PubH 6002
Final Exam Answer Key
Biostatistical Applications for Public Health
George Washington University
This Document Description:
Complete PubH 6002: Biostatistical
Applications for Public Health Final Exam
Answer Key (MCQs with fully worked
solutions)
, Final Exam - Key
Student Name: _________________________
Instructions: This final exam consists of 60 multiple-choice questions based on the lecture
material from the entire semester. While the exam is designed to take 2 hours, you will have 4
hours to complete it. Work individually! You may use your own formula sheets containing
relevant hand-written notes, your own bonus table of statistical tests, any distribution tables (z-
table, t-table, etc) handed out during the semester, and a standard or scientific calculator. If you
choose to take this exam “closed-notes”, then 10 bonus percentage points will be added to your
final exam score. Good luck!
1. We use a ___ to estimate a ___.
a. Population parameter, sample statistic
b. Population statistic, sample parameter
c. Sample parameter, population statistic
d. Sample statistic, population parameter
e. None of the above
2. Some of you may wonder how data are collected about something that does not seem to be
measurable, such as people’s level of disobedience. Psychologist Stanley Milgram devised
the following experiment: A researcher instructed a volunteer subject to operate a control
board that gave increasingly painful “electrical shocks” to a third person. Actually no real
shocks were given, and the third person was an actor. The volunteer began with 15 volts and
was instructed to increase the shocks by increments of 15 volts. The disobedience level was
the point at which the subject refused to increase the voltage. Surprisingly, two-thirds of the
subjects obeyed orders even though the actor screamed and faked a heart attack. The number
2/3 represents this.
a. Parameter
b. Population size
c. Sample size
d. Statistic
e. None of the above
3. The probability that a visit to a primary care physician’s (PCP) office results in both lab work
and referral to a specialist is 5%. Of those coming to a PCP’s office, 30% are referred to
specialists and 40% require lab work. What is the probability that a visit to a PCP’s office
results in lab work or referral to a specialist? Drawing a Venn diagram will help!
a. 0.12
b. 0.35
c. 0.65
d. 0.70
e. 0.75
1
, 4. A public health researcher examines the medical records of a group of 937 men who died in
1999 and discovers that 210 of the men died from causes related to heart disease. Moreover,
312 of the 937 men had at least one parent who suffered from heart disease, and, of these 312
men, 102 died from causes related to heart disease. What is the probability that a man
randomly selected from this group died of causes related to heart disease, given that neither
of his parents suffered from heart disease? Filling in the following table will help.
At least one Neither parent Row Totals
parent suffered suffered from
from heart disease heart disease
Died
Did Not Die
Column Totals 937
a. 0.115
b. 0.173
c. 0.224
d. 0.327
e. 0.514
5. Suppose there are 100 students in the class, and 15 of the students currently have the flu.
Over the next week, 10 new students develop the flu. What is the prevalence of flu at the end
of the week?
a. 15/100
b. 25/100
c. 10/85
d. 25/85
e. Cannot be determined
For questions 6-9, identify types of variables by selecting one and only one of the following:
a. Continuous
b. Dichotomous
c. Discrete
d. Nominal
e. Ordinal
6. Blood type (A, B, AB, O) d
7. Education level (some school, high school graduate, some college, bachelor’s degree,
master’s degree, professional degree or doctorate) e
8. Number of children in a family household c
9. Weight (as measured in lbs) a
2
Final Exam Answer Key
Biostatistical Applications for Public Health
George Washington University
This Document Description:
Complete PubH 6002: Biostatistical
Applications for Public Health Final Exam
Answer Key (MCQs with fully worked
solutions)
, Final Exam - Key
Student Name: _________________________
Instructions: This final exam consists of 60 multiple-choice questions based on the lecture
material from the entire semester. While the exam is designed to take 2 hours, you will have 4
hours to complete it. Work individually! You may use your own formula sheets containing
relevant hand-written notes, your own bonus table of statistical tests, any distribution tables (z-
table, t-table, etc) handed out during the semester, and a standard or scientific calculator. If you
choose to take this exam “closed-notes”, then 10 bonus percentage points will be added to your
final exam score. Good luck!
1. We use a ___ to estimate a ___.
a. Population parameter, sample statistic
b. Population statistic, sample parameter
c. Sample parameter, population statistic
d. Sample statistic, population parameter
e. None of the above
2. Some of you may wonder how data are collected about something that does not seem to be
measurable, such as people’s level of disobedience. Psychologist Stanley Milgram devised
the following experiment: A researcher instructed a volunteer subject to operate a control
board that gave increasingly painful “electrical shocks” to a third person. Actually no real
shocks were given, and the third person was an actor. The volunteer began with 15 volts and
was instructed to increase the shocks by increments of 15 volts. The disobedience level was
the point at which the subject refused to increase the voltage. Surprisingly, two-thirds of the
subjects obeyed orders even though the actor screamed and faked a heart attack. The number
2/3 represents this.
a. Parameter
b. Population size
c. Sample size
d. Statistic
e. None of the above
3. The probability that a visit to a primary care physician’s (PCP) office results in both lab work
and referral to a specialist is 5%. Of those coming to a PCP’s office, 30% are referred to
specialists and 40% require lab work. What is the probability that a visit to a PCP’s office
results in lab work or referral to a specialist? Drawing a Venn diagram will help!
a. 0.12
b. 0.35
c. 0.65
d. 0.70
e. 0.75
1
, 4. A public health researcher examines the medical records of a group of 937 men who died in
1999 and discovers that 210 of the men died from causes related to heart disease. Moreover,
312 of the 937 men had at least one parent who suffered from heart disease, and, of these 312
men, 102 died from causes related to heart disease. What is the probability that a man
randomly selected from this group died of causes related to heart disease, given that neither
of his parents suffered from heart disease? Filling in the following table will help.
At least one Neither parent Row Totals
parent suffered suffered from
from heart disease heart disease
Died
Did Not Die
Column Totals 937
a. 0.115
b. 0.173
c. 0.224
d. 0.327
e. 0.514
5. Suppose there are 100 students in the class, and 15 of the students currently have the flu.
Over the next week, 10 new students develop the flu. What is the prevalence of flu at the end
of the week?
a. 15/100
b. 25/100
c. 10/85
d. 25/85
e. Cannot be determined
For questions 6-9, identify types of variables by selecting one and only one of the following:
a. Continuous
b. Dichotomous
c. Discrete
d. Nominal
e. Ordinal
6. Blood type (A, B, AB, O) d
7. Education level (some school, high school graduate, some college, bachelor’s degree,
master’s degree, professional degree or doctorate) e
8. Number of children in a family household c
9. Weight (as measured in lbs) a
2
