AP CSP Day 41: Boolean Or Logic
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Practice Question
A school surveys students about study habits. The "hours studied per week" column contains: 5, 8, 3, [blank], 6, "a lot", 7, 4, 2, [blank]. A researcher wants to calculate the average hours studied. Which approach is most appropriate?
I. Delete all rows with missing or invalid data, then calculate the average of remaining values.
II. Replace blanks with 0 and "a lot" with the column median, then calculate the average.
III. Calculate the average using only the valid numeric entries, ignoring invalid ones.
Both approaches I and III are valid data cleaning strategies. Approach I (deletion) works when invalid entries are few and removing them does not introduce significant bias. Approach III (selective inclusion) preserves valid data while excluding problematic entries. The best choice depends on how much data is affected and the research goals.
A) Approach III is also valid, not just approach I. B) Approach I is also valid, not just approach III. D) Both approaches are established, acceptable data cleaning methods used by researchers.
Students think there is exactly one correct way to handle missing data. In practice, multiple strategies exist and the appropriate choice depends on context, sample size, and the nature of the missing data.
Data cleaning questions on the AP exam often have answers about context-dependent decisions. Look for answers that acknowledge multiple valid approaches rather than one absolute rule.
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