TENNESSEE MATHEMATICS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

SIXTY-SIXTH ANNUAL MATHEMATICS CONTEST

2024

Statistics

Prepared by:

Daniel Inghram
Dyersburg State Community College
Dyersburg, TN

Scoring Formula: 4 × (Number Right) − (Number Wrong) + 40

Directions:

Do not open this booklet until you are told to do so.

This is a test of your competence in high school mathematics. For each problem, determine the best
answer and indicate your choice by making a heavy black mark in the proper place on the separate answer
sheet provided. You must use a pencil with a soft lead (No. 2 lead or softer).

This test has been constructed so that most of you are not expected to answer all of the questions. Do
your best on the questions you feel you know how to work. You will be penalized for incorrect answers, so
wild guesses are not advisable.

If you change your mind about an answer, be sure to erase completely. Do not mark more than one
answer for any problem. Make no stray marks of any kind on the answer sheet. The answer sheets will not
be returned to you; if you wish a record of your performance, mark your answers in this booklet also. You
will keep the booklet after the test is completed.

When told to do so, open your test booklet and begin. You will have exactly eighty minutes to work.
1. On Chess.com, the mean “skill rating” is 1,050 with a standard deviation of 350. For an
individual with a skill rating of 680, what is the individual’s z-score?

A. 677
B. -1.06
C. 1.06
D. -0.31
E. 0.31

2. A local government wants to find the exact number of registered voters in a city. Which
method would provide the most accurate and complete data for this purpose?

A. Census
B. Sample Survey
C. Experiment
D. Observational Study
E. Online Poll

3. Ms. Dani's math class is studying different types of graphs to display data. She wants to
show the relationship between two numerical variables, such as height and weight, for
students in her class. Which type of graph should she use to best display this data?

A. Scatterplot
B. Histogram
C. Parallel Box Plots
D. Bar Graph
E. Pie Chart

4. The scores of students on a history exam were: 35, 45, 60, 60, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90.
Which of the following is the best choice for the mean and shape of this distribution?

A. Mean: 60, Symmetrical

B. Mean: 65, Right-Skewed
C. Mean: 66, Right-Skewed
D. Mean: 65, Left-Skewed
E. Mean: 66, Left-Skewed
5. The chess club has been tracking the number of members attending their weekly
meetings. The attendance numbers for the last seven meetings are the following:
15, 14, 16, 80, 17, 15, 16. Which data point is an outlier, and what will be the impact of
this outlier on the mean and median of the data?

A. 15; Increases mean, decreases median.

B. 14; Increases mean, no impact on median.
C. 80; Increases mean, no impact on median.
D. 16; Decreases mean, increases median.
E. 80; Decreases mean, no impact on median.

6. In a recent study, it was found that the number of ice cream sales in a town was strongly
correlated with the number of people swimming in the town's public pool. Which of the
following conclusions is appropriate based on this information?

A. The increase in ice cream sales causes more people to swim in the pool.
B. Correlation does not imply causation, so we cannot determine a cause-and-effect
relationship between ice cream sales and the number of people swimming.
C. There must be a common underlying factor, such as hot weather, influencing both
ice cream sales and the number of people swimming.
D. The increase in the number of people swimming in the pool causes an increase in
ice cream sales.
E. The strong correlation proves that ice cream sales and the number of people
swimming are directly connected.

7. In a recent study, the mean salary of all employees in a company was found to be
$60,000. A random sample of 50 employees was taken, and their mean salary was
$58,000 with a standard deviation of $5,000. Which of the following statements is
correct?

A. The mean salary of the sample is a parameter.

B. The standard deviation of the sample is a parameter.
C. The mean salary of the population is $60,000, and this is a statistic.
D. The mean salary of the sample is $58,000, and this is a statistic.
E. The standard deviation of the population is $5,000, and this is a statistic.
8. A researcher wants to determine whether the observed distribution of books read across
different grades deviates significantly from what was expected. They conduct a Chi-
square test using data contained in the following table.

Table: Number of Books Read by Students in Different Grades (Total Students = 400)
Grade Expected Number of Books Observed Number of Books
9th 100 90
10th 100 110
11th 100 95
12th 100 105

Which of the following statements is the most accurate interpretation of the Chi-square
test for this data?

A. The Chi-square test will determine the exact grade level that read the most books.
B. The Chi-square test will show that 9th graders read significantly fewer books than
other grades.
C. The Chi-square test can test whether the observed distribution significantly differs
from the expected uniform distribution across grades.
D. The Chi-square test will confirm that the average number of books read by all
students is 100.
E. The Chi-square test will show that the total number of books read by 11th and 12th
graders is the same.

9. A study compares the proportion of people who like tea between two different cities,
City A and City B. According to the study, a 95% confidence interval for the difference
between the proportions is (-0.04, 0.08). Which of the following is the best
interpretation?

A. City A definitively prefers tea more than City B.

B. City A definitively prefers tea less than City B.
C. There is insufficient evidence to determine whether City A or City B has a greater
preference for tea.
D. City A and City B have the same preference of tea.
E. City A and City B do not have the same preference of tea.

10. In a study of pet ownership, researchers collect data on the type of pet (dog, cat, bird,
etc.) and the weight of the pet (in kilograms). What types of variables are these?

A. Categorical and Measurement

B. Univariate and Bivariate
C. Measurement and Univariate
D. Bivariate and Categorical
E. Categorical and Bivariate
11. The height (in inches) of Canadian actresses can be modeled using a normal distribution
with mean 64 and standard deviation 2. If a Canadian actress is selected at random,
what is the probability they are shorter than 60 inches?

A. 0.8176
B. 0.7414
C. 0.1824
D. 0.0228
E. 0.9772

12. In a specific smartphone store, the probability that a customer buys a smartphone with a
large screen is 0.24. Given that a customer chooses a large screen smartphone, the
probability that it is a silver model is 0.35. What is the probability that a customer
purchases a silver large screen smartphone?

A. 0.0840
B. 0.2450
C. 0.3500
D. 0.5900
E. 0.2400

13. Researchers want to estimate the proportion of Americans who like Brussels sprouts. In
a random sample of 500 Americans, 150 said they liked Brussels sprouts. Which is the
best choice for a 99% confidence interval for the true proportion?

A. (0.24721, 0.35279)
B. (0.26629, 0.33371)
C. (0.25983, 0.34017)
D. (0.27374, 0.32626)
E. (0.28800, 0.88800)

14. Isabella is picking an outfit for school. She has 3 shirts, 4 pairs of pants, and 2 pairs of
shoes to choose from. How many different outfits can Isabella create?

A. 8
B. 24
C. 12
D. 9
E. 15
15. A group of students were asked how many hours they spend on homework each week.
The collected data is as follows:

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10, 11, 14, 15

What is the Interquartile Range (IQR) for this data?

A. 7
B. 3
C. 4
D. 6
E. 2.5

16. Suppose a fair coin will be flipped 5 times, and the number of heads will be counted. If
you receive $1 for each head and lose $1 for each tail, what is the expected value of
your winnings?

A. $0
B. $1
C. $2.5
D. $5
E. -$2.5

17. Lizard Rabbits have height (in cm) that follows a normal distribution with a mean of 40
and a standard deviation of 4. If the sample size is 25, would a sample mean of 42 be
unusual?

A. No, because the z-score is 0.5.

B. No, because the z-score is 2.5.
C. Yes, because the z-score is 2.5.
D. Yes, because the z-score is 0.5.
E. Yes, because the z-score is -2.5
18. A school of 300 students is investigating the relationship between students participating
in sports and their interest in math. They created the following two-way frequency
table:

Table: Math Status vs. Sports Status (Total Students = 300)

Likes Math Does Not Like Math Total
Plays Sports 50 50 100
Doesn’t Play Sports 50 150 200
Total 100 200 300

Based on the table, are the events "Likes Math" and "Plays Sports" independent?

A. Yes, they are independent.

B. No, they are not independent.
C. Cannot determine without more information.
D. There is an equal likelihood of liking or not liking math.
E. More students who do not play sports like math.

19. The school cafeteria is trying to promote healthy eating by selling salads. They notice
that for every additional topping added, the number of salads sold increases by 15 per
day. When they offer no additional toppings, they still sell 50 salads per day. They
create a linear model to represent this pattern, where y is the number of salads sold per
day, and x is the number of additional toppings offered. The equation is ŷ = 15𝑥 + 50.
Which of the following best interprets the slope and intercept in the context of the data?

A. Slope: Increase in toppings by 15; Intercept: 50 additional toppings.

B. Slope: 15 additional toppings; Intercept: Increase in sales by 50 salads.
C. Slope: 50 additional toppings; Intercept: Increase in sales by 15 salads
D. Slope: 50 salads sold with no additional toppings; Intercept: Increase in sales by 15
salads for every additional topping.
E. Slope: Increase in sales by 15 salads for every additional topping; Intercept: 50
salads sold with no additional toppings.
 1
20. You are flipping a fair coin, which has a probability of landing heads of . According
2
to the Law of Large Numbers, as the number of coin flips increases, which of the
following statements is most accurate regarding the proportion of heads?

A. The proportion of heads will eventually become 0.

1
B. The proportion of heads will always be exactly after every flip.
2
C. The proportion of heads will oscillate between 0 and 1, without settling on any
particular value.
1 1
D. The proportion of heads will converge to , but it may not be exactly after any
2 2
finite number of flips.
E. The proportion of heads will eventually become 1.

21. At a bakery, there are three types of treats available: cookies, muffins, and croissants. If
A represents the event of choosing a cookie, B represents the event of choosing a
muffin, and C represents the event of choosing a croissant, which of the following
represents the event of choosing either a cookie or a muffin but not a croissant?

A. (𝐴 ∪ 𝐵) ∪ 𝐶 𝑐
B. (𝐴 ∩ 𝐵) ∩ 𝐶 𝑐
C. (𝐴 ∪ 𝐵) ∩ 𝐶 𝑐
D. 𝐴𝑐 ∩ 𝐵 𝑐
E. (𝐴 ∩ 𝐵) ∪ 𝐶 𝑐

22. A researcher has constructed a 95% confidence interval for the average lifespan of
outdoor cats. Which of the following statements is correct regarding the interpretation
of this 95% confidence interval?

A. If the researcher takes 100 random samples, exactly 95 of them will contain the true
population mean.
B. There is a 95% probability that the true population mean falls within the calculated
interval.
C. The true population mean is 95% likely to fall within this specific interval.
D. If the process is repeated and many 95% confidence intervals are constructed from
new random samples, 95% of those intervals would contain the true population
mean.
E. The true population mean is 5% likely to fall outside this specific interval.
23. A researcher wants to test whether a new dietary supplement has an effect on reducing
body weight. She conducts a study with a small sample of 4 individuals, using the new
supplement for a month. She wants to perform a left-tailed hypothesis test on the mean
weight reduction at the 10% significance level. Assuming the sample follows a t-
distribution, what is the correct t-value that the researcher should use for this test?

A. 2.353
B. -1.638
C. -1.282
D. -2.353
E. 1.638

24. You are tasked with estimating the mean height of students in a large university based
on a random sample. After calculating the mean height from this sample, what does this
calculated mean height best exemplify?

A. A biased estimator.
B. A population parameter.
C. A point estimator.
D. The variability of the sample.
E. A guaranteed accurate measure of the mean height of all students in the university.

25. A pharmaceutical company has developed a new drug that claims to effectively reduce
high blood pressure. Before approving it, the FDA runs tests to determine if the drug is
effective. If the FDA approves the drug when it does not actually work, it would be an
error. If they reject the drug when it does work, it would be an error. Which of the
following pairs correctly identifies these two errors?

A. Type I error for approval when not effective; Type II error for rejection when
effective.
B. Type II error for approval when not effective; Type I error for rejection when
effective.
C. Type I error for rejection when not effective; Type II error for approval when
effective.
D. Both scenarios are Type I errors.
E. Both scenarios are Type II errors.
26. The body weight of adult greyhound dogs follows a normal distribution with a mean of
68 pounds and a standard deviation of 7 pounds. Suppose you are interested in adopting
one, but you require it to be heavier than at least 75% of other adult greyhounds. At a
minimum, how much must the greyhound dog weigh? Round your answer to the closest
whole pound.

A. 73
B. 75
C. 63
D. 53
E. 39

27. As a part of her research, Dr. Martinez studies the heights of a certain type of tree in a
national park. She randomly selects 50 trees and records their heights. The sample mean
height is found to be 35 feet. Assume the population standard deviation is 7 feet. Dr.
Martinez wants to estimate the mean height of all such trees in the national park with a
95% confidence level. Which of the following represents the 95% confidence interval
for the mean height?

A. (47.68, 52.32)
B. (24.07, 75.93)
C. (33.37, 36.63)
D. (32.45, 37.55)
E. (33.06, 36.94)

28. A game developer is designing a new online game in which players can earn virtual
coins through various tasks. The developer wants to create a balanced economy within
the game and is considering the coin rewards for a particular task. The task has five
possible outcomes with the following probabilities:

• Completing the task with excellence: 10% (Reward: 50 coins)

• Completing the task with proficiency: 30% (Reward: 30 coins)
• Completing the task adequately: 40% (Reward: 15 coins)
• Failing the task but still receiving a consolation: 15% (Reward: 5 coins)
• Failing the task without any consolation: 5% (Reward: 0 coins)

Given the above information, how would you define the random variable X that
represents the reward (in coins) for this task, and what would be its expected value?

A. X = {50, 30, 15, 5, 0} with an expected value of 18.75 coins.

B. X = {10, 30, 40, 15, 5} with an expected value of 23.5 coins.
C. X = {50, 30, 15, 5, 0} with an expected value of 20 coins.
D. X = {0.10, 0.30, 0.40, 0.15, 0.05} with an expected value of 18.75 coins.
E. X = {50, 30, 15, 5, 0} with an expected value of 15 coins.
29. A researcher is interested in studying the effect of a new training program on improving
the mile time for high school seniors. He has four options for conducting the study: a
randomized controlled trial (RCT), an observational study, a retrospective study, and a
survey. Which of the following research designs will allow him to make a causal
inference about the effect of the new training program on the seniors' mile time?

A. Only the observational study.

B. Only the randomized controlled trial (RCT).
C. Both the randomized controlled trial (RCT) and the observational study.
D. Both the randomized controlled trial (RCT) and the retrospective study.
E. All four study types.

30. A company has developed a product claiming to remove the jitters caused by math tests
in less than 15 minutes. A clinical trial is conducted to test this claim. The null
hypothesis is that the mean time to remove the jitters, μ, is equal to 15 minutes, and the
alternative hypothesis is that μ is not equal to 15 minutes. If the p-value of the two-
tailed hypothesis test is 0.04 and the significance level is 0.05, which of the following
statements is correct?

A. Reject the null hypothesis; there is enough evidence to conclude that the mean time
to remove jitters is not 15 minutes.
B. Fail to reject the null hypothesis; there is not enough evidence to support the
company's claim.
C. Reject the null hypothesis; there is enough evidence to support the company's claim
that the mean time is exactly 15 minutes.
D. Reject the null hypothesis; there is enough evidence to support the company's claim
that the mean time is less than 15 minutes.
E. Fail to reject the null hypothesis; the test is inconclusive.

31. Which of the following statements describes why the Central Limit Theorem is
considered a fundamental concept in statistics?

A. It claims that for a large enough sample size, the population itself becomes
approximately normal.
B. It states that for a large enough sample size, the sampling distribution of the sample
mean is approximately normal, regardless of the population distribution.
C. It asserts that for any sample size, the sampling distribution of the sample mean will
always be approximately normal.
D. It posits that for any population distribution, the sampling distribution of the sample
mean is approximately normal, regardless of the sample size.
E. It insists that for any sample size and population distribution, the median will follow
an approximately normal distribution.
32. A researcher wants to study the impact of a required chess-in-schools program on
students' performance in schools across a large country. The country is divided into
different states, each state having various districts, and each district having several
schools. The researcher has limited time and resources. Which of the following
sampling methods would be the most appropriate to ensure that the sample represents
different regions without consuming too many resources?

A. Simple Random Sampling from all schools in the country

B. Stratified Random Sampling, with states as strata
C. Stratified Random Sampling, with individual students as strata
D. Cluster Sampling, selecting random states, then random districts within those states
E. Cluster Sampling, selecting random schools from each state

33. A space exploration team consists of eight astronauts, including four specialists named
Apollo, Buzz, Callisto, and Draco. The mission commander needs to select an elite
crew of four astronauts for a special mission to Mars. What is the probability that
Apollo, Buzz, Callisto, and Draco are the four astronauts chosen for this special
mission?

1
A.
2
1
B.
35
1
C.
280
1
D.
140
1
E.
70

34. A student takes a multiple-choice test that has 5 questions. Each question has four
choices. If the student guesses randomly at each answer, which is the best choice for the
probability of answering at least 2 questions correctly?

A. 0.104
B. 0.410
C. 0.590
D. 0.367
E. 0.633
35. Researchers conducted an experiment to determine the effect of a new nutritional
supplement on enhancing memory in adults. They randomly assigned half of the
participants to the treatment group (receiving the supplement) and the other half to the
control group (receiving a placebo). However, participants in the treatment group were
also provided with weekly memory-enhancing training sessions, while the control group
was not. Based on this experimental setup, which of the following statements correctly
describes the role of experimental control and its effect on confounding?

A. The memory-enhancing training sessions for the treatment group ensured that any
memory improvement was due to the supplement.
B. The introduction of the memory-enhancing training sessions makes it impossible to
determine if memory improvements were due to the supplement or the training
sessions.
C. The random assignment of participants to the treatment and control groups
eliminated all potential confounding variables.
D. The control group receiving a placebo ensured that the treatment group's results
were solely due to the nutritional supplement.
E. Since both groups were part of an experiment, there is no possibility of confounding
variables affecting the results.

36. You are considering two automobile insurance policies for your new car. Policy A has a
low deductible of $200 but costs $1200 per year. Policy B has a high deductible of $800
but costs only $800 per year. You estimate that there is a 10% chance you will have an
accident in a given year, requiring you to pay the deductible. Given this information,
which policy has the better expected value?

A. Policy A has a lower expected value; hence it is the better option.

B. Policy B has a lower expected value; hence it is the better option.
C. Both policies have the same expected value; hence either option is equally good.
D. The expected value cannot be determined without knowing the exact amount of the
deductible.
E. The expected value cannot be determined without knowing the total value of the car.
37. A research team is conducting a study on the average height of sunflowers in a
particular region. They select 50 random samples of sunflowers, each with 30
sunflowers, and calculate the average height for each sample. Which of the following
statements is most accurate concerning the sampling distribution of the sample mean
height, and the standard error in this context?

A. The sampling distribution of the sample mean will be skewed, and the standard error
is equal to the population standard deviation.
B. The sampling distribution of the sample mean will be approximately normal, and
the standard error is equal to the population variance divided by the sample size.
C. The sampling distribution of the sample mean will be approximately normal, and
the standard error is equal to the sample standard deviation divided by the square
root of the sample size.
D. The sampling distribution of the sample mean will be uniform, and the standard
error is equal to the sample standard deviation divided by the population size.
E. The sampling distribution of the sample mean will be approximately normal, and
the standard error is equal to the sample variance divided by the sample size.

38. Mr. Bunny, a math teacher, is curious about the relationship between the number of
carrots his students eat and their performance on math tests. He records the number of
carrots consumed by six students in a week and their corresponding math test scores:
Table: Number of Carrots (x) vs. Math Test Score (y)
Number of Carrots (x) Math Test Score (y)
5 50
8 75
2 40
10 90
4 45
7 70

Using this data, which of the following best represents the linear regression equation
that Mr. Bunny wants to create?

A. ŷ = 6.51𝑥 + 22.58
B. ŷ = 6.67𝑥 + 21.67
C. ŷ = 22.58𝑥 + 6.51
D. ŷ = 22.58 – 6.67𝑥
E. ŷ = 21.67𝑥 + 6.67
39. You are conducting a hypothesis test for the mean weight of apples in a large orchard.
The null hypothesis states that the mean weight is 150 grams, and you select a 5%
significance level for the test. After collecting a sample and performing the necessary
calculations, you find a p-value of 0.042. Which of the following interpretations of this
p-value is correct?

A. If the null hypothesis is true, there is a 4.2% chance that the mean weight of apples
in the orchard is 150 grams.
B. There is a 4.2% chance that the null hypothesis is true.
C. If the null hypothesis is true, there is a 4.2% chance of obtaining a sample mean at
least as extreme as the one observed, or more extreme.
D. The probability that the mean weight of apples in the orchard is 150 grams is 4.2%.
E. If the alternative hypothesis is true, there is a 4.2% chance of obtaining a sample
mean at least as extreme as the one observed, or more extreme.

40. Recently the Journal of the American Vampire Association (JAVA) published an article
exploring vampires with Type A blood vs. vampires with Type B blood. In terms of
body temperature (in degrees F), Type A have a mean of 44 with a standard deviation of
11 while Type B have a mean of 36 with a standard deviation of 13.

Which of the following statements are true?

I. Type B are warmer on average than Type A.

II. Type A temperatures are more predictable than Type B temperatures.
III. Type B temperatures are more variable than Type A temperatures.

A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. I and II
E. II and III