AP Statistics Name: _____________________________________

Midterm Review Sheet

1. A company has recently given some pay raises. The distribution of the amounts by which employees’ salaries have been increased
is illustrated by the boxplot below.

Which of the following best describes the shape of the distribution and the interquartile range (IQR) of the salary increases?

a) symmetric; IQR is approximately $700

b) Skewed right; IQR is approximately $700
c) Skewed left; IQR is approximately $700
d) Skewed right; IQR is approximately $2000
e) Skewed left; IQR is approximately $2000

2. A society has 160 members. A relative cumulative frequency graph of their ages is shown in the figure above. Approximately how
many of the society’s members are over 43 years old?

a) 25 b) 40

c) 56 d) 112

e) 150

3. A student named Russell does a survey concerning the amount of sleep his fellow students are getting. Having taken a sample of
students and asked each student the total amount of sleep he/she has had over the past week, he discovers that one of the responses is
an outlier. Russell strongly suspects that this response was untrue, but he does not feel able to exclude it from his data set. In order to
summarize the center and the spread of the complete set of responses he should quote the

a) mean and the standard deviation b) mean and the interquartile range
c) mean and the range d) median and the interquartile range
e) median and the range

4. The US Post Office uses scanners to read and sort mail according to the bar codes of Zip Codes printed on letters. The mean speed
of a postal scanner is 2000 letters per hour with a standard deviation of 150 letters per hour. If the speed of the scanner falls below the
30th percentile, it is sent out for repairs. What rate will cause a scanner to be sent out, assuming the scanning speeds are normally
distributed?

a) 1400 b) 1718 c) 1922 d) 1943 e) 1955

5. For a group of students, the correlation between their heights (in inches) and the weights (in pounds) is 0.332. You are given that
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters and that 1 pound = 0.454 kilogram. If the heights are expressed in centimeters and the weights are
expressed in kilograms, what will be the value of the correlation?

a) 0.059 b) 0.288 c) 0.332 d) 0.383 e) 1.857

6. A track and field coach has observed two javelin throwers for a long period of time, and now has to select one of them for the team.
Which of the following would NOT be a good reason to choose thrower A in preference to B?

a) The mean for thrower A is greater than the mean for thrower B.
b) The median for thrower A is greater than the median for thrower B.
c) The third quartile for thrower A is greater than the third quartile for thrower B.
d) The maximum for thrower A is greater than the maximum for thrower B.
e) The distribution of A’s throws is positively skewed whereas the distribution of B’s throws is roughly symmetrical.

7. A set of scores has mean 70.3 and a standard deviation 8.8. The scores are now scaled according to the formula y = 0.7x + 30,
where x is the old score and y is the new score. What is the standard deviation of the new scores?

a) 4.31 b) 6.16 c) 7.36 d) 36.16 e) 37.36

8. In a high school, all of the 11th graders take both math and physics. After the students have taken the midyear exam in both
subjects, the physics teachers are considering the results, and have found the value of r2, the square of the correlation coefficient
between the math scores and the physics scores. Which of the following is best answered by consideration of the value of r2?

a) Whether high physics scores are associated with high math scores.
b) Whether the relationship between physics scores and math scores would be better represented by a curve or a straight line.
c) To what extent the variation in physics scores can be explained by a linear relationship between physics scores and math scores.
d) Whether there is an outlier in the scatterplot of physics scores and math scores.
e) Whether the physics scores are on the whole higher than the math scores.

9. A team of psychologists is studying the behavior of the students in a first grade class. There are 16 girls and 16 boys in the class,
and for each student the psychologists record the number of minutes “on task” during a forty minute class. The team wishes to
compare the on-task times of the girls with the on-task times of the boys. Which of the following would NOT be a suitable graph for
displaying the results?

a) Parallel dotplots with equal scales

b) Back-to-back stemplots
c) Histograms with equal scales
d) Side-by-side boxplots
e) Scatterplot with girls’ times plotted ax x-values and boys’ times plotted as y-values

10. A student takes three standardized tests. She scores 600 on each of the tests. The scores of all students who took tests are
summarized in the table below.

Mean Standard Deviation

Test I 500 80
Test II 470 120
Test III 560 30

Using standardized scores (z-scores), which of the following gives the ranking of her performances on the three tests, from best to
worst?

a) I, II, III b) III, II, I c) I, III, II d) III, I, II e) II, I, III

11. The correlation between the variables x and y is 0.3. Which of the following would change the value of the correlation to –0.3?

a) Subtracting a value larger than x from each of the x-values

b) Switching the values of x with the values of y
c) Subtracting x from each of the values of x and subtracting y from each of the values of y
d) Multiplying the x-values by –1 and the y-values by –1
e) Multiplying the x-values by –1
12. What is the effect of multiplying every element in a data set by an integer k?

a) There is no change in the mean and there is no change in the variance.

b) The variance is divided by k and the mean is multiplied by k.
c) The mean is multiplied by k and the variance is multiplied by k2.
d) The mean is multiplied by k and the variance is multiplied by k .
e) One cannot determine the effect on the mean and variance of the data set.

13. A large college statistics class has 400 students. The students’ final exam scores in the class are normally distributed with a mean
of 80 and a standard deviation of 6. What is the highest score that the top 60 students in the class exceeded?

a) 81 b) 83 c) 86 d) 90 e) 95

14. A small school has 40 algebra students. A boxplot shown

to the right was constructed from the final exam scores of all
forty students.

Which of the following statements is/are true about the

distribution of exam grades?

I. The distribution of the 40 grades is skewed to the left.

II. The mean of the distribution is larger than 70.
III. The interquartile range is less than 10.
IV. Fifty percent of students received scores greater than 70 on the final exam.

a) II only b) IV only c) II and IV only d) I, II, and IV e) II, III, and IV

15. A statistics student wishes to compare the strengths of various brands of paper towel. He chooses 5 brands and selects 6 towels
from each brand. He numbers the towels 1 – 30. He then randomly selects a towel and places it in a device to hold the towel taut.
Exactly 10 ml of water and a large weight are placed in the center of the towel and the time it takes for the towel to break is recorded.
In this case the explanatory variable is the

a) amount of time it takes for the towel to break b) 10 ml of water and the large weight
c) brand of paper towels d) large weight
e) number of paper towels used in the experiment

16. For the students in a statistics course, a linear regression equation was computed to predict the final exam score based on the score
of the first test of the term. The equation was y  25  0.7 x where y is the final exam score and x is the score on the first test of the
term. George scored 80 on the first test. On the final exam George scored 85. What is the value of George’s residual?

a) –4 b) 4 c) 5 d) 81 e) None of these

17. A study measured the pulse rates of 92 people after they had run for 1 mile. Here are some descriptive descriptive statistics for the
variable, Pulse.

Which of the following is true about the distribution of the variable, Pulse?

a) It is skewed to the left.

b) It is symmetric
c) 50% of the pulse rates are greater than 50 but less than 68.
d) Approximately 40% of the data fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean.
e) It contains at least one outlier.
18. The accompanying box plots are from a study of the effectiveness of meditation as a method to relieve headaches. The top box
plot is the number of headaches suffered by a group of volunteers using meditation. The bottom box plot is the number of headaches
suffered by a group of volunteers who didn’t use meditation.

Based on the plots, which of the following statements is true?

I. The range of the upper 25% is similar for both groups.

II. The mean number of headaches in the group that didn’t meditate
is higher than the mean from the group that did meditate.
III. A person will have fewer headaches by using meditation.

a) I only b) II only c) I and II only d) I and III only e) I, II, and III

19. For each of the years 1950 – 1980, the number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 people in the United States was recorded. The
regression line below was computed using a statistical software package. Which statement is a correct interpretation of the slope?

The regression equation is: Predicted number of deaths = 7387 – 3.63x

a) The number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 people has been dropping by about 3.63 deaths per year, on average.
b) There is an increase of approximately 7387 deaths per year.
c) Every 3.63 years there is a decrease on average of 1 death due to heart disease per 100,000 people.
d) The regression line estimates that for every 3.63 years there is an average increase of 1death due to heart disease per 100,000
people.
e) Heart disease will be cured by the year 2036.

20. The stem and leaf plot to the right displays the heights of 40 children in an eighth grade class.

Which of the following is closest to the percentile rank of the child who is 67 inches tall?

a) 12
b) 15
c) 75
d) 85
e) 95

21. In an aquarium are 36 guppies of a variety of sizes and ages. The length of each guppy is measured and recorded. A researcher
uses a net to catch half the guppies which are transferred to another aquarium the same size in the same room. Guppies in the first
aquarium get an extra portion of food each day. After two weeks the length of each guppy is again measured and recorded. The
guppies that received an extra portion of food averaged 10% greater length than those in the other group. This is an example of

a) an experiment, since the researcher imposed a treatment.

b) an example of a block design.
c) an observation since the researcher did not randomly assign the guppies to an aquarium.
d) stratified sampling since there are two distinct groups.
e) an explanatory variable.

22. Given the two boxplots below, which of the following statements is true?

I. The boxplot for set B has more terms above its median than the boxplot for set A.
II. The boxplot for set B has a larger IQR than the boxplot for set A.
III. The median for set A is larger than the median for set B.

a) I only b) II only c) III only d) I and II only e) II and III only

23. You are interested in determining which of two brands of tires (call them Brand G and Brand F) last longer under differing
conditions of use. Fifty Toyota Camrys are fitted with Brand G tires and 50 Honda Accords are fitted with Brand F tires. Each tire is
driven 20,000 miles, and tread wear is measured for each tire, and the average tread wear for the two brands is compared. What is
wrong with this experimental design?

a) The type of car is a confounding variable.

b) Average tread wear is not a proper measure for comparison.
c) The experiment should have been conducted on more than two brands of cars.
d) Not enough of each type of tire was used in the study.
e) Nothing is wrong with this design, it will work quite well to compare the two brands of tires.

24. Which of the following graphs could be the graph of a cumulative frequency plot?

a) b) c) d) e)

25. Consider the following set of data: {15, 17, 37, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 56, 57, 60, 63, 65, 67, 89}. Which of the following, using the
1.5(IQR) rule are outliers?

a) 89 only b) 15 and 89 only c) 15 only d) 15, 17, and 89 e) 15 and 17 only

26. Fifty boys and 50 girls with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) were selected for an experiment to test a new drug
for the treatment of ADHD. Half of the boys and half of the girls were selected at random to receive the new drug, and the other half
of each group received a placebo. A reduction in symptoms of ADHD was measured for each subject. The basic design of this
experiment is

a) completely randomized b) completely randomized with one factor, gender

c) randomized block, blocked by drug and gender d) randomized block, blocked by gender
e) randomized block, blocked by drug

27. Which of the following is the best estimate of the standard deviation for the approximately normal distribution pictured?

a) 10
b) 30
c) 5
d) 9
e) 15

28. Which of the following best describes a “double-blind” study?

a) The subjects are placed into treatment and control groups in such a manner that they do not know to which group they are assigned.
b) The subjects are randomly assigned to treatment and control groups that controls for possible unknown biases that might be present
in the study.
c) Neither the subjects in the study nor the administrator of the study are aware of which subjects are in the treatment group and which
are in the control group.
d) A technique for placing subjects in groups so as to protect against the placebo effect.
e) Volunteers are assigned to groups in such a way that they do not know into which groups the other volunteers have been placed.

29. Which of the five histograms pictured below has the smallest standard deviation?

a) b) c) d) e)
30. A psychiatrist is studying the effects of regular exercise on stress reduction. She identifies 40 people who exercise regularly and
40 who do not. Each of the 80 people is given a questionnaire designed to determine stress levels. None of the 80 people who
participated in the study knew that they were part of a study. Which of the following statements is true?

a) This is an observational study

b) This is a randomized comparative experiment
c) This is a double-blind study
d) This is a matched-pairs design
e) This is an experiment in which exercise level is a blocking variable

31. Shanelle got the same score, 51, on two consecutive calculus quizzes. The mean for the class on the first quiz was 43 with
standard deviation of 6. The mean on the second quiz was 38 with standard deviation of 9. Relative to the class, on which quiz did
Shanelle do better?

a) She did better on quiz #1

b) She did better on quiz #2
c) She did equally well on each quiz because she got the same score.
d) She did better on quiz #1 because there is a lower standard deviation.
e) You cannot answer this question without knowing how many students actually took the quiz.

32. The distribution of a set of scores has mean of 35 and standard deviation of 12. Five is subtracted from each term in the
distribution, and the result is multiplied by three. The new mean and standard deviation are

a) μ = 105, σ = 36 b) μ = 90, σ = 12 c) μ = 30, σ = 12 d) μ = 90, σ = 36 e) μ = 90, σ = 21

33. For the graph below, which of the following statements are true?

I. The point marked with the “X” is better described as an outlier than as an influential point.
II. Removing the point “X” would cause the correlation to increase.
III. Removing the point “X” would have a significant effect on the slope of the regression line.

a) I and II only b) I only

c) II only d) II and III only
e) I, II, and III

34. Results of an experiment or survey are said to be biased if

a) Subjects are not assigned randomly to treatment and control groups.

b) Some outcomes are systematically favored over others.
c) There was no control group.
d) A double-blind procedure was not used.
e) The sample size was too small to control for sampling variability.

35. Free response questions on the AP Statistics Exam are graded on 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0 basis. Question #2 on the exam was of moderate
difficulty. The average score on question #2 was 2.05 with a standard deviation of 1. To the nearest tenth, what score was achieved
by a student who was at the 80th percentile of all students on the test? You may assume that the scores on the question were
approximately normally distributed.

a) 3.5 b) 2.5 c) 2.9 d) 2.7 e) 3.2

36. 40% of the staff in a local school district have master’s degrees. One of the schools in the district has only 4 teachers out of 15.
You are asked to design a simulation to determine the probability of getting this few teachers with master’s degrees in a group this
size. Which of the following assignments of the digits 0 through 9 would be appropriate for modeling this situation?

a) Assign “0, 1, 2” as having a master’s degree and “4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9” as not having a degree.
b) Assign “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” as having a master’s degree and “0, 6, 7, 8, 9” as not having a degree.
c) Assign “0, 1” as having a master’s degree and “2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9” as not having a degree.
d) Assign “0, 1, 2, 3” as having a master’s degree and “4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9” as not having a degree.
e) Assign “7, 8, 9” as having a master’s degree and “0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,” as not having a degree.
37. A study showed that persons who ate two carrots a day have significantly better eyesight than those who eat less than one carrot a
week. Which of the following statements are correct?

I. This study provides evidence that eating carrots contributes to better eyesight.
II. The general health consciousness of people who eat carrots could be a confounding variable.
III. This is an observational study and not an experiment.

a) I only b) III only c) I and II only d) II and III only e) I, II, and III

38. Given the cumulative frequency table shown below, what is the median of the
distribution? Value Cumulative Frequency
2 .15
3 .25
a) 2 b) 3 c) 5 d) 7 e) 10 5 .45
7 .95
10 1

39. In a large city, there are three newspapers published, The Post, The Gazette, and The Tribune. 45% of the homes subscribe to The
Post, 40% subscribe to The Gazette, and 25% subscribe to both The Post and The Gazette. If a home is randomly selected, what is the
probability that it subscribes to either The Post or The Gazette, but not both?

a) 15% b) 20% c) 35% d) 40% e) 75%

40. A researcher wants to determine the mean income of adults in a particular state. She decides to take a random sample of 1,525
citizens with a driver’s license. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

a) People without a license will be missed in the sample.

b) People from another state will not be included.
c) The mean income of the sample will be reasonably close to the mean of the population.
d) It is likely that most people of driving age will be included.
e) The sample will likely be skewed to the right.

41. In a recent study, a random sample of 250 newly-planted trees along the Oregon coast showed a significant positive relationship
between the distance from the shoreline and the height of the tree. The distance from the shoreline is

a) a block design with the distance from the shoreline as the block.
b) a response variable.
c) a confounding variable.
d) an explanatory variable.
e) a random variation.

42. A company is looking for golfer who can hit the ball at least 300 yards. Suppose the probability at a certain golf course that a
randomly selected player can hit a golf ball 300 yards is 0.35. If six people are selected at random, what is the probability that at least
four of them can hit a golf ball at least 300 yards?

a) 0.012 b) 0.022 c) 0.095 d) 0.117 e) 0.883

43. A researcher wants to draw a sample of 5 from a population of 261 business days from the New York Stock Exchange. If the days
are labeled 001, 002, 003, … , 261 and the following line is taken from a random number table.

28918 69578 88231 33276 70997 79936 56865 05859 90106 31595 01547 85590

Starting at the left, what is the sample of 5?

a) 186, 231, 132, 10, 159 b) 28, 91, 86, 95, 78

c) 28, 169, 88, 133, 70 d) 186, 231, 99, 106, 154
e) 28, 69, 88, 33, 70
44. In a recent study, a random sample of tomato plants showed a significant negative relationship between the acidic content of the
soil and the number of tomatoes produced. The number of tomatoes produced is

a) a controlled factor b) an explanatory variable

c) the statistical result of a high correlation coefficient d) a response variable
e) a confounding variable.

45. Golf courses have a wide range of difficulty. Similarly, players differ in ability. In order to adjust for variations between players,
they are often assigned a handicap score. To adjust for variations between courses, a handicapper decides to compare the golfer’s
score against the data from the course. Suppose course A plays at a mean score of 76 with a standard deviation of 8 strokes with a
normal distribution of scores. The mean for course B is 80 with a standard deviation of 6 strokes and the scores are normally
distributed. If a golfer regularly shoots an 80 on course A, what should be the comparable score on course B?

a) 80 b) 83 c) 84 d) 86 e) 88

46. The results of a least squares linear regression are shown in the output below.

yˆ  7.2  3.6 x
x  1.2, s x  2
y  12 .6, s y  8
What is the value of r2?

a) 0.12 b) 0.25 c) 0.81 d) 0.90 e) 1.23

47. A car rental agency has two locations, one by the airport and the other downtown. The agency rents 70% of its cars at the airport
and the rest downtown. At the airport 20% of the rentals are Sport Utility Vehicles. At the downtown location, 40% are SUV’s. If a
customer is selected at random, what is the probability that she did NOT rent an SUV?

a) 26% b) 40% c) 66% d) 70% e) 74%

48. Three red balls, 4 white balls, and 1 green ball are in a bag. A ball is drawn without replacement. What is the probability that 3
balls can be drawn without drawing the green ball?

a) 0.179 b) 0.625 c) 0.643 d) 0.670 e) 0.998

49. Runners competed in a local road race. The mean finishing time for the race was 43.5 minutes with a standard deviation of 16.2
minutes. The sponsors wanted to have a special race for those who were in the fastest 10%. Assuming the times were normally
distributed, which of the following is the cutoff time?

a) 22.8 minutes b) 25.7 minutes c) 39.2 minutes d) 42.2 minutes e) 64.3 minutes

50. Students in an AP Statistics class wanted to determine the percentage of students in their school who walked to school each day.
There are 2,230 students in the school. The student directory is separated by grade level. The class decides to randomly select 25
students from each class. This type of sampling is called

a) Multi-stage sample b) Simple random sample

c) Survey sample d) Systematic sample
e) Stratified sample

51. The five-number summary for a data set is given by min = 10, Q1 = 15, M = 25, Q3 = 40, max = 100. If you wanted to construct
a modified boxplot for the data set (that is, one that would show outliers, if any existed), what would be the maximum possible length
of the right-side “whisker”?

a) 25 b) 37.5 c) 62.5 d) 100 e) cannot be determined