20 easy SAT Evaluating statistical claims questions

A school principal randomly selected 75 students from the school's honor roll and asked them about their study habits. Based on the results, which of the following is the largest population to which the results can be generalized?

• AStudents on the school's honor roll
• BAll students at the school
• CAll honor roll students in the district
• DHigh-achieving students nationwide

A medical researcher randomly assigned 400 patients with chronic back pain to one of two groups. One group received physical therapy sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks, while the other group received no physical therapy. At the end of the study, the physical therapy group reported lower average pain levels than the group that received no physical therapy. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• AFor patients with chronic back pain similar to those in the study, physical therapy causes a reduction in pain levels.
• BPhysical therapy is associated with lower pain levels in patients with chronic back pain.
• CPhysical therapy eliminates back pain regardless of the underlying cause.
• DFor all people with any type of back pain, physical therapy causes pain reduction.

If the same survey were conducted with a sample of 900 randomly selected households instead of 3,600, what would happen to the margin of error?

• AIt would increase $to \pm 6$ percentage points.
• BIt would $remain \pm 1.5$ percentage points.
• CIt would increase $to \pm 2.5$ percentage points.
• DIt would increase $to \pm 3$ percentage points.

A sports scientist randomly assigned 80 amateur runners to one of two groups. One group incorporated interval training into their routine for 8 weeks, while the other group continued with steady-pace running only. At the end of the study, the interval training group showed greater average improvement in 5-kilometer race times. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• AInterval training causes improvement in 5-kilometer race times for all runners.
• BFor the 80 runners in the study, interval training is associated with improvement in 5-kilometer race times.
• CRunners who naturally choose interval training have faster 5-kilometer race times than runners who do not.
• DInterval training causes improvement in 5-kilometer race times for the 80 runners in the study.

A restaurant owner surveyed 95 customers who had made reservations on weekend evenings about their menu preferences. Based on the results, which of the following is the largest population to which the results can be generalized?

• AAll restaurant customers in the city
• BAll customers at that restaurant
• CCustomers who make weekend evening reservations at that restaurant
• DAll people who dine out on weekends

A nutritionist randomly assigned 150 adults with high cholesterol to one of two groups. One group followed a diet that included daily servings of walnuts for 8 weeks, while the other group followed the same diet without walnuts. At the end of the study, the group that ate walnuts had lower average cholesterol levels than the group that did not eat walnuts. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• AFor all adults, eating walnuts daily reduces cholesterol levels.
• BFor adults with high cholesterol, eating walnuts daily is associated with lower cholesterol levels.
• CEating walnuts daily reduces cholesterol regardless of other dietary factors.
• DFor adults with high cholesterol similar to those in the study, eating walnuts daily causes a reduction in cholesterol levels.

If the same survey were conducted with a sample of 250 randomly selected adults instead of 1,000, what would happen to the margin of error?

• AIt would increase $to \pm 6$ percentage points.
• BIt would decrease $to \pm 1.5$ percentage points.
• CIt would $remain \pm 3$ percentage points.
• DIt would increase $to \pm 4.5$ percentage points.

A psychologist examined records of 300 college students and found that students who reported sleeping at least 8 hours per night had higher average grade point averages than students who reported sleeping fewer than 8 hours per night. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• ASleeping at least 8 hours per night causes college students to achieve higher grade point averages.
• BStudents who naturally sleep more have higher grade point averages due to better time management skills.
• CFor college students in general, sleeping at least 8 hours per night is associated with higher grade point averages.
• DFor the 300 students whose records were examined, sleeping at least 8 hours per night is associated with higher grade point averages.

A company surveyed 150 employees who volunteered to participate in a study about workplace satisfaction. Based on the results, which of the following is the largest population to which the results can be generalized?

• AAll employees at the company
• BEmployees in similar companies
• CEmployees at the company who volunteered for the study
• DAll workers in the industry

A psychologist compared sleep duration and test performance for 300 college students. Students who reported sleeping at least 7 hours per night had higher average test scores than students who reported sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• ASleeping at least 7 hours per night causes students to perform better on tests.
• BFor college students, sleeping at least 7 hours per night is associated with higher test scores.
• CIncreasing sleep duration to at least 7 hours will improve test scores for all students.
• DSleep duration alone determines test performance in college students.

If the same survey were conducted with a sample of 1,600 randomly selected voters instead of 400, what would happen to the margin of error?

• AIt would decrease $to \pm 2.5$ percentage points.
• BIt would increase $to \pm 10$ percentage points.
• CIt would decrease $to \pm 4$ percentage points.
• DIt would $remain \pm 5$ percentage points.

A researcher surveyed 200 high school students who voluntarily attended a summer coding workshop and found that 85% of them reported improved problem-solving skills in mathematics. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• AAttending a summer coding workshop causes students to improve their problem-solving skills in mathematics.
• BFor the 200 students surveyed, attending the summer coding workshop is associated with reported improvement in problem-solving skills in mathematics.
• CFor all high school students, attending a summer coding workshop is associated with improved problem-solving skills in mathematics.
• DStudents who attend summer coding workshops have better problem-solving skills in mathematics than students who do not attend such workshops.

A researcher surveyed 200 members of a local gym about their exercise habits. Based on the results, which of the following is the largest population to which the results can be generalized?

• AAll adults in the local area
• BMembers of the local gym
• CAll people who exercise regularly
• DAll gym members nationwide

A researcher surveyed 200 high school students who regularly eat breakfast and 200 high school students who do not regularly eat breakfast. The researcher found that students who regularly eat breakfast had higher average grades than students who do not regularly eat breakfast. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• AEating breakfast causes students to earn higher grades.
• BFor the students surveyed, eating breakfast regularly is associated with higher average grades.
• CFor all high school students, eating breakfast regularly is associated with higher average grades.
• DHigher grades cause students to eat breakfast more regularly.

If the same survey were conducted with a sample of 225 randomly selected adults instead of 900, what would happen to the margin of error?

• AIt would $remain \pm 3$ percentage points.
• BIt would increase $to \pm 6$ percentage points.
• CIt would decrease $to \pm 1.5$ percentage points.
• DIt would increase $to \pm 4$ percentage points.

A researcher surveyed 200 high school students who regularly eat breakfast and 200 high school students who regularly skip breakfast. The researcher found that students who eat breakfast had higher average test scores than students who skip breakfast. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• AEating breakfast causes students to achieve higher test scores.
• BFor the students surveyed, eating breakfast is associated with higher test scores.
• CFor all high school students nationwide, eating breakfast is associated with higher test scores.
• DStudents who eat breakfast would have lower test scores if they skipped breakfast.

A researcher stood outside a shopping mall on a weekday afternoon and surveyed 120 people about their shopping preferences. Based on the results, which of the following is the largest population to which the results can be generalized?

• AAll shoppers at that mall
• BPeople who shop at malls on weekday afternoons
• CPeople at that mall on that weekday afternoon
• DAll consumers in the region

A researcher surveyed 200 high school students who play a musical instrument and 200 high school students who do not play a musical instrument. The researcher found that students who play a musical instrument had higher grade point averages on average than students who do not play a musical instrument. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• APlaying a musical instrument causes students to earn higher grades.
• BFor the students surveyed, playing a musical instrument is associated with higher grade point averages.
• CFor all high school students, playing a musical instrument causes higher grade point averages.
• DPlaying a musical instrument improves academic performance regardless of other factors.

If the same survey were conducted with a sample of 400 randomly selected consumers instead of 1,600, what would happen to the margin of error?

• AIt would increase $to \pm 10$ percentage points.
• BIt would increase $to \pm 3.5$ percentage points.
• CIt would $remain \pm 2.5$ percentage points.
• DIt would increase $to \pm 5$ percentage points.

A nutritionist randomly assigned 120 adults with high cholesterol to one of two groups. One group followed a Mediterranean diet for 12 weeks, while the other group followed their usual diet. At the end of the study, the Mediterranean diet group showed a greater average reduction in cholesterol levels. Which conclusion is best supported by the study design?

• AFollowing a Mediterranean diet causes a reduction in cholesterol levels for the 120 adults in the study.
• BFollowing a Mediterranean diet is associated with lower cholesterol levels for all adults.
• CFor the 120 adults in the study, following a Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduction in cholesterol levels.
• DAdults who naturally prefer Mediterranean diets have lower cholesterol levels than adults who do not.