GEN1008 / MED1018 Introduction to Statistics

Mid-term Test (Sample Questions & Suggested Solution)

Note: Students taking the test have different versions with similar level of difficulty
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Question 1
The mean blood glucose level of adults is estimated. From a sample of 43 adults, the sample mean is 81.8
mg/dL. Assume the population standard deviation is 9.7 mg/dL. Find the upper limit of the 97% confidence
interval of the mean. Correct your answer to 2 decimal places.

Solution
The upper limit of the 97% confidence interval is
𝜎 9.7
𝑥̅ + 𝑧 ( ) = 81.8 + 2.17 ( ) = 85.01
√𝑛 √43

Question 2
There is a population of children whose sleeping duration is examined. The population mean is 10.0 hours
and the population standard deviation is 1.2 hours. A sample of 53 children is obtained and the sample mean
is 9.2.
Consider the distribution of sample means of such sample. What is the mean of the distribution?

Solution
The mean of the sampling distribution of sample means equals to the population mean. So, it is 10 hours.

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Question 3
You are provided with a dataset with 15 values. The mean is 8.5, the standard deviation is 1.3 and the range
is 6. Suppose the largest value is increased by 3 units, choose the correct option for completing the below
statements.
1. The mean will (i)
2. The standard deviation will (ii)
3. The range will (iii)

A. (i) increase ; (ii) increase ; (iii) decrease

B. (i) decrease ; (ii) increase ; (iii) increase
C. (i) increase ; (ii) decrease ; (iii) increase
D. (i) increase ; (ii) increase ; (iii) increase

Solution
Option D. Since the largest value is further increased, the mean will be larger, the standard deviation will
be larger, and the range will be larger.

Question 4
A researcher suggests that the population mean stress level of teenagers is higher than 19.2. He selects a
sample of 40 teenagers and the sample mean level is 21. Choose the best option to complete the following
two statements.
1. The alternative hypothesis is _____________.
2. This is a _____________.

A. (1) 𝐻1 : 𝜇 > 19.2

(2) two-tailed test
B. (1) 𝐻1 : 𝜇 > 21
(2) right-tailed test
C. (1) 𝐻1 : 𝜇 > 19.2
(2) right-tailed test
D. (1) 𝐻1 : 𝜇 ≥ 19.2
(2) two-tailed test

Solution
Option C. The alternative hypothesis is that the population mean is higher than 19.2. Since the alternative
hypothesis has a “>” sign, it is a right-tailed test.

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Question 5
A researcher wishes to estimate the proportion of students who have difficulties in learning statistics. The
required confidence level is 95% and the confidence interval width should be at most 8.2%. Find the sample
size needed in this research.

Solution
The required sample size

𝑧 2 1.96 2
𝑛 = 𝑝̂ (1 − 𝑝̂ ) ( ) = 0.5(1 − 0.5) ( ) = 571.33 = 572
𝐸 0.082/2

Question 6
In a study about the proportion of students with anxiety symptoms, the 95% confidence interval is [0.25,
0.43]. Which of the following statements is/ are true?
(i) The sample proportion being used to estimate the population proportion is 34%.
(ii) It is reasonable to conclude that the population proportion is higher than 30% since the interval
contains values higher than 0.3.
(iii) It is not reasonable to conclude that the population proportion is 20% since 0.2 is not within the
confidence interval.

A. (i) only
B. (i), (ii) & (iii)
C. (i) & (iii) only
D. (ii) & (iii) only

Solution
Option C.
(i) is correct since the sample proportion is the mid-point of the confidence interval. It equals
1
(0.25 + 0.43) = 0.34 = 34%
2
(ii) is incorrect since not all values in the interval are higher than 0.3.
(iii) is correct since 0.2 is not within the confidence interval and it is unlikely that the population proportion
is 0.2.

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Question 7
Suppose the family income follows a positively-skewed distribution. Which of the following statements is/
are true?
(i) It is likely that the mean income is higher than the median income.
(ii) It is likely there are the families with extremely low income. They are called outliers.
(iii) The distribution has a tail extending to the right.

A. (iii) only
B. (i) and (iii) only
C. (i), (ii) & (iii)
D. (i) & (ii) only

Solution
Option B.
(i) is correct. Since the distribution is positively skewed, the mean is likely to be greater than the median.
(ii) is wrong. We cannot conclude that there should be outliers.
(iii) Correct. A positive-skewed distribution has a tail extending to the right.

Question 8
The following table shows the data collected from 3 students who studied in a Statistics course and
completed an IQ test.
Studying time Reading time Grade in the
Major of study IQ test score
(hours/week) (hours/week) course
Nursing 20 14 A 112
Business 18 25 B 106
Business 30 5 B 110
What are the levels of measurement of the variable (i) Major of study, and (ii) Studying time?
A. (i) ordinal ; (ii) ratio
B. (i) nominal ; (ii) rato
C. (i) nominal ; (ii) interval
D. (i) ordinal ; (ii) interval
Solution
Option B.

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Question 9
In a critical thinking skill test, a sample of 26 students yielded a mean score of 22 and a standard deviation
of 3.6. Find the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval of the mean score. Assume the score follows a
normal distribution. Correct your answer to 2 decimal places.

Solution
The lower limit of the confidence interval is
𝑠 3.6
𝑥̅ − 𝑡 ( ) = 22 − 2.06 ( ) = 20.55
√𝑛 √26

Question 10
Find the standard deviation of the following values in the sample. Correct your answer to 2 decimal places.
3, 5, 7, 12, 17

Solution
By using Excel function =STDEV.S(), the answer is 5.1.

Question 11
Given 𝑃(−1.06 < 𝑍 < 𝑧) = 0.8366. Find the value of 𝑧.

Solution
𝑃(−1.06 < 𝑍 < 𝑧) = 0.8366
𝑃(𝑍 < 𝑧) − 𝑃(𝑍 < −1.06) = 0.8366
𝑃(𝑍 < 𝑧) = 0.8366 + 0.1446
𝑃(𝑍 < 𝑧) = 0.9812
𝑧 = 2.08

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Question 12
A group of children performed a fine motor skill test. The population mean score is 57 and the population
standard deviation is 8. If the top 11.5% of the population has score higher than c, what is the value of c?
Assume the score follows the normal distribution. Correct your answer to 1 decimal place.

Solution
𝑃(𝑋 > 𝑐) = 0.115
𝑐 − 57
𝑃 (𝑍 > ) = 0.115
8
𝑐 − 57
= 1.2
8
𝑥 = 66.6

Question 13
The amount of protein in the human blood sample is studied. The mean is 7.1 g/dL and the standard
deviation is 0.27 g/dL. Suppose at least 87.0% of human have protein amount ranging from 𝑥1 to 𝑥2 in
blood and 𝑥1 and 𝑥2 are equally close to 7.1. Find the difference between 𝑥1 and 𝑥2 . Correct your answer
to 2 decimal places.

Solution
1
By the Chebyshev’s Theorem, there should be 1 − 𝑘 2 = 0.87 of values falling within 𝑘 standard deviations
of the mean. The value of 𝑘 is 2.774. Therefore, 𝑥2 − 𝑥1 = 2𝑘𝜎 = 2 × 2.774 × 0.27 = 1.50.

Question 14
From a population, the mean equals 42 and the standard deviation equals 4.2. A sample of 40 values is
chosen from the population. Find the probability that the sample mean obtained is larger than 44. Correct
your answer to 4 decimal places.

Solution
44 − 42
𝑃(𝑋̅ > 44) = 𝑃 (𝑍 > )
4.2⁄√40
= 𝑃(𝑍 > 3.01)
= 1 − 0.9987 = 0.0013

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Question 15
Which of the following statements about a data distribution is correct?
(i) The proportion of values that are from 𝜇 − 𝑘𝜎 to 𝜇 + 𝑘𝜎 is 1 − 1/𝑘 2.
(ii) If the distribution is normal, 50% of values are less than the mean.
(iii) The degree of skewness is higher if the distribution has a tail that extends further to the left.

A. (ii) & (iii) only

B. (i), (ii) & (iii)
C. (ii) only
D. (i) & (iii) only

Solution
Option A.
(i) is incorrect. It should be the minimum proportion, not the exact proportion.
(ii) is correct. This is the property of a normal distribution.
(iii) is correct. If the tail is extended further to the right, the distribution is less symmetric, or it is more
skewed.

Question 16
Which of the following statements about the Student’s t distribution is/ are correct?
(i) When the degree of freedom is larger, the Student’s t distribution has a variance closer to 1.
(ii) The Student’s t distribution is symmetric.
(iii) Under the Student's t distribution, 50% of t-values are less than 0.

A. (i) & (iii) only

B. (ii) only
C. (ii) & (iii) only
D. (i), (ii) and (iii)

Solution
Option D.
(i), (ii) and (iii) are all properties of the Student’s t distribution.

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Question 17
There is a study on the aptitude score (X) of students. The following table shows the sample statistics of X
from the sample of 51 students. Find the sample standard deviation of the dataset. Correct your answer to
2 decimal places.

Sum of X 1989
Sum of Square of X 90495

Solution
The sample variance is
𝑛 ∑ 𝑋 2 − (∑𝑋)2 51(90495) − (1989)2
𝑠2 = = = 258.48
𝑛(𝑛 − 1) 51(51 − 1)
The sample standard deviation is

𝑠 = √258.48 = 16.08

Question 18
A recent study showed that the mean BMI of teenagers is 22 kg/m 2. From a sample of 50 teenagers, the
sample mean BMI is 23.2 kg/m2. Which of the following statements is/ are true?
(i) It is likely that the population mean BMI of teenagers is higher than 22 kg/m2.
(ii) If the probability of obtaining a sample with size 50 and the mean BMI equals to 23.2 or above
is very low, the population mean BMI should be higher than 23.2 kg/m2.
(iii) If the population standard deviation is 3, the standard error of the distribution of the sample
mean is 0.4243.

A. (iii) only
B. (i), (ii) & (iii)
C. (i) & (ii) only
D. (i) & (iii) only

Solution
Option A.
(i) is incorrect. We do not know the probability of obtaining a sample with mean higher than or equal to
23.2. So, the statement might not be true.
(ii) is incorrect. It should be that the population mean is higher than 22 kg/m2.

(iii) is correct. The standard error is 𝜎/√𝑛 = 3/√50 = 0.4243.

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Question 19
Reports showed that the time spent by students on using mobile phone per day is normal, with mean 205
minutes and standard deviation 19.5 minutes. What is the proportion of students who spend more than 195
minutes on mobile phone per day? Express your answer as a decimal number and correct it to 4 decimal
places.

Solution
195 − 205
𝑃(𝑋 > 195) = 𝑃 (𝑍 > )
19.5
= 𝑃(𝑍 > −0.51)
= 1 − 0.305 = 0.695

Question 20
Find the mean of the following grouped frequency distribution. Correct your answer to 2 decimal places.
Class Limit Mid-point Frequency
10 - 14 12 6
15 - 19 17 12
20 - 24 22 7
25 - 29 27 4

Solution
The mean is
12 × 6 + 17 × 12 + 22 × 7 + 27 × 4
𝑥̅ = = 18.55
6 + 12 + 7 + 4

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Question 21
There is a study on the proportion of patients who recovered from the COVID-19 but have stress symptoms.
From a sample of 367 adults who have recovered from the COVID-19, 246 indicated that they have the
stress symptoms. What is the margin of error of the 99% confidence interval of the population proportion?
Correct your answer to 4 decimal places.

Solution
The sample proportion is
246
𝑝̂ = = 0.6703
367
The margin of error of the 99% confidence interval is

𝑝̂ (1 − 𝑝̂ ) 0.6703(1 − 0.6703)
𝑧√ = 2.58√ = 0.0633
𝑛 367

Question 22
Suppose the time spent by children on reading (in minutes per day) follows a normal distribution. The mean
time is 36 minutes and the standard deviation is 6 minutes. Find the z-score for a time that equals 47. Correct
your answer to 2 decimal places.
Solution
The z-score is
47 − 36
𝑧= = 1.83
6

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Question 23
A researcher wishes to estimate the mean weight (in kg) of adults in a city. By using the sample mean and
the sample standard deviation of a small sample, the 95% confidence interval is [55.2, 68.8]. Which of the
following statements is/ are correct? Suppose the weight of adults follows the normal distribution.
(i) The mean weight of the sample is 62 kg.
(ii) The confidence interval width is 6.8 kg.
(iii) If the same sample is used to construct a 99% confidence interval, its margin of error should
be larger.

A. (i) & (ii) only

B. (i) & (iii) only
C. (iii) only
D. (i), (ii) & (iii)

Solution
Option B.
1
(i) is correct. The sample mean is (55.2 + 68.8) = 62.
2

(ii) is incorrect. The confidence interval width is 68.8 – 55.2 = 13.6 kg.
(iii) is correct. The 99% confidence interval has a wider interval width and thus, the margin of error is larger.

Question 24
A sample has 53 values and the sample mean is 40. What should be the sample standard deviation for
obtaining a coefficient of variation that equals 21.0%? Correct your answer to 2 decimal places.

Solution
Since the coefficient of variation is 0.21 and the sample mean is 40,
𝑠
𝐶𝑉𝑎𝑟 =
𝑥̅
𝑠 = 𝐶𝑉𝑎𝑟 × 𝑥̅
= 0.21 × 40 = 8.4

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Question 25
A research is planned to estimate the mean exercise time (in hours per week) of teenagers. Assume the
population standard deviation is 8 hours. Suppose the population mean and the sample mean should differ
by at most 1.2 hours. Find the sample size needed to obtain a 95% confidence interval of the mean.

Solution
The margin of error is 1.2.
The required sample size is

𝑧×𝜎 2 1.96 × 8 2
𝑛=( ) =( ) = 170.73 = 171 (𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝)
𝐸 1.2

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