AP Statistics Scoring Guide

Unit 3 Progress Check: MCQ Part A

1. Kristen is investigating the opinions of students at her high school on the new school hours
proposed by the school board. Which of the following is her population of interest?

A All members of the school board

B All teachers at her school

C All students at her high school

D All students in the school district

E All high school students in the state

2. A sample of students will be selected from all the students at a high school. Which of the following
sampling methods is least likely to produce a representative sample of the students?

A From a list of all student names, randomly select 50 names from the list for the sample.

Randomly choose five classrooms in the school and use all the students in those classrooms for the
B
sample.

Divide the students into the four class years (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) and randomly
C
select students from each year in proportion to the number of students in each year.

From a numbered list of all student names, randomly choose a starting point and then choose every
D
tenth student on the list.

From a randomly chosen home basketball game, choose every tenth student who enters the
E
gymnasium.

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 AP Statistics Scoring Guide

Unit 3 Progress Check: MCQ Part A

3. A teacher at a culinary arts school will conduct an experiment to investigate which of three methods
of instruction works best in teaching students how to make a good pie crust. Each student in a
group of 60 students will be randomly assigned to one of three methods: in-person demonstration
by the instructor, watching a video, and reading a recipe. The students will be assigned so that
each method will have 20 students. Each pie crust made will be judged on its taste and texture.
What are the treatments of the experiment?

A The 60 students

B The three methods of instruction

C The 20 students within each group

D The scores on taste and texture

E The 60 pie crusts made

4. The manager of a shopping mall distributed a customer-satisfaction survey by handing it to people

as they came through one of the doors to the mall one day. Of those handed out, 215 were
completed and returned. Should the results of the survey be generalized to the population of all
customers of the shopping mall?

A Yes, because the sample size is large.

B Yes, because only people entering the mall were given the survey.

C Yes, because the sample was representative.

D No, because a random sample from all customers of the shopping mall was not selected.

E No, because not all customers were selected.

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 AP Statistics Scoring Guide

Unit 3 Progress Check: MCQ Part A

5. Which of the following is a benefit to using a random sample for an observational study?

A The random sample allows for different treatments to be assigned.

B A causal relationship can be determined.

C The results of the observational study can be generalized to the population.

D A random sample is the easiest method of data collection.

E The distribution of the sample will match the distribution of the population.

6. Matt wants to investigate the opinions of young adults in the country, ages 18 years to 25 years,
about time spent playing video games. He plans to administer a survey to a sample of people.
Which of the following samples is most likely to generalize to his population of interest?

A A nationwide sample of people ages 18 to 25

B A sample of attendees of a gaming convention

C A sample of people ages 18 to 25 in Matt’s hometown

D A sample of people who click on a link in an online gaming site

E A sample of people who buy video games from an online store

7. The president of a small company needs to collect data on the educational background of all 20 of
the company’s employees. Which of the following is the best method to use for data collection?

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 AP Statistics Scoring Guide

Unit 3 Progress Check: MCQ Part A

A A census

B A cluster sample

C A simple random sample

D A stratified sample

E A systematic random sample

8. To estimate the size of a typical housing unit in a certain town, a sociologist plans to use a cluster
sampling method to gather data. Which of the following describes a cluster sampling method?

A Randomly select a certain number of housing units in the town.

Divide all housing units into three groups: small, medium, and large. Then randomly select a certain
B
number from each group.

Divide the town into nonoverlapping regions. Randomly select from the nonoverlapping regions, and
C
select all housing units in those regions.

Obtain a listing of all housing units currently for sale in the town, and use the size information given
D
in the listing.

Obtain the records kept by the town of all housing units in the town, and use the information in
E
those records.

9. A certain store has 3,000 employees working at its main location in a city and 100 employees
working at a smaller location outside the city. The store manager will select a sample of 50
employees from all the employees to ask their opinions about extending store hours during the
holidays. What is the advantage of selecting a stratified random sample, with location as strata,
instead of a simple random sample?

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 AP Statistics Scoring Guide

Unit 3 Progress Check: MCQ Part A

A The stratified sample assures the most random selection from among all selection methods.

The stratified sample assures that the opinions of employees from both locations will be
B
represented.

The stratified sample will be less expensive to implement than a simple random sample and will
C
save money over time.

The stratified sample assures employees that store hours will not be extended until their opinions
D
are recorded.

E There is no real advantage to stratifying because a simple random sample is always the best.

10. A certain company has five departments, A, B, C, D, and E. The number of employees in each
department is 10, 10, 20, 30, and 30, respectively. A sample of 10 employees from all employees
will be selected. Of the following descriptions of sampling procedures, which is most likely to
introduce a potential source of bias?

A Randomly select 10 employees from department C

B Randomly select 10 employees from all 100 employees

C Randomly select 2 employees from each of the five departments

Randomly select 1 employee from each of A and B, 2 employees from C, and 3 employees from
D
each of D and E

E Randomly select every tenth employee from a randomized list of names of all employees

11. A scientist studying soil acidity collected soil samples from a plot of land with a stream running
through it. The soil samples came from land located on only one side of the stream. What is the
potential source of bias that might result from the sampling method?

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 AP Statistics Scoring Guide

Unit 3 Progress Check: MCQ Part A

A Voluntary response bias

B Undercoverage bias

C Nonresponse bias

D Response Bias, where responses are self-reported

E Response Bias, where the question wording is leading or confusing

12. A survey will be sent to dog owners to investigate their opinions on multiple topics. Which of the
following questions on the survey is most likely to contribute to question-wording bias?

A How many dogs do you own?

B Should responsible dog owners purchase pet insurance?

C How much money do you spend on dog food each year?

D How many times did you take your dogs to a vet last year?

E Does your dog sleep in your bed on a regular basis?

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