Accuracy and Precision MCQ Questions and Answers for Practice

1. A chemist who frequently carries out a complex experiment is likely to have high

1. accuracy, but low precision.
2. accuracy.
3. precision.
4. precision, but low accuracy.

2. Five darts strike near the center of the target. Whoever threw the darts is

1. accurate.
2. precise.
3. both accurate and precise.
4. neither accurate nor precise.

3. How many significan figures does the following measurement contain?3 coins

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. infinite

4. How many significant figures does the following measurement contain? Temperature = 0.0023 degree Centigrade

1. 2
2. 3
3. 4
4. infinite

5. Poor precision in scientific measurement may arise from

1. the standard being too strict.
2. human error.
3. limitations of the measuring instrument.
4. both human error and the limitations of the measuring instrument.

6. Precision pertains to all of the following except

1. reproducibility of measurements.
2. agreement among numerical values.
3. sameness of measurements.
4. closeness of a measurement to an accepted value.

7. Systematic errors lead to a lack of:

1. accuracy in the measurement.
2. significant digits in the measurement.
3. precision in the measurement.
4. gradation of the measuring instrument

8. The accepted value is 1.43. Which correctly describes this students experimental data? Trial 1: Measurement 1.29; Trial 2: Measurement 1.93; Trial 3: Measurement 0.88

1. accurate but not precise
2. precise but not accurate
3. both accurate and precise
4. neither accurate nor precise

9. The accepted value is 15.63. Which correctly describes this students experimental data? Trial 1: Measurement 12.84; Trial 2: Measurement 13.02; Trial 3: Measurement 12.96

1. accurate but not precise
2. precise but not accurate
3. both accurate and precise
4. neither accurate nor precise

10. The accepted value is 29.35. Which correctly describes this students experimental data? Trial 1: Measurement 29.48; Trial 2: Measurement 28.97; Trial 3: Measurement 29.27

1. accurate but not precise
2. precise but not accurate
3. both accurate and precise
4. neither accurate nor precise

11. The intensive physical properties of a substance are important because they:

1. allow us to determine how much of the substance is required in a chemical reaction.
2. help us identify or characterize the substance.
3. provide information about the atomic structure of the substance.

12. The reason for organizing, analyzing, and classifying data is

1. so that computers can be used.
2. to prove a law.
3. to find relationships among the data.
4. to separate qualitative and quantitative data.

13. What is the result of the following calculation, reported to the correct number of significant figures? 0.12g + 0.003g = ?

1. 0.123g
2. 0.12g
3. 0.1g
4. 0.g

14. What type of error will “wetting” by the expansion liquid in a stem thermometer along the stems bore give rise to?

1. Systematic
2. Random assignable cause.
3. Gross

15. When applied to scientific measurements, the words accuracy and precision

1. are used interchangeably.
2. have limitations.
3. can cause uncertainty in experiments.
4. have distinctly different meanings