Testinar Grade 6 math

Statistical Questions

Students will build Grade 6 mastery of statistical questions using models, equations, and test-style reasoning.

CH05-01 Statistics and Probability
Name
Date
Score
____ / 8
Directions Solve each problem. Show your reasoning on the page or on separate paper. Check the answer key only after finishing.

  1. Which of these is a statistical question?

    1. How tall am I?
    2. What is the capital of Texas?
    3. How many minutes do students in my class spend on homework each night?
    4. How many days are in a year?

  2. Which question is NOT statistical?

    1. What was the temperature each day last week?
    2. How many hours do sixth graders sleep each night?
    3. What is the favorite sport of students in this school?
    4. What is the boiling point of water?

  3. A student rewrites a non-statistical question to make it statistical. Which is the BEST rewrite? Original: "How old is my teacher?"

    1. How old are the teachers at our school?
    2. In what year was my teacher born?
    3. How many teachers are there?
    4. What is the average age of all teachers in the United States?

  4. Which statement BEST describes a statistical question?

    1. It has a single, definite answer.
    2. It involves a very large number of people.
    3. It is asked only once per year.
    4. It anticipates variability and is answered by collecting data.

  5. A survey asks: "How many hours did you spend reading last week?" What is the population for this question?

    1. All the people whose reading time is being studied
    2. Hours of the day
    3. Books in the library
    4. The number 7

  6. A student asks: "How many hours per week do students in my grade spend exercising?" Why is this a statistical question?

    1. Because exercise is healthy.
    2. Because it involves numbers and hours.
    3. Because different students exercise different amounts, requiring data from many people.
    4. Because the question is asked in science class.

  7. A researcher asks students: "How many minutes did you exercise yesterday?" Which describes the population being sampled?

    1. All students in the school
    2. The number of minutes in a day
    3. The students who answered the survey
    4. All sixth graders in the state

  8. Consider: "What is the average age of people in my city?" Why is this a statistical question?

    1. Because it asks about a large group of people.
    2. Because people have different ages and data must be collected.
    3. Because it uses the word "average."
    4. Because age is a number.
Teacher and parent reference

Answer key and explanations

  1. C. How many minutes do students in my class spend on homework each night?

    A statistical question anticipates variability and is answered by collecting data. Homework time varies across students, so that question is statistical; the others have a single fixed answer.

  2. D. What is the boiling point of water?

    The boiling point of water has one fixed answer (100°C at sea level). The other questions all involve variability and require collecting data from multiple sources, making them statistical.

  3. A. How old are the teachers at our school?

    Rewriting "How old is my teacher?" to "How old are the teachers at our school?" introduces variability (different teachers have different ages) and requires collecting multiple data points. Options B, C, and D don't improve the statistical nature of the original question.

  4. D. It anticipates variability and is answered by collecting data.

    By definition, a statistical question expects different answers from different sources and requires collecting and analyzing data. The size of the number or frequency of asking does not define a statistical question.

  5. A. All the people whose reading time is being studied

    The population is the entire group of people you want to learn about. In this survey, that group consists of all people whose reading hours the question targets (which could be all students in a class, all sixth graders, etc.).

  6. C. Because different students exercise different amounts, requiring data from many people.

    Variability (different exercise times) and multiple data sources (many students) are what make it statistical. Context (class, subject) and topic alone do not define a statistical question.

  7. A. All students in the school

    If this survey asks all students in the school, that is the population. The sample would be the subset of students who actually answered the survey. Option C describes the sample, not the population.

  8. B. Because people have different ages and data must be collected.

    The key feature of a statistical question is that it expects variability in the data. Since people in a city have different ages, you must collect data from many people and calculate. Using "average" or "large group" alone does not make it statistical.

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