ACTUAL EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED RATIONALES
(PORTAGE LEARNING GRADUATE
BEHAVIORAL STATISTICS)
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multiple-choice questions with comprehensive, bold-
italicized rationales tailored specifically for the CNSL 503
Advanced Statistics Module 4 curriculum. It provides
complete mastery over core graduate-level topics including
z-scores, parametric assumptions, t-tests, factorial ANOVA
variance partitioning, regression diagnostics, and non-
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Q1. Which of the following terms refers to a frequency
distribution that follows a bell-shaped, completely
symmetrical, and unimodal curve?
A. Skewed distribution
B. Normal distribution
,C. Bimodal distribution
D. Binomial distribution
Answer: B. Normal distribution
Rationale: A normal distribution is explicitly defined as a
frequency distribution that takes the shape of a symmetrical,
bell-shaped, unimodal curve where the mean, median, and
mode are all equal and located at the center.
Q2. What is the total relative frequency or the complete area
under a standard normal distribution curve equal to?
A. 0.50 or 50%
B. 1.00 or 100%
C. 1.96 or 95%
D. 3.00 or 99.7%
Answer: B. 1.00 or 100%
Rationale: The total relative frequency of a normal distribution
is always equal to 1.00 (in decimal format) or 100% (in
percentage format), meaning it encompasses all possible
observed data points under the curve.
Q3. According to the empirical rule (68-95-99.7 rule) for a
normal curve, approximately what percentage of values fall
within exactly 1 standard deviation of the mean?
A. 50%
B. 68%
C. 95%
D. 99.7%
,Answer: B. 68%
Rationale: The empirical rule dictates that approximately 68%
of all data values within a perfectly normal distribution fall
within plus or minus 1 standard deviation (
±𝟏
𝝈
) from the population mean.
Q4. Within how many standard deviations from the mean do
approximately 95% of all values fall in a normal distribution?
A. Within 1 standard deviation
B. Within 2 standard deviations
C. Within 3 standard deviations
D. Within 4 standard deviations
Answer: B. Within 2 standard deviations
Rationale: The empirical rule establishes that roughly 95%
(more precisely, 95.4%, or 1.96 for exact significance) of all
values lie within 2 standard deviations (
±𝟐
𝝈
) of the distribution's mean.
Q5. A researcher calculates that an observed value is exactly
3 standard deviations away from the mean. According to the
, empirical rule, what percentage of the data falls within this
boundary (
±𝟑
𝝈
)?
A. 68%
B. 95%
C. 98%
D. 99.7%
Answer: D. 99.7%
Rationale: Virtually all data points in a normal distribution are
captured within 3 standard deviations of the mean, with the
empirical rule designating exactly 99.7% of values falling
inside this range.
Q6. Which two mathematical parameters completely define
the shape and location of any specific normal curve?
A. The median and the range
B. The mode and the variance
C. The mean and the standard deviation
D. The sample size and the standard error
Answer: C. The mean and the standard deviation
*Rationale: A normal distribution curve is determined by its
mean and standard deviation.