“How old is the oldest student in my class?” has one answer. “How old are the students in my class?” has thirty. These free printable worksheets ask a child to tell those apart, which is where the whole of statistics starts.
The test is one sentence and it is the only thing worth memorizing: ask the question twice. If the answer is the same both times, it is not statistical. If it comes out different for every student, every tree, every day, it is — and that difference is the thing statistics exists to describe.
Why this sheet works
Every wrong option on these pages names one DETERMINED member of the same group: the oldest student, the tallest tree, the cheapest store. That is deliberate, and it closes the two shortcuts a page like this usually leaves open. A question about a group is normally the longer one, so a child could circle the longest line and score full marks — measured on an earlier draft, the answer was the longest option 40.6% of the time against a 25% baseline. And “look for the plural” stops working when every option has one.
How this one works
One question from a sheet like this one, worked a step at a time — with a sentence saying what just happened and why.
1Which one is a statistical question?How many letters are in the names of the students in my class?How far can the best jumper in my grade jump?How many hours did the sleepiest student sleep?How many brothers and sisters does the tallest student have?Why?
2Which one is a statistical question?How long did the last visitor wait in line?How old is the oldest student in my class?How heavy is the heaviest backpack in my class?How many brothers and sisters do the students in my grade have?Why?
3Which one is NOT a statistical question?How long are the songs on this album?How many pets does each family on my street own?How many steps does the school day require?How many cousins do the children on my team have?Why?
4Which one is NOT a statistical question?How far can the students in my grade jump?How many days did the first tulip take to bloom?How many people live in each state in New England?What did the students score on the spelling test?Why?
Reasoning · Is it a statistical question?Answer key
1. How many letters are in the names of the students in my class? — the students' names are different lengths; the others have one answer each.2. How many brothers and sisters do the students in my grade have? — the students in the grade have different numbers; the others have one answer each.3. How many steps does the school day require? — this one has one answer; the others vary.4. How many days did the first tulip take to bloom? — this one has one answer; the others vary.
