Random Variables Assessment: Discrete and Continuous Distributions
1. What is a random variable?
a. A variable that changes randomly without any pattern
b. A function that assigns numerical values to outcomes of a random experiment
c. A mathematical equation with unknown variables
d. A constant value that never changes
2. A discrete random variable:
a. Can take any value within a given interval
b. Must be counted in whole numbers
c. Is always negative
d. Has infinitely many possible values between any two points
3. Which of the following is an example of a continuous random variable?
a. Number of students in a classroom
b. Temperature in degrees Celsius
c. Number of cars in a parking lot
d. Number of books on a shelf
4. The probability distribution of a discrete random variable must satisfy which condition?
a. All probabilities must be negative
b. The sum of all probabilities must equal infinity
c. The sum of all probabilities must equal 1
d. The probabilities must be greater than 1
5. In a probability density function (PDF) for a continuous random variable, what does the area under
the curve represent?
a. The mean value
b. The standard deviation
c. The probability of an outcome
d. The median value
6. Which of the following is NOT a property of a continuous random variable?
a. Values can be measured to any desired precision
b. The probability of any exact value is zero
c. Values must be countable and finite
d. Values form an unbroken line within an interval
7. The expected value of a discrete random variable X is calculated using:
a. \sum_{x} x \cdot P(X=x)
b. The median of all possible values
c. The mode of all possible values
d. The range of all possible values
8. A probability mass function (PMF) is used for:
a. Continuous random variables only
b. Neither discrete nor continuous variables
c. Both discrete and continuous variables
d. Discrete random variables only
9. Which statement about cumulative distribution functions (CDF) is true?
a. They only apply to discrete random variables
b. They are always decreasing functions
c. They range from 0 to 1
d. They can be negative
10. The variance of a random variable measures:
a. The average value
b. The spread of values around the mean
c. The maximum possible value
d. The minimum possible value
11. In a normal distribution, which is a continuous probability distribution:
a. The mode equals the range
b. The mean equals the variance
c. The mean, median, and mode are equal
d. The mean is always greater than the median
12. What characterizes a uniform discrete random variable?
a. All outcomes have equal probabilities
b. Outcomes follow a bell curve
c. Probabilities increase linearly
d. Probabilities decrease exponentially
13. The probability density function (PDF) of a continuous random variable must:
a. Be greater than 1
b. Be negative for some values
c. Integrate to 1 over its domain
d. Have discrete jumps
14. Which type of random variable would best model the number of heads in 10 coin flips?
a. Continuous uniform
b. Discrete binomial
c. Continuous normal
d. Discrete Poisson
15. For a continuous random variable, the probability that X equals exactly any value is:
a. Always positive
b. Equal to 1
c. Equal to 0
d. Equal to 0.5
16. Which of these is an example of a discrete random variable?
a. Time spent waiting in line
b. Distance traveled by a car
c. Number of emails received per day
d. Weight of a person
17. The support of a random variable is:
a. The set of all possible values it can take
b. The average of all values
c. The difference between maximum and minimum values
d. The most frequent value
18. A continuous random variable can be described by:
a. A probability mass function only
b. A probability density function
c. A frequency table only
d. A bar graph only
19. What is true about the median of a continuous probability distribution?
a. It's always equal to the mode
b. It divides the distribution into two equal areas
c. It's always zero
d. It's always greater than the mean
20. The exponential distribution is an example of:
a. A discrete probability distribution
b. Both discrete and continuous distribution
c. Neither discrete nor continuous distribution
d. A continuous probability distribution
Answer Key (Always review AI generated answers for accuracy)
1. b
2. b
3. b
4. c
5. c
6. c
7. a
8. d
9. c
10. b
11. c
12. a
13. c
14. b
15. c
16. c
17. a
18. b
19. b
20. d
Random Variables and Probability Assessment
1. What is a random variable?
a. A constant number that never changes
b. A variable that takes on numerical values determined by random experiment outcomes
c. A mathematical equation with no solution
d. A fixed value in statistics
2. In the equation P(X = x), what does X represent?
a. The probability function
b. The outcome of an experiment
c. A discrete random variable
d. The sample space
3. A continuous random variable is best described as:
a. Having countable possible values
b. Always being positive
c. Having decimal values between whole numbers
d. Taking any value within an interval
4. The probability of all possible outcomes in a random variable must sum to:
a. Zero
b. Infinity
c. One
d. Any positive number
5. Which of these is an example of a discrete random variable?
a. Time taken to complete a test
b. The number of students in a classroom
c. Height of a person
d. Temperature in degrees
6. The probability density function (PDF) of a continuous random variable must be:
a. Greater than one
b. Equal to zero
c. Less than or equal to one
d. Non-negative
7. What characterizes a discrete probability distribution?
a. It has infinite possible outcomes
b. The probabilities must be continuous
c. Each outcome has a specific probability
d. It must be normally distributed
8. If X is a discrete random variable, which statement is true?
a. P(X = x) must be negative
b. P(X = x) can be any real number
c. \sum P(X = x) = 1
d. P(X = x) must be greater than 1
9. A continuous random variable differs from a discrete random variable because:
a. It has exactly one possible value
b. It can take any value within a range
c. It must be positive
d. It can only be whole numbers
10. The probability of a specific point in a continuous random variable is:
a. Always one
b. Equal to zero
c. Greater than zero
d. Equal to infinity
11. Which function describes the probability distribution of a discrete random variable?
a. Probability density function
b. Probability mass function
c. Normal distribution only
d. Continuous function
12. In a normal distribution, the random variable is:
a. Always discrete
b. Always continuous
c. Neither discrete nor continuous
d. Both discrete and continuous
13. The cumulative distribution function (CDF) represents:
a. The probability of a random variable being less than or equal to a value
b. The exact probability at a point
c. The sum of all probabilities
d. The variance of the distribution
14. For a discrete random variable, the probability of an outcome must be:
a. Negative
b. Between 0 and 1 inclusive
c. Greater than 1
d. Less than 0
15. What is true about the graph of a probability density function?
a. It must have gaps
b. It must be discontinuous
c. The total area under the curve equals 1
d. It can be negative
16. A fair die roll is an example of:
a. A continuous random variable
b. A deterministic variable
c. A discrete random variable
d. A complex variable
17. The expected value of a random variable is:
a. Always positive
b. The weighted average of all possible outcomes
c. Always zero
d. The maximum possible value
18. In probability theory, a random variable must be:
a. A function mapping outcomes to numbers
b. Always positive
c. Always negative
d. A constant value
19. The variance of a random variable measures:
a. The average value
b. The spread of the distribution
c. The maximum value
d. The minimum value
20. Which of these is NOT a property of a probability distribution?
a. All probabilities are between 0 and 1
b. The sum of all probabilities equals 1
c. Probabilities can be negative
d. Each outcome has an associated probability
Answer Key (Always review AI generated answers for accuracy)
1. b
2. c
3. d
4. c
5. b
6. d
7. c
8. c
9. b
10. b
11. b
12. b
13. a
14. b
15. c
16. c
17. b
18. a
19. b
20. c
