36 and 1.94
c. 36 and 1.86
d. 36 and 8
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

72. Refer to Exhibit 7-5. Which of the following best describes the form of the sampling distribution of the sample mean
for this situation?
a. Approximately normal because the sample size is small relative to the population size.
b. Approximately normal because of the central limit theorem.
c. exactly normal
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

73. The probability distribution of all possible values of the sample proportion is the
a. probability density function of
b. sampling distribution of

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
c. same as , since it considers all possible values of the sample proportion
d. sampling distribution of
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

74. Random samples of size 525 are taken from a process (an infinite population) whose population proportion is 0.3. The
standard deviation of the sample proportions (i.e., the standard error of the proportion) is
a. 0.0004
b. 0.2100
c. 0.3000
d. 0.0200
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

75. A random sample of 150 people was taken from a very large population. Ninety of the people in the sample were
females. The standard error of the proportion of females is
a. 0.0016
b. 0.2400
c. 0.1600
d. 0.0400
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

76. A population of size 1,000 has a proportion of 0.5. Therefore, the proportion and the standard deviation of the sample
proportion for samples of size 100 are
a. 500 and 0.047
b. 500 and 0.050
c. 0.5 and 0.047
d. 0.5 and 0.050
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

77. Random samples of size 100 are taken from a process (an infinite population) whose population proportion is 0.2. The
mean and standard deviation of the distribution of sample proportions are
a. 0.2 and .04
b. 0.2 and 0.2
c. 20 and .04
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

78. As a general rule, the sampling distribution of the sample proportions can be approximated by a normal probability
distribution whenever
a. np ≥ 5
b. n(1 − p) ≥ 5
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
c. n ≥ 30
d. Both np ≥ 5 and n(1 − p) ≥ 5 are true.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

79. A sample of 25 observations is taken from a process (an infinite population). The sampling distribution of is
a. not normal since n < 30
b. approximately normal because is always normally distributed
c. approximately normal if np ≥ 5 and n(1-p) ≥ 5
d. approximately normal if np > 30 and n(1-p) > 30
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

80. A sample of 400 observations will be taken from a process (an infinite population). The population proportion equals
0.8. The probability that the sample proportion will be greater than 0.83 is
a. 0.4332
b. 0.9332
c. 0.0668
d. 0.5668
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

81. A sample of 66 observations will be taken from a process (an infinite population). The population proportion equals
0.12. The probability that the sample proportion will be less than 0.1768 is
a. 0.0568
b. 0.0778
c. 0.4222
d. 0.9222
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

82. A sample of 51 observations will be taken from a process (an infinite population). The population proportion equals
0.85. The probability that the sample proportion will be between 0.9115 and 0.946 is
a. 0.8633
b. 0.6900
c. 0.0819
d. 0.0345
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

83. Stratified random sampling is a method of selecting a sample in which

a. the sample is first divided into groups, and then random samples are taken from each group
b. various strata are selected from the sample
c. the population is first divided into groups, and then random samples are drawn from each group
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

84. Cluster sampling is

a. a nonprobability sampling method
b. the same as convenience sampling
c. a probability sampling method
d. None of the alternative answers is correct.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

85. Convenience sampling is an example of

a. probabilistic sampling
b. stratified sampling
c. a nonprobability sampling technique
d. cluster sampling
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

86. Which of the following is an example of a nonprobability sampling technique?

a. simple random sampling
b. stratified random sampling
c. cluster sampling
d. judgment sampling
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

87. Which of the following sampling methods does not lead to probability samples?
a. stratified sampling
b. cluster sampling
c. systematic sampling
d. convenience sampling
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

88. The population we want to make inferences about is the

a. sampled population
b. frame
c. target population
d. finite population
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

89. The standard error of the proportion will become larger as

a. n increases
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
b. p approaches 0
c. p approaches .5
d. p approaches 1
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

90. All of the following are true about the standard error of the mean except
a. it is larger than the standard deviation of the population
b. it decreases as the sample size increases
c. its value is influenced by the standard deviation of the population
d. it measures the variability in sample means
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

91. The extent of the sampling error might be affected by all of the following factors except
a. the variability of the population
b. the expected value of the sample statistic being used
c. the sample size
d. the sampling method used
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

92. The smallest sample size needed in order to assume the sampling distribution of the sample mean is normally
distributed is when
a. the population is exponentially distributed
b. the population is uniformly distributed
c. the population is only slightly skewed

d. the population is normally distributed

ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

93. The desired situation is when

a. the sampled population is smaller than the targeted population
b. the sampled population is identical to the targeted population
c. the sampled population is larger than the targeted population
d. the sampled population is more varied than the targeted population
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

94. The expected value of the sample mean equals

a. the mode of the population
b. the median of the population
c. the mean of the population
d. the mid-range of the population
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1

95. __________ is a property of a point estimator that is present when the expected value of the point estimator is equal to
the population parameter it estimates.
a. Predictable
b. Precise
c. Symmetric
d. Unbiased
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1

96. Which of the following statements about cluster sampling is false?

a. All elements within the randomly selected clusters form the sample.
b. It generally requires a smaller total sample size than simple random sampling.
c. Ideally, each cluster is a representative small-scale version of the entire population.
d. It provides the best results when the elements within the clusters are not alike.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1

97. In stratified random sampling

a. randomly selected elements within each of the strata form the sample.
b. all elements within the randomly selected strata form the sample.
c. randomly selected elements within the randomly selected strata form the sample.
d. None of the alternatives is true.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1

Subjective Short Answer

98. A simple random sample of 8 employees of a corporation provided the following information.
Employee 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Age 25 32 26 40 50 54 22 23
Gender M M M M F M M F
a. Determine the point estimate for the average age of all employees.
b. What is the point estimate for the standard deviation of the population?
c. Determine a point estimate for the proportion of all employees who are female.
ANSWER: a. 34
b. 12.57
c. 0.25
POINTS: 1

99. Starting salaries of a sample of five management majors along with their genders are shown below.
Employee Salary ($1000s) Gender
1 30 F
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
2 28 M
3 22 F
4 26 F
5 19 M
a. What is the point estimate for the starting salaries of all management majors?
b. Determine the point estimate for the variance of the population.
c. Determine the point estimate for the proportion of male employees.
ANSWER: a. 25 (thousands of dollars)
b. 20 (thousands of dollars)
c. 0.4
POINTS: 1

100. A sample of 8 new models of automobiles provides the following data on highway miles per gallon. Use Excel to
answer the questions that follow the data.
Highway Miles
Model Per Gallon
1 33.6
2 26.8
3 20.2
4 38.7
5 35.1
6 28.0
7 26.2
8 27.6
a. What is the point estimate for the average highway miles per gallon for all new models of autos?
b. Determine the point estimate for the standard deviation of the population.
ANSWER:
A B C D E
1 Model Hwy mpg
2 1 33.6
3 2 26.8
4 3 20.2
5 4 38.7
6 5 35.1
7 6 28.0
8 7 26.2
9 8 27.6
10 a. Average 29.53 =AVERAGE(C2:C9)
11 b. Std. Dev. 5.9 =STDEV.S(C2:C9)
POINTS: 1

101. A sample of 10 members of a video club provides the following data on number of videos they own. Use Excel to
answer the questions that follow the data.
Member Number Owned
1 200
2 26
3 158
4 75
5 52
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
6 352
7 17
8 276
9 488
10 129
a. What is the point estimate for the mean number of videos owned by all video club members?
b. Determine the point estimate for the standard deviation of the population.
ANSWER:
A B C D
1 Member Number Owned
2 1 200
3 2 26
4 3 158
5 4 75
6 5 52
7 6 352
8 7 17
9 8 276
10 9 488
11 10 129
12 a. Average 177.3 =AVERAGE(C2:C11)
13 b. Std. Dev. 154.5 =STDEV.S(C2:C11)
POINTS: 1

102. Consider a population of five weights identical in appearance but weighing 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 ounces.
a. Determine the mean and the variance of the population.
Sampling without replacement from the above population with a sample size of 2 produces ten possible samples.
b.
Using the ten sample mean values, determine the mean of the population and the variance of .
c. Compute the standard error of the mean.
ANSWER: a. 5 and 8
b. 5 and 3
c. 1.732
POINTS: 1

103. Consider a population of five families with the following data representing the number of pets in each family.
Family Number of Pets
A 2
B 6
C 4
D 3
E 1
There are ten possible samples of size 2 (sampling without replacement). List the 10 possible samples of size 2, and
a.
determine the mean of each sample.
b. Determine the mean and the variance of the population.
c. Using the ten sample mean values, compute the mean and the standard error of the mean.
ANSWER: a. Possible Samples Sample Means
AB 4
AC 3
AD 2.5
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
AE 1.5
BC 5
BD 4.5
BE 3.5
CD 3.5
CE 2.5
DE 2

b. 3.2 and 2.96

c. 3.2 and 1.11
POINTS: 1

104. The following information gives the number of days absent from work for a population of 5 workers at a small
factory.
Number of
Worker Days Absent
A 5
B 7
C 1
D 4
E 8
a. Find the mean and the standard deviation for the population.
Samples of size 2 will be drawn from the population. Use the answers in part a to calculate the expected value and
b.
the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the sample mean.
Find all the samples of 2 workers that can be extracted from this population. Choose the samples without
c.
replacement.
d. Compute the sample mean for each of the samples in Part c.
Graph the sample means with the values of on the horizontal axis and the corresponding relative frequency on the
e.
vertical axis.
ANSWER: a. 5; 2.449
b. 5; 1.5
c. AB, AC, AD, AE, BC, BD, BE, CD, CE, DE
d. 6, 3, 4.5, 6.5, 4, 5.5, 7.5, 2.5, 4.5, 6
POINTS: 1

105. The average weekly earnings of bus drivers in a city are $950 (that is μ) with a standard deviation of $45 (that is σ).
Assume that we select a random sample of 81 bus drivers.
Assume the number of bus drivers in the city is large compared to the sample size. Compute the standard error of the
a.
mean.
b. What is the probability that the sample mean will be greater than $960?
c. If the population of bus drivers consisted of 400 drivers, what would be the standard error of the mean?
ANSWER: a. 5
b. 0.0228
c. 4.47
POINTS: 1

106. An automotive repair shop has determined that the average service time on an automobile is 2 hours with a standard
deviation of 32 minutes. A random sample of 64 services is selected.
a. What is the probability that the sample of 64 will have a mean service time greater than 114 minutes?
b. Assume the population consists of 400 services. Determine the standard error of the mean.
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
ANSWER: a. 0.9332
b. 3.67
POINTS: 1

107. A population of 1,000 students spends an average of $10.50 a day on dinner. The standard deviation of the
expenditure is $3. A simple random sample of 64 students is taken.
a. What are the expected value, standard deviation, and shape of the sampling distribution of the sample mean?
b. What is the probability that these 64 students will spend a combined total of more than $715.21?
c. What is the probability that these 64 students will spend a combined total between $703.59 and $728.45?
ANSWER: a. 10.5; 0.363; normal
b. 0.0314
c. 0.0794
POINTS: 1

108. There are 8,000 students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The average age of all the students is 24
years with a standard deviation of 9 years. A random sample of 36 students is selected.
a. Determine the standard error of the mean.
b. What is the probability that the sample mean will be larger than 19.5?
c. What is the probability that the sample mean will be between 25.5 and 27 years?
ANSWER: a. 1.5
b. 0.9986
c. 0.1359
POINTS: 1

109. The life expectancy in the United States is 75 with a standard deviation of 7 years. A random sample of 49
individuals is selected.
a. What is the probability that the sample mean will be larger than 77 years?
b. What is the probability that the sample mean will be less than 72.7 years?
c. What is the probability that the sample mean will be between 73.5 and 76 years?
d. What is the probability that the sample mean will be between 72 and 74 years?
e. What is the probability that the sample mean will be larger than 73.46 years?
ANSWER: a. 0.0228
b. 0.0107
c. 0.7745
d. 0.1573
e. 0.9382
POINTS: 1

110. SAT scores have an average of 1200 with a standard deviation of 60. A sample of 36 scores is selected.
a. What is the probability that the sample mean will be larger than 1224?
b. What is the probability that the sample mean will be less than 1230?
c. What is the probability that the sample mean will be between 1200 and 1214?
d. What is the probability that the sample mean will be greater than 1200?
e. What is the probability that the sample mean will be larger than 73.46?
ANSWER: a. 0.0082
b. 0.9986
c. 0.4192
d. 0.5
e. 1.0
POINTS: 1

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
111. A bank has kept records of the checking balances of its customers and determined that the average daily balance of
its customers is $300 with a standard deviation of $48. A random sample of 144 checking accounts is selected.
a. What is the probability that the sample mean will be more than $306.60?
b. What is the probability that the sample mean will be less than $308?
c. What is the probability that the sample mean will be between $302 and $308?
d. What is the probability that the sample mean will be at least $296?
ANSWER: a. 0.0495
b. 0.9772
c. 0.2857
d. 0.8413
POINTS: 1

112. Students of a large university spend an average of $5 a day on lunch. The standard deviation of the expenditure is $3.
A simple random sample of 36 students is taken.
a. What are the expected value, standard deviation, and shape of the sampling distribution of the sample mean?
b. What is the probability that the sample mean will be at least $4?
c. What is the probability that the sample mean will be at least $5.90?
ANSWER: a. 5.0; 0.5; normal
b. 0.9772
c. 0.0359
POINTS: 1

113. The average lifetime of a light bulb is 3,000 hours with a standard deviation of 696 hours. A simple random sample
of 36 bulbs is taken.
a. What are the expected value, standard deviation, and shape of the sampling distribution of ?
b. What is the random variable in this problem? Define it in words.
c. What is the probability that the average life in the sample will be between 2,670.56 and 2,809.76 hours?
d. What is the probability that the average life in the sample will be greater than 3,219.24 hours?
e. What is the probability that the average life in the sample will be less than 3,180.96 hours?
ANSWER: a. 3,000; 116; normal
b. the average life in a sample of 36 bulbs
c. 0.0482
d. 0.0294
e. 0.9406
POINTS: 1

114. MNM Corporation gives each of its employees an aptitude test. The scores on the test are normally distributed with a
mean of 75 and a standard deviation of 15. A simple random sample of 25 is taken from a population of 500.
a. What are the expected value, the standard deviation, and the shape of the sampling distribution of ?
b. What is the random variable in this problem? Define it in words.
c. What is the probability that the average aptitude test score in the sample will be between 70.14 and 82.14?
d. What is the probability that the average aptitude test score in the sample will be greater than 82.68?
e. What is the probability that the average aptitude test score in the sample will be less than 78.69?
f. Find a value, C, such that P( ) = .015.
ANSWER: a. 75; 3; normal
b. the average aptitude test score in a sample of 25 employees
c. 0.9387
d. 0.0052
e. 0.8907
f. 81.51
POINTS: 1
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions

115. The price of a particular brand of jeans has a mean of $37.99 and a standard deviation of $7. A sample of 49 pairs of
jeans is selected. Use Excel to answer the following questions.
a. What is the probability that the sample of jeans will have a mean price less than $40?
b. What is the probability that the sample of jeans will have a mean price between $38 and $39?
c. What is the probability that the sample of jeans will have a mean price within $3 of the population mean?
ANSWER: a. .97778
=NORM.DIST(40,37.99,1,TRUE)
b. .339763
=NORM.DIST(39,37.99,1,TRUE)-NORM.DIST(38,37,99,1,TRUE)
c. .9973
=NORM.DIST(40.99,37.99,1,TRUE)-NORM.DIST(34.99,37.99,1,TRUE)
POINTS: 1

116. The mean diameter of a ball bearing produced by a certain manufacturer is 0.80 cm with a standard deviation of 0.03
cm. A sample of 36 ball bearings is randomly selected from a production run. Use Excel to answer the following
questions.
a. What is the probability that the sample of ball bearings will have a mean less than 0.798 cm?
b. What is the probability that the sample of ball bearings will have a mean of at least 0.815 cm?
c. What is the probability that the sample of ball bearings will have a mean between 0.798 and 0.815 cm?
d. For samples of size 36, 15% of all sample means are at most what diameter?
ANSWER: a. .344578
=NORM.DIST(0.798,0.8,0.005,TRUE)
b. .00135
=1-NORM.DIST(0.815,0.8,0.005,TRUE)
c. .654072
=NORM.DIST(0.815,0.8,0.005,TRUE)-
NORM.DIST(0.798,0.8,0.005,TRUE)
d. .794818
=NORM.INV(0.15,0.8,0.005)
POINTS: 1

117. There are 500 employees in a firm, 45% are female. A sample of 60 employees is selected randomly.
a. Determine the standard error of the proportion.
b. What is the probability that the sample proportion of females is between 0.40 and 0.55?
ANSWER: a. 0.0603
b. 0.7482
POINTS: 1

118. Ten percent of the items produced by a machine are defective. A random sample of 100 items is selected and
checked for defects.
a. Determine the standard error of the proportion.
b. What is the probability that the sample will contain more than 2.5% defective units?
c. What is the probability that the sample will contain more than 13% defective units?
ANSWER: a. 0.03
b. 0.9938
c. 0.1587
POINTS: 1

119. A new soft drink is being market tested. It is estimated that 60% of consumers will like the new drink. A sample of
96 taste-tested the new drink.
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
a. Determine the standard error of the proportion
b. What is the probability that more than 70.4% of consumers will indicate they like the drink?
c. What is the probability that more than 30% of consumers will indicate they do not like the drink?
ANSWER: a. 0.05
b. 0.0188
c. 0.9772
POINTS: 1

120. In a large university, 20% of the students are business majors. A random sample of 100 students is selected, and their
majors are recorded.
a. Compute the standard error of the proportion.
b. What is the probability that the sample contains at least 12 business majors?
c. What is the probability that the sample contains less than 15 business majors?
d. What is the probability that the sample contains between 12 and 14 business majors?
ANSWER: a. 0.04
b. 0.9772
c. 0.1056
d. 0.044
POINTS: 1

121. In a local university, 10% of the students live in the dormitories. A random sample of 100 students is selected for a
particular study.
a. What is the probability that the sample proportion of students living in the dormitories is between 0.172 and 0.178?
b. What is the probability that the sample proportion of students living in the dormitories is greater than 0.025?
ANSWER: a. 0.0035
b. 0.9938
POINTS: 1

122. A department store has determined that 25% of all their sales are credit sales. A random sample of 75 sales is
selected.
a What is the probability that the sample proportion will be greater than 0.34?
b. What is the probability that the sample proportion will be between 0.196 and 0.354?
c. What is the probability that the sample proportion will be less than 0.25?
d. What is the probability that the sample proportion will be less than 0.10?
ANSWER: a. 0.0359
b. 0.8411
c. 0.5
d. 0.0014
POINTS: 1

123. Candidate A is running for president of the student government at a large university. The proportion of voters who
favor the candidate is 0.8. A simple random sample of 100 voters is taken.
a. What are the expected value, standard deviation, and shape of the sampling distribution of ?
What is the probability that the number of voters in the sample who will not favor Candidate A will be between 26
b.
and 30?
What is the probability that the number of voters in the sample who will not favor Candidate A will be more than
c.
16?
ANSWER: a. 0.8; 0.04; normal
b. 0.0606
c. 0.8413

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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
POINTS: 1

124. In a restaurant, the proportion of people who order coffee with their dinner is 0.9. A simple random sample of 144
patrons of the restaurant is taken.
a. What are the expected value, standard deviation, and shape of the sampling distribution of ?
b. What is the random variable in this problem? Define it in words.
What is the probability that the proportion of people who will order coffee with their meal is between 0.85 and
c.
0.875?
d. What is the probability that the proportion of people who will order coffee with their meal is at least 0.945?
ANSWER: a. 0.9; 0.025; normal
b. the sample proportion of people who order coffee with their dinners out of 144 patrons
c. 0.1359
d. 0.0359
POINTS: 1

125. Thirty percent of a magazine's subscribers are female. A random sample of 50 subscribers is taken. Answer the
following questions using Excel.
a. What is the probability that the proportion of females from this sample is at most 0.25?
b. What is the probability that the proportion of females from this sample is between 0.22 and 0.28?
c. What is the probability that the proportion of females from this sample is within .03 of the population proportion?
ANSWER: a. .220
=NORM.DIST(0.25,0.3,0.0648,TRUE)
b. .270
=NORM.DIST(0.28,0.3,0.0648,TRUE)-NORM.DIST(0.22,0.3,0.0648,TRUE)
c. .357
=NORM.DIST(0.33,0.3,0.0648,TRUE)-NORM.DIST(0.27,0.3,0.0648,TRUE)
POINTS: 1

126. The proportion of Americans who support the death penalty is 0.53. A sample of 1000 randomly selected Americans
is surveyed by telephone interview. Use Excel to answer the following questions.
a. What is the probability that the sample proportion of those supporting the death penalty will be less than 0.50?
b. What is the probability that the sample proportion of those supporting the death penalty will be at least 0.55?
What is the probability that the sample proportion of those supporting the death penalty will be between 0.50 and
c.
0.55?
d. For samples of size 1000, 15% of all sample proportions are at most what value?
ANSWER: a. .028
=NORM.DIST(0.5,0.53,0.0157,TRUE)
b. .101
=1-NORM.DIST(0.55,0.53,0.0157,TRUE)
c. .871
=NORM.DIST(0.55,0.53,0.0157,TRUE)-NORM.DIST(0.5,0.53,0.0157,TRUE)
d. .514
=NORM.INV(0.15,0.53,0.0157)
POINTS: 1

127. A random sample of nine telephone calls in an office provided the following information.
Call Number Duration (Minutes) Type of Call
1 3 local
2 8 long distance
3 4 local
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
4 3 local
5 5 long distance
6 6 local
7 3 local
8 5 local
9 8 local
a. Determine the point estimate for the average duration of all calls.
b. What is the point estimate for the standard deviation of the population?
c. What is the point estimate for the proportion of all calls that were long distance?
ANSWER: a. 5
b. 1.97
c. 0.222
POINTS: 1

128. A random sample of ten examination papers in a course that was given on a pass or fail basis showed the following
scores.
Paper Number Grade Status
1 65 Pass
2 87 Pass
3 92 Pass
4 35 Fail
5 79 Pass
6 100 Pass
7 48 Fail
8 74 Pass
9 79 Pass
10 91 Pass
a. What is the point estimate for the mean of the population?
b. What is the point estimate for the standard deviation of the population?
c. What is the point estimate for the proportion of all students who passed the course?
ANSWER: a. 75
b. 20.48
c. 0.8
POINTS: 1

129. Roger Hall, who oversees six Ford dealerships, believes that the colors chosen by customers who special-order their
cars best reflect most customers’ true color preferences. For that reason, he has tabulated the color requests specified in a
sample of 56 Mustang coupe special orders placed this year. The sample data are listed below.
Black Red White Blue Blue Green Red Black
Red White Blue White Red Red Black Black
Green Black Red Black Blue Black White Green
Blue Red Black White Black Red Black Blue
Blue Black Green White Black Red Red White
Red Red Blue Black Red Black Green Black
Green Red Black White Black Red Black White
a. What is the point estimate of the proportion of all Mustang coupe special orders that specify a color preference of
black?
b. Describe the sampling distribution of , where is the proportion of Mustang coupe special orders that specify a
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Chapter 7 - Sampling and Sampling Distributions
color preference of black. Assume that the proportion of all Mustang coupe special orders having a color preference of
black is .36.
c. What is the probability that a simple random sample of 56 special orders will provide an estimate of the population
proportion of special orders specifying the color black that is within plus or minus .05 of the actual population proportion,
assuming p = .36? In other words, what is the probability that will be between .31 and .41?
ANSWER: a. .32143
b. normally distributed with = .36 and = .064
c. .5646
POINTS: 1

130. Missy Walters owns a mail-order business specializing in baby clothes. Missy is confident the dollar amounts of all
her orders are normally distributed or nearly so. Assume she knows the mean and standard deviation are $249 and $46,
respectively, for all orders she receives.
a. Describe the sampling distribution of , where is the mean dollar-amount of an order for a sample of 10 orders.
b. What is the probability that a simple random sample of 30 orders will provide an estimate of the population mean
dollar-amount of an order that is within plus or minus $10 of the actual population mean?
c. What happens to the sampling distribution of when the sample size is increased from 30 to 90? With a sample size of
90, what is the probability that will be between $239 and $259?
ANSWER:
a. normally distributed with E(x) = $249 and = $14.5465
b. .7660
c. the sampling distribution is narrower; .9606
POINTS: 1

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