POLS 207 REALITY CHECK EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Of the 5 different possibilities when a and b are correlated, which ones are spurious? -
Answer-a and b caused by a third factor or coincidental.
Ice cream sales and drowning are correlated. Which one of the five possibilities is most
likely? - Answer-a and b caused by third factor. In this case it's heat/summertime
increasing ice cream consumption (and therefore sales) and swimming (and therefore
drowning)
What does the phrase "cum hoc ergo propter hoc" translate to? - Answer-"with this,
therefore because of this" (essentially, correlation = causation)
Temperature and ice cream sales have a positive correlation. Which of the 5 scenarios
is most likely? - Answer-a causes b (people want to eat more ice cream to cool down)
college graduation rates and salary are correlated. Which of the 5 scenarios is most
likely? - Answer-a and b both cause each other (more education means access to a
higher paying job, more money means greater access to education)
per capita consumption of cheese and number of people who died by becoming tangled
in their bedsheets are closely correlated. Which of the 5 scenarios is most likely? -
Answer-random correlation (doesn't seem to be any sort of mechanism to explain this)
What is the primary problem with comparing prices over time? - Answer-Inflation
How is inflation calculated? - Answer-Using consumer price index
Who documents the consumer price index? - Answer-Bureau of Labor Statistics
If you see an old movie where an ice cream vendor is selling cones for 5 cents a piece,
is the price measured in current dollars or real dollars? - Answer-Current dollars. Any
price taken in the year its in and unadjusted will be current dollars
If your salary increases by 2% in a year but inflation also increases by 2%, are you
actually gaining more wealth? - Answer-No, you won't have any more buying power
because inflation, so you're not really making any more money than you were before
From 2004 to 2013, PR specialist salaries increased by 25% on average and reporters
salaries increased by 14% on average. Inflation over that time period was 22-23%. Did
either actually earn more real money? - Answer-PR Specialist's income slightly rose by
about 2%. Reporter salary decreased by 8%
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Of the 5 different possibilities when a and b are correlated, which ones are spurious? -
Answer-a and b caused by a third factor or coincidental.
Ice cream sales and drowning are correlated. Which one of the five possibilities is most
likely? - Answer-a and b caused by third factor. In this case it's heat/summertime
increasing ice cream consumption (and therefore sales) and swimming (and therefore
drowning)
What does the phrase "cum hoc ergo propter hoc" translate to? - Answer-"with this,
therefore because of this" (essentially, correlation = causation)
Temperature and ice cream sales have a positive correlation. Which of the 5 scenarios
is most likely? - Answer-a causes b (people want to eat more ice cream to cool down)
college graduation rates and salary are correlated. Which of the 5 scenarios is most
likely? - Answer-a and b both cause each other (more education means access to a
higher paying job, more money means greater access to education)
per capita consumption of cheese and number of people who died by becoming tangled
in their bedsheets are closely correlated. Which of the 5 scenarios is most likely? -
Answer-random correlation (doesn't seem to be any sort of mechanism to explain this)
What is the primary problem with comparing prices over time? - Answer-Inflation
How is inflation calculated? - Answer-Using consumer price index
Who documents the consumer price index? - Answer-Bureau of Labor Statistics
If you see an old movie where an ice cream vendor is selling cones for 5 cents a piece,
is the price measured in current dollars or real dollars? - Answer-Current dollars. Any
price taken in the year its in and unadjusted will be current dollars
If your salary increases by 2% in a year but inflation also increases by 2%, are you
actually gaining more wealth? - Answer-No, you won't have any more buying power
because inflation, so you're not really making any more money than you were before
From 2004 to 2013, PR specialist salaries increased by 25% on average and reporters
salaries increased by 14% on average. Inflation over that time period was 22-23%. Did
either actually earn more real money? - Answer-PR Specialist's income slightly rose by
about 2%. Reporter salary decreased by 8%
