Question

Dr. Mitchell, an animal veterinarian, collected data during animal examinations on the kind of animal a boy or girl has as a pet. Based on the data collected, which statement is true?

A. A girl is 17% more likely than a boy to own a cat than a dog or other animal.
B. A girl is 45% more likely than a boy to own a cat than a dog or other animal.
C. A girl is 29% more likely than a boy to own a cat than a dog or other animal.
D. A girl is 67% more likely than a boy to own a cat than a dog or other animal.

Answer 1

To determine which statement is true about girls and boys owning certain pets, we need to compare the conditional distributions. According to the provided data, C) a girl is 29% more likely than a boy to own a cat than a dog or other animal.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which statement is true, we need to compare the conditional distributions of boys and girls owning cats compared to dogs or other animals. In Solution 2.8, we have the following data:

Men who own dogs = 0.5

Men who own cats = 0.25

Men who own fish = 0.25

We can see that the sum of all the conditional distributions for men is 0.5 + 0.25 + 0.25 = 1. Therefore, the solution checks for men.

Since the natural ratio of girls to boys is 100:105, we can assume a similar conditional distribution for girls.

The statement that a girl is 29% more likely than a boy to own a cat than a dog or other animal is true. Option C is correct.