RICAS Data Interpretation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A stem-and-leaf plot shows these values — Stem 4: leaves 2, 5, 8; Stem 5: leaves 0, 3, 3, 7. What is the median of this data set?
- 50 (Correct answer)
- 53
- 48
- 55
Correct answer: 50
The 7 values in order are 42, 45, 48, 50, 53, 53, 57; the middle (4th) value is 50.
Question 2: A circle graph shows that 35% of students prefer soccer, 25% prefer basketball, 25% prefer swimming, and 15% prefer tennis. Which two sports together account for exactly half of all preferences?
- Soccer and tennis
- Basketball and swimming (Correct answer)
- Swimming and tennis
- Soccer and swimming
Correct answer: Basketball and swimming
Basketball (25%) + Swimming (25%) = 50%, which is exactly half of all preferences.
Question 3: A table shows rainfall in inches: Jan=2, Feb=3, Mar=5, Apr=4, May=6. What is the mean monthly rainfall for these 5 months?
- 3 inches
- 4 inches (Correct answer)
- 5 inches
- 6 inches
Correct answer: 4 inches
Mean = (2+3+5+4+6) ÷ 5 = 20 ÷ 5 = 4 inches.
Question 4: A bar graph shows sales of 4 products. Product A sold 150, B sold 90, C sold 120, and D sold 60. What is the ratio of Product D sales to Product A sales?
- 2:5 (Correct answer)
- 3:5
- 1:2
- 2:3
Correct answer: 2:5
60:150 simplifies to 2:5 by dividing both values by 30.
Question 5: In a line plot, an X is placed above a number for each data value. If the number line goes from 1 to 10 and there are 5 X's above the number 7, what does this mean?
- 7 students answered 5 questions
- The value 7 appears 5 times in the data (Correct answer)
- The average is 7 out of 5
- 5 is the median and 7 is the mean
Correct answer: The value 7 appears 5 times in the data
Each X in a line plot represents one data value, so 5 X's above 7 means the value 7 occurs 5 times.
Question 6: A two-way table shows that 15 boys and 10 girls prefer science, while 5 boys and 20 girls prefer art. What percentage of all students prefer science?
- 25%
- 40%
- 50% (Correct answer)
- 60%
Correct answer: 50%
Total students = 15+10+5+20 = 50; students who prefer science = 15+10 = 25; 25/50 = 50%.
Question 7: A graph shows temperatures at 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM over three days. On Day 2, the noon temperature was 85°F and the 6 AM temperature was 65°F. By how many degrees did the temperature rise from 6 AM to noon on Day 2?
- 10°F
- 15°F
- 20°F (Correct answer)
- 25°F
Correct answer: 20°F
85°F − 65°F = 20°F rise from 6 AM to noon on Day 2.
RICAS Data Interpretation 3
A stem-and-leaf plot shows these values — Stem 4: leaves 2, 5, 8; Stem 5: leaves 0, 3, 3, 7.
What is the median of this data set?