Statistical Question Statistics Example 3
Follow the full solution, then compare it with the other examples linked below.
Example 3
mediumClassify each question as statistical or non-statistical and justify: (a) 'How many goals did our team score last match?' (b) 'How many goals do professional teams score per match on average?' (c) 'What is the most popular pet among students in our school?'
Solution
- 1 Step 1: (a) One specific match → one answer → non-statistical. (b) Many teams and matches → variable answers → statistical. (c) Many students with different preferences → variable answers → statistical.
- 2 Step 2: The key test is whether collecting data would produce variability. Questions (b) and (c) do; question (a) does not.
Answer
(a) Non-statistical — single fixed answer. (b) Statistical — varies across teams and matches. (c) Statistical — varies across students.
The defining characteristic of a statistical question is that it anticipates variability in the data. Asking about a single specific event gives one answer, while asking about a group or pattern requires data collection and analysis.
About Statistical Question
A statistical question is a question that anticipates variability in answers — it cannot be answered with a single fixed number because different data points will give different responses. It requires collecting data from multiple sources to answer.
Learn more about Statistical Question →More Statistical Question Examples
Example 1 easy
Which of the following is a statistical question? (a) How old is the headteacher? (b) How old are th
Example 2 mediumRewrite each non-statistical question to make it statistical: (a) 'How many pages does this book hav
Example 4 hardA student asks: 'Do students who eat breakfast perform better on tests?' (a) Is this a statistical q