Basic HTML Version
Q
uantitative
R
easoning &
P
roblem
S
olving
322
© 2014 Pacific Crest
Step
Explanation
7.
Produce
preliminary analysis
Perform the basic descriptive statistics to go along with the graphs
produced
Find the maximum and minimum values for each column, Note any trends, Make
comparisons
8.
Identify data
shortcomings
What are the concerns associated with using this data, are there agendas
for people producing the data, concerns about the data collected, and data
that has not been included?
What is considered a homicide? Is it determined by court records, death certificates,
physician, or coroner reports? Are suicides included in this report? Is there a different
report for accidental deaths by these methods?
9.
Report findings
and generate new
questions
Summarize the top 3 to 4 findings that you can make with confidence.
Also add 3 to 5 new issues or questions that need to be addressed, based
upon the findings.
Handguns account for at least half of the homicides during the last ten years
A stacked bar graph is ineffective for communicating this analysis
There was a significant reduction in homicides between 1992 to 2000 (nearly 40%)
Questions:
What caused the significant downward trend in homicide deaths?
Is there significant correlation between the trends in handgun use in
homicides and gun laws enacted during the same period?
What were the reasons behind the homicides?
Where do the semi-automatics fall in a category?
10. Find additional
data
Go back to the original source for the data and see if they have additional
data that can supplement to answer some of the advanced questions
The FBI site does offer deeper cause and effect relationship data files that can be
explored.
11.
Findings
Identify the top 3 to 5 findings that are most significant related to the initial
objectives and determine the outline you will use to present your findings
Findings: Handguns account for approximately half the homicides
Downward trend in both handgun homicides and non-handgun homicides
The other categories accounted for approximately the same percent
Outline:
1. Opening paragraph
2. Line graph of absolute homicides
3. Line graph of the % contribution
4. Questions to ponder