What this quiz covers

Grade 9 Data Handling Quiz 2 draws its questions at random from 29 questions across these topics:


Worked examples

A few of the question types, with full solutions, so you know what to expect.

Collecting data. A school has 480 Grade 9 learners. A teacher surveys 60 of them. Which statement is correct?

  1. The population is 60 and the sample is 480
  2. The population is 480 and the sample is 60
  3. Both the population and the sample are 480
  4. The sample is the whole school

Answer: The population is 480 and the sample is 60

The POPULATION is the entire group being studied.

The SAMPLE is the smaller group actually asked.

All 480 Grade 9 learners form the population; the 60 asked form the sample.

Collecting data. A learner wants the most popular music genre among Grade 9s, but asks only the 10 friends in her friend group. Which sampling method is this?

  1. Random sampling
  2. Systematic sampling
  3. Convenience sampling
  4. No sampling at all

Answer: Convenience sampling

She chose the people who were easiest for her to reach.

That is the definition of convenience sampling.

Tip: In the exam you must also EXPLAIN the bias: friends tend to share tastes, so the group does not represent the whole grade.

Collecting data. A school has 900 learners. A researcher wants a systematic sample of 45. What interval should she use?

  1. Every 20th learner
  2. Every 45th learner
  3. Every 15th learner
  4. Every 9th learner

Answer: Every 20th learner

The interval is the population divided by the sample size.

900 ÷ 45 = 20

Collecting data. Which of these is a STATISTICAL question?

  1. How many learners are in Grade 9 at our school?
  2. How tall is the school flagpole?
  3. How long does it take learners to get to school?
  4. What year did the school open?

Answer: How long does it take learners to get to school?

A statistical question is answered by collecting data that VARIES between people.

Travel time differs from learner to learner, so it produces a data set.

The other three each have one fixed correct answer.

Collecting data. Which sampling method gives every member of the population an EQUAL chance of being chosen?

  1. Convenience sampling
  2. Systematic sampling
  3. Random sampling
  4. Biased sampling

Answer: Random sampling

Random sampling means no member is favoured — for example names drawn from a hat.

Systematic sampling follows a fixed interval, so it is not equal-chance in the same sense.