Identifying and Writing Statistical Questions for 6th Grade Math - Free Printable

The image you've uploaded is an answer key for a worksheet that helps students distinguish between statistical questions (SQ) and non-statistical questions (NOT).

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🔍 What are Statistical Questions?

A statistical question is one that anticipates variability in the data and can be answered by collecting data from multiple sources. These questions typically involve groups, trends, or averages.

A non-statistical question has a single, definitive answer and does not require data collection from a group.

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✔ Let's go through each question and explain why it is marked as SQ (Statistical Question) or NOT (Non-Statistical Question):

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#### 1) How tall are the kids in my class?
- Answer: SQ
- Explanation: This question expects different heights from different students. You would need to collect height data from each student — this involves variability.
✔ *You could use a tape measure to measure each student.*

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#### 2) How many boxes of cereal do I have?
- Answer: NOT
- Explanation: This is a single fact about your personal possession. There’s only one correct answer. No data collection from a group needed.
✘ *There is only one answer.*

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#### 3) What is the mean population of state capitals?
- Answer: SQ
- Explanation: This requires gathering population data from multiple state capitals, then calculating the average. It involves variability across different cities.
✔ *You could research and use previously collected census data.*

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#### 4) How much TV do kids at my school watch?
- Answer: SQ
- Explanation: Different kids watch different amounts of TV. To answer this, you’d need to survey many students — this is data with variability.
✔ *You could conduct a survey and ask each student.*

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#### 5) How old is your grandmother?
- Answer: NOT
- Explanation: This is a specific fact about one person. Only one answer exists.
✘ *There is only one answer.*

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#### 6) How many days are there in the month of April?
- Answer: NOT
- Explanation: This is a fixed fact (April has 30 days). No variation or data collection required.
✘ *There is only one answer.*

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#### 7) On which weekday do people buy the most pizza?
- Answer: SQ
- Explanation: This requires collecting sales data across multiple days of the week. The answer depends on patterns in customer behavior — variability is expected.
✔ *You could observe at a pizza shop or ask them for their sales totals.*

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#### 8) How much does an average dog weigh?
- Answer: SQ
- Explanation: Dogs vary greatly in weight depending on breed, age, etc. To find an average, you'd need to collect weights from many dogs.
✔ *You could weigh at least 10 dogs or ask a vet for data.*

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📌 Summary Table:

| # | Question | Type | Reason |
|---|--------|------|--------|
| 1 | How tall are the kids in my class? | SQ | Variability in height among students |
| 2 | How many boxes of cereal do I have? | NOT | Single answer |
| 3 | Mean population of state capitals? | SQ | Needs data from multiple cities |
| 4 | How much TV do kids watch? | SQ | Varies per student |
| 5 | How old is your grandmother? | NOT | One fixed answer |
| 6 | Days in April? | NOT | Fixed number (30) |
| 7 | Which weekday has most pizza sales? | SQ | Requires comparing data across days |
| 8 | Average dog weight? | SQ | Dogs vary widely in weight |

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💡 Key Takeaway:

> A statistical question leads to data collection from a group and expects variability in responses.
> A non-statistical question has a single, definite answer.

Let me know if you'd like a printable version or a worksheet for practice!