AP Online Quiz (Multiple Choice!!

) KEY
Chapter 10: Comparing Two Populations or Groups
1. Wilt and Bill, two basketball players, are having a free throw shooting contest. Wilt is known
to make 75% of his free throws, and Bill is known to hit 85% of his free throws. Each of them
takes 50 shots. Assuming that the shots are independent, what is the probability that Bill hits a
higher percentage of his shots that Wilt?
A. 0.1038
AR. Incorrect. Think about whether your answer makes sense. If Bill is a better shooter, should
the likelihood that he hits a higher percentage be greater than 0.5?
*B. 0.8962
BR. Correct. The sampling distribution of means for the difference in proportion of shots hit by
Bill and Wilt ( pˆ Bill - pˆWilt ) has a mean of 0.85 – 0.75 = 0.10 and a standard deviation of
( 0.75)( 0.25) + ( 0.85)( 0.15) = 0.0794 . So
50 50
æ 0 - 0.1 ö
P ( pˆ Bill - pˆWilt > 0) = P ç z > ÷ = P ( z > -1.26 ) = 0.8962
è 0.0794 ø
C. 0.9938
CR. It looks like you have miscalculated the standard deviation of hte difference of proportions.
Check the formula and try again.

2. For a simple random sample of 100 cars of a certain popular model in 20012, it was found
that 20 had a certain minor defect in the brakes. For an independent SRS of 400 cars of the same
model in 2009, it was found that 50 had the same defect. Let p1 and p2 be the proportions of all
cars of this model in 2012 and 2009, respectively, that have the defect. A 90% confidence
interval for p1 – p2 is (approximately)
A. 0.075 ± 0.085.
AR. Incorrect. You computed a 95% confidence interval for p1 – p2 rather than the 90%
confidence interval.
*B. 0.075 ± 0.071.
BR. Correct.
The 90% confidence interval is given by
(0.2)(0.8) (0.125)(0.0.875)
(0.2 - 0.125) ± 1.645 + = 0.075 ± 1.645 0.001873438 = 0.075 ± 0.071.
100 400
C. 0.075 ± 0.043.
CR. Incorrect. Did you include the appropriate critical z* for a 90% confidence interval?

Chapter 10 TPS4e 1
3. Which of the following set of values for n1, n2, p̂1 , and p̂2 satisfies the Normal/Large counts
condition for constructing a confidence interval for the difference of two proportions, p1 - p2 .
(Assume that the 10% condition has been satisfied.)
A. n1 = 100, n2 = 100, p̂1 = 0.08, p̂2 = 0.10
AR. Incorrect. To use the interval, n1 pˆ 1 , n1(1 - p̂1 ), n2 pˆ 2 , and n2(1 - p̂2 ) must all be 10 or
more. In this case, n1 pˆ 1 = (100)(0.08) = 8 is less than 10, so we cannot use the interval.
*B. n1 = 100, n2 = 100, pÙ1 = 0.12, pÙ2 = 0.10.
BR. Correct. To use the interval, n1 pˆ 1, n1(1 - p̂1 ), n2 pˆ 2 , and n2(1 - p̂2 ) must all be 10 or more.
In this case, these quantities are, respectively, 12, 88, 10, and 90, all of which are at least 10, so
the interval may be used.
C. n1 = 200, n2 = 200, p̂1 = 0.50, p̂2 = 0.04.
CR. Incorrect. To use the interval, n1 pˆ 1, n1(1 - p̂1 ), n2 pˆ 2 , and n2(1 - p̂2 ) must all be 10 or
more. In this case, n2 pˆ 2 = (200)(0.04) = 8 is less than 10, so we cannot use the interval.

4. In a simple random sample of 100 households in 2000, 43 had some credit card debt. In
another simple random sample of 150 households in 2012, 72 had some credit card debt. We
want to construct a confidence interval for the difference in the proportion of households with
credit card debt between 2012 and 2000. Which of the following is the correct standard error
estimate for this interval?

*A.
( 0.43)( 0.57 ) + ( 0.48)( 0.52 )
100 150
AR. Correct. For a confidence interval for p1 - p2 , the standard error is estimated by
pˆ1 (1 - pˆ1 ) pˆ 2 (1 - pˆ 2 )
+ .
n1 n2

B.
( 0.46)( 0.54 )
250
BR. Incorrect. It looks like you’ve used the pooled standard error formula, which is not
appropriate for constructing a confidence interval. You also added fractions incorrectly!

( 0.46)( 0.54 ) æç + ö÷ .
1 1
C.
è 100 150 ø
CR. Incorrect you should not use the pooled standard error formula when constructing a
confidence interval!

Chapter 10 TPS4e 2
5. In a simple random sample of 100 households in 2000, 43 had some credit card debt. In
another simple random sample of 150 households in 2012, 72 had some credit card debt. Which
of the following is the correct test statistic for testing the hypothesis H 0 : p2012 - p2000 = 0 , that
there is no difference in the proportion of households with credit card debt in these two years?
A. z =
( 0.43 - 0.48) - 0 .
( 0.43)( 0.57 ) + ( 0.48)( 0.52 )
100 150
AR. Incorrect. You have not used the correct formula for the denominator of the test statistic! In
addition, remember that when the null hypothesis is that there is no difference, you can use the
pooled estimate for standard error.
B. z =
( 0.43 - 0.48) - 0
( 0.43)( 0.57 ) + ( 0.48)( 0.52 )
100 150
BR. Incorrect. Remember that when the null hypothesis is that there is no difference, you can
use the pooled estimate for standard error.
*C. z =
( 0.43 - 0.48) - 0
( 0.48)( 0.52 ) æç + ö÷
1 1
è 100 150 ø
CR. Correct. When you are testing the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the
two proportions, you can use the pooled estimate for standard error. Thus the test statistic is

z=
( pˆ1 - pˆ 2 ) - 0 x +x
, where pˆ C = 1 2 .
æ1 1ö n1 + n2
pˆ C (1 - pˆ C ) ç + ÷
è n1 n2 ø

6. In a simple random sample of 100 cars of a certain popular model in 2010, it was found that
20 had a certain minor defect in the brakes. For an independent SRS of 400 cars of the same
model in 2011, it was found that 50 had the same defect. Let p1 and p2 be the proportions of all
cars of this model in 2010 and 2011, respectively, that have the defect. We wish to test
H 0 : p1 - p2 = 0 against H a : p1 - p2 > 0 . Which of the following is closest to the P-value for
this test?
A. 0.0418.
AR. Incorrect. You calculated the test statistic without using the pooled sample proportion of
successes, pˆ C . Instead, you used the standard error for calculating a level C confidence interval
for p1 – p2, which is based only on the individual sample proportions p̂1 and p̂2 .
B. 0.0536.
BR. Incorrect. You found the P-value for a two-sided test. This test is one-sided!
*C. 0.0268.

Chapter 10 TPS4e 3
 0.2 - 0.125 0.075
CR. Correct. The test statistic is z = = = 1.93,
1 1 0.001505
(0.14)(0.86)( + )
100 400
20 + 50
where pˆ C = = 0.14. This produces a P-value of 0.0268 for a one-sided test.
100 + 400

7. A manufacturer receives parts from two suppliers. An SRS of 400 parts from Supplier 1
contains 20 defective parts, while an independent SRS of 100 parts from Supplier 2 contains 10
defective parts. Let p1 and p2 be the proportions of defective parts made by Supplier 1 and
Supplier 2, respectively. Is there evidence of a significant difference in the proportions of
defective parts made by these two suppliers? To answer this question, you test the hypotheses
H 0 : p1 - p2 = 0 against H a : p1 - p2 ¹ 0 . Which of the following is closest to the P-value of the
test?
A. 0.9398
AR. Incorrect. You have found the P-value for the one-sided alternative H a : p1 - p2 > 0 .
Think about whether this answer makes any sense, given what the P-value measures!
*B. 0.0602.
pˆ1 - pˆ 2
BR. Correct. The test statistic for a test of H 0 : p1 - p2 = 0 is z = ,
1 1
pˆ C (1 - pˆ C )( + )
n1 n2
x +x 20 + 10
where pˆ C is the pooled sample proportion of successes: pˆ C = 1 2 = = 0.06 So
n1 + n2 400 + 100
0.05 - 0.10 -0.05
z= = = -1.88. Since this test is two-sided, the P-value is
1 1 0.000705
(0.06)(0.94)( + )
100 400
2 × ( 0.0301) = 0.0602
C. 0.0301.
CR. Incorrect. You have found the P-value for the one-sided alternative H a : p1 - p2 < 0 .

8. SAT scores of entering freshmen at Enormous State University are approximately Normally
distribution with a mean of µ1 = 1200 and standard deviation s 1 = 90 , while the SAT scores of
entering freshmen at the University of Modest Dimensions are approximately Normally
distribution with mean µ2 = 1215 and standard deviation s 2 = 110 . Independent random samples
of 100 freshmen are selected from each university. Which of the following is closest to the
probability that the sample mean from Enormous State University exceeds the sample mean from
the University of Modest Dimensions?
*A. 0.1446.
AR. Correct. The sampling distribution of the difference of means is approximately Normally
s 12 s 22
distribution with mean µ x1 - x2 = -15 and standard deviation s x1 - x2 = + =
n1 n2
Chapter 10 TPS4e 4
 902 + 1102 æ 0 - ( -15) ö
= 202 » 14.21 . So P ( x1 - x2 > 0) = P ç z > ÷ » P ( z > 1.06) » 0.1446.
100 è 202 ø
B. 0.0475.
BR. Incorrect. You evaluated P ( x1 - µ1 > 0) , where µ2 = the true population mean score for
the University of Modest Dimensions. The distribution you are interested in is the difference of
sample means, x1 - x2 .
C. 0.8554.
CR. Incorrect. You evaluated P ( x1 - x2 < 0) . You want to evaluate P ( x1 - x2 > 0) .

9. Simple random samples are taken from two large populations, designated Population 1 and
Population 2. Which of the following describes a situation in which the conditions for
performing a two-sample t-test for the difference of two means for these populations have not
been satisfied?
A. n1 = 15, n2 = 100. The distribution of Sample 1 is symmetric and unimodal with no outliers,
and the distribution of sample 2 is skewed left.
AR. Incorrect—the conditions have been satisfied. Sample 1 is small, but the distribution of the
sample provides evidence that Population 1 is approximately Normally distributed. Sample 2 is
large enough so that it is not necessary that Population 2 be Normal (because of the central limit
theorem).
B. n1 = 15, n2 = 15. The distributions of both samples are symmetric and unimodal with no
outliers.
BR. Incorrect—the conditions have been satisfied. Both samples are small, but the distributions
of the samples provides evidence that the populations are approximately Normally distributed.
*C. n1 = 15, n2 = 15. The distribution of Sample 1 is symmetric and unimodal with no outliers,
and the distribution of Sample 2 is skewed left with no outliers.
CR. Correct. Since Sample 2 is small and it’s distribution is skewed, we do not have evidence
that Population 2 is Normally distributed, so we have not met the Normal/Large Sample
condition.

10. A sports physiologist wishes to compare the effects of two stepping heights (low and high)
on heart rate in a step-aerobics workout. A sample of 50 adults in roughly similar physical
condition was randomly divided into two groups of 25 subjects each. Group 1 did a standard
step-aerobics workout using the low stepping height. The sample mean heart rate at the end of
Group 1’s workout was x1 = 90 beats per minute (bpm), with a sample standard deviation of
s1 = 9 bpm. Group 2 did the same workout but used the high stepping height. The sample mean
heart rate at the end of Group 2’s workout was x2 = 95.1bpm, with a sample standard deviation
of s2 = 12 bpm. Assume that conditions for inference have been met. Let µ1 and µ 2 represent
the mean heart rates we would observe for the entire population of interest if all members of the
population did the workout using the low and high stepping height, respectively. Suppose that
the researcher wishes to test the hypotheses H 0 : µ1 - µ2 = 0 versus H a : µ1 - µ2 < 0 Which of the
following is a correct expression for test statistic for this test?
Chapter 10 TPS4e 5
 901 - 95.1
*A. t =
92 122
+
25 25
AR. Correct. The test statistic for a test of the difference of means for two independent samples
µ1 - µ2
is t = .
s12 s2 2
+
n1 n2
901 - 95.1
B. t = .
9 12
+
25 25
BR. Incorrrect. The denominator—the standard error for the difference of two means—is not
the sum of the standard deviation. Add variances!
90 - 95.1
C. t = 1
92 122
-
25 25
CR. Incorrect. The variance for the difference of two means is the sum of the variances for each
mean, not the difference.

11. A sportswriter wishes to see if a football filled with helium travels farther, on average, than a
football filled with air. To test this hypothesis, the writer uses 18 male subjects, randomly
divided into two groups of 9 subjects each. Group 1 kicks a football filled with helium to the
recommended pressure, while Group 2 kicks a football filled with air to the same pressure. The
sample mean yardage for Group 1 was x1 = 30 yards, with a sample standard deviation of s1 = 8
yards. The sample mean yardage from Group 2 was x2 = 26 yards, with a sample standard
deviation of s2 = 6 yards. Let µ1 and µ2 represent the mean yardage observed for the entire
population if all members of the population kicked a helium-filled football and an air-filled
football, respectively. Assuming that conditions for a two-sample t procedure are have been
satisfied and using the conservative value for the number of degrees of freedom, which of the
following is a 90% confidence interval for µ1 - µ2 ?
A. 4 ± 5.5 yards.
AR. Incorrect. You incorrectly used a standard Normal critical value rather than a t critical
value when computing the margin of error.
*B. 4 ± 6.2 yards.
BR. Correct. A level C confidence interval for µ1 - µ2 in this situation would be
s12 s22
(x1 - x2 ) ± t * + , where t* = 1.860, the 90% critical value of the t(8) distribution. Thus,
n1 n2
82 62
the 90% confidence interval is (30 - 26) ± 1.860 + = 4 ± 6.2.
9 9
C. 4 ± 7.7 yards.

Chapter 10 TPS4e 6
CR. Incorrect. You computed a 95% confidence interval µ1 - µ2 rather than a 90% confidence
interval.

12. Some agricultural researchers have conjectured that stem-pitting disease in peach-tree
seedlings might be controlled through weed and soil treatments. An experiment was conducted
to compare seedling growth with soil and weeds treated with one of two herbicides. In a field
containing 10 seedlings, 5 were randomly selected and assigned to be treated with Herbicide A.
The remaining 5 seedlings were treated with Herbicide B. Soil and weeds for each seedling were
treated with the appropriate herbicide. At the end of the study period, the height (in centimeters)
was recorded for each seedling. A 90% confidence interval for the difference µ A - µB in mean
seedling height for the two herbicides was found to be (0.2, 14.6). From this result, which of the
following statements is correct?
A. The P-value for a test of H 0 : µ A - µB = 0 against H a : µ A - µB ¹ 0 would be greater than
0.10, since the interval doesn’t contain 0.
AR. Incorrect. The 90% confidence interval contains all differences µ A - µB for which we
would fail to reject the null hypothesis H 0 : µ A - µB = 0 at the a = 0.01 level. Because 0 is not
in this interval confidence interval, we would reject H 0 : µ A - µB = 0 for α = 0.10. Thus, the P-
value must be less than 0.10.
B. A 95% confidence interval would not include 0 either, since we would be even more
confident that a significant difference exists between the two groups.
BR. Incorrect. As the confidence level increases, the interval gets wider, not narrower. So if the
90% confidence interval doesn’t include 0, then the 95% confidence interval may or may not
include 0, depending on the data.
*C. Neither (A) nor (B) is correct.
CR. Correct. See the responses to (A) and (B) for an explanation.

13. A drug company is testing a new medication for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). They
have 40 eighth-grade volunteers who have been diagnosed with ADD. Which of the following
experiments would call for matched pairs t-test?
A. Twenty randomly-selected students are treated with the new medication, twenty are treated
with an established medication for ADD. After four weeks the students’ are tested for ADD
symptoms.
AR. Incorrect. This is a completely randomized design that calls for comparison of two
independent groups.
*B. The students are divided into groups of two according to their academic achievement (the
highest achievers are in one group, the next two in the second group, etc.). One randomly-
selected member of each group is given the new medication and the other is treated with the
established mediation. After four weeks, the students are tested for ADD symptoms.
BR. Correct. The groups of two are the “pairs,” randomly assigned to the two treatments. The
appropriate null hypothesis is H 0 : µD = 0, where µ D = the true difference between ADD
symptoms for pairs of students with similar academic achievements who are given the two
different medications.
C. Neither of these experiments calls for a matched-pairs t-test.

Chapter 10 TPS4e 7
CR. Incorrect. One of these experiments calls for matched pairs, (Hint: pairs are not necessarily
perfect matches!).

Chapter 10 TPS4e 8