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What is the False Positive rate of the Papanicolaou test (Pap smear) in this population?

a) 0.07
b) 0.12
c) 0.08
d) 0.09

User Asutosh
by
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1 Answer

7 votes

Final answer:

The false positive rate of the Papanicolaou test cannot be determined with the given information; the provided scenario addresses false-negative rates and uses an unrelated statistic about males and cancer screening.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the false positive rate of the Papanicolaou test (Pap smear) in a certain population. While the provided information doesn't give a direct statistic for the Pap smear false positive rate, it indicates that among women who develop a particular disease, the test is negative 2 percent of the time, which is typically considered a false negative rate.

To determine the false positive rate, we would need additional data specifying how often the test incorrectly indicates the presence of the disease in women who do not have it. However, in a different scenario provided, the probability that a male has at least one false-positive test result for some form of cancer is .51 (51%). This illustrates how false-positive rates can significantly impact the interpretation of screening tests like the Pap smear, particularly in populations with varying prevalence of a condition.

User Kevingoos
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7.2k points
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