C785 Applied Healthcare Statistics - Exam 1 Study Guide 2026 |WGU
1. Which level of measurement categorizes data into mutually exclusive groups
with no inherent order?
A. Ratio
B. Ordinal
C. Interval
D. Nominal
Answer: D
Rationale: Nominal data represents categories without a natural rank or order, such as eye
color or gender.
2. Which type of variable has an absolute zero point, where zero means the
absence of the characteristic?
A. Ordinal
B. Nominal
C. Interval
D. Ratio
Answer: D
Rationale: Ratio data has a true zero point, meaning zero indicates none of the variable
exists (e.g., weight, height).
,3. A researcher classifies patients’ pain levels as ‘Low’, ‘Medium’, or ‘High’.
What level of measurement is this?
A. Ratio
B. Nominal
C. Interval
D. Ordinal
Answer: D
Rationale: Ordinal data involves categories that have a specific order or ranking, but the
distance between them is not equal or measurable.
4. Temperature measured in Fahrenheit is an example of which level of
measurement?
A. Nominal
B. Ratio
C. Interval
D. Ordinal
Answer: C
Rationale: Interval data has a meaningful order and equal intervals, but it lacks a true zero
point (0 degrees does not mean ‘no temperature’).
5. Which of the following is considered quantitative discrete data?
A. The number of children in a household
B. The blood pressure of a patient
C. The weight of a patient
D. The height of a nurse
Answer: A
Rationale: Discrete data consists of whole numbers that are counted, not measured.
, 6. In a study testing the effect of a new drug on blood pressure, the drug dosage
is the:
A. Dependent variable
B. Confounding variable
C. Control variable
D. Independent variable
Answer: D
Rationale: The independent variable is the one manipulated or changed by the researcher.
7. The variable being measured or tested in an experiment is called the:
A. Independent variable
B. Categorical variable
C. Dependent variable
D. Predictor variable
Answer: C
Rationale: The dependent variable is the outcome being measured; it depends on the
independent variable.
8. An extraneous factor that correlates with both the independent and
dependent variables is known as a:
A. Confounding variable
B. Binary variable
C. Discrete variable
D. Nominal variable
Answer: A
Rationale: A confounding variable can hide or distort the true relationship between the
primary variables being studied.
1. Which level of measurement categorizes data into mutually exclusive groups
with no inherent order?
A. Ratio
B. Ordinal
C. Interval
D. Nominal
Answer: D
Rationale: Nominal data represents categories without a natural rank or order, such as eye
color or gender.
2. Which type of variable has an absolute zero point, where zero means the
absence of the characteristic?
A. Ordinal
B. Nominal
C. Interval
D. Ratio
Answer: D
Rationale: Ratio data has a true zero point, meaning zero indicates none of the variable
exists (e.g., weight, height).
,3. A researcher classifies patients’ pain levels as ‘Low’, ‘Medium’, or ‘High’.
What level of measurement is this?
A. Ratio
B. Nominal
C. Interval
D. Ordinal
Answer: D
Rationale: Ordinal data involves categories that have a specific order or ranking, but the
distance between them is not equal or measurable.
4. Temperature measured in Fahrenheit is an example of which level of
measurement?
A. Nominal
B. Ratio
C. Interval
D. Ordinal
Answer: C
Rationale: Interval data has a meaningful order and equal intervals, but it lacks a true zero
point (0 degrees does not mean ‘no temperature’).
5. Which of the following is considered quantitative discrete data?
A. The number of children in a household
B. The blood pressure of a patient
C. The weight of a patient
D. The height of a nurse
Answer: A
Rationale: Discrete data consists of whole numbers that are counted, not measured.
, 6. In a study testing the effect of a new drug on blood pressure, the drug dosage
is the:
A. Dependent variable
B. Confounding variable
C. Control variable
D. Independent variable
Answer: D
Rationale: The independent variable is the one manipulated or changed by the researcher.
7. The variable being measured or tested in an experiment is called the:
A. Independent variable
B. Categorical variable
C. Dependent variable
D. Predictor variable
Answer: C
Rationale: The dependent variable is the outcome being measured; it depends on the
independent variable.
8. An extraneous factor that correlates with both the independent and
dependent variables is known as a:
A. Confounding variable
B. Binary variable
C. Discrete variable
D. Nominal variable
Answer: A
Rationale: A confounding variable can hide or distort the true relationship between the
primary variables being studied.
