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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

ASQ CSSBB Exam Questions

Page 10 of 33

181.

Point estimates include all the choices below except which one?

  • n

  • μ

  • ρ

  • σ

Correct answer: n

This is the symbol for population, or sample size number, which is not a point estimate.

The other choices, μ, rho, and sigma, are all parameter point estimates.

182.

What is the primary question that a full factorial experiment is trying to answer?

  • Estimation of interaction effects between two or more factors

  • How to minimize confounding between factors

  • Estimation of variation between two or more factors

  • Estimation of the total cost of the experimental design

Correct answer: Estimation of interaction effects between two or more factors

Full factorial experiments study all possible combinations of two or more factors in order to estimate the interaction effects between factors as well as the main effects. Confounding, or the inability to distinguish interactions from one another, occurs in fractional factorial experiments. Running a full factorial design can help support a fractional factorial experiment by showing how to minimize confounding. However, this is not the primary question answered by a full factorial experiment. Full factorial designs can be costly, but this cost can be estimated without running the experiment itself. Variation is not a question answered by a full factorial experiment.

183.

What key property does a prediction interval possess?

  • It's based on individual observations.

  • It's based on the mean of observations.

  • It's based on the chi-square distribution.

  • It's based on proportional predictions.

Correct answer: It's based on individual observations.

This aspect of a prediction interval is different than a confidence interval, which is based on the mean of a group of observations.

It's not based on either chi-square or proportional predictions.

184.

Consider the following project goal statement:

"Improve manufacturing process capability by 10% within 6 months."  

Which SMART element is missing in this statement?

  • Specific

  • Relevant

  • Achievable

  • Time-based

Correct answer: Specific

The statement isn't specific enough about which process is to be improved, or from what baseline performance it is currently experiencing.

The goal is certainly relevant, as production capability is a critical quality metric. It appears to be achievable, as only a 10% improvement is called for. The goal statement is also time-based, and focuses on production capability exclusively.

185.

Norman has collected an impressive amount of customer data related to wants, needs, likes, and dislikes to inform the manufacturing of a next generation golf club. What is his next step in processing this data?

  • Apply a criticality rating system

  • Develop a matrix between customer requirements and technical requirements

  • Develop target values for technical requirements

  • Develop a SIPOC

Correct answers: Apply a criticality rating system

In order to make sense of all the data that Norman has collected, a means to identify which product aspects, as well as adjoining services, such as training, are considered of sufficient importance to use as critical design parameters. Developing a matrix between these requirements and technical requirements is a logical next step, and beyond that, developing target values for the tech requirements. Developing a SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) should take place prior to any data collection and during the define phase.

186.

Emily is collecting data on a new brand of snack chip. One issue with producing the snack chip is its fragile structure, which tends to have it break in half as it is conveyed from the dryer to the consumer package. The factory has set up an automated sorting machine to remove broken chips before they are packaged. Emily has developed a program which translates this data into a control chart that displays the number of defects as a percentage of the whole snack chip population. What type of chart has Emily developed?  

  • p-chart

  • X̄ and R chart

  • XmR chart

  • c-chart 

Correct answer: p-chart

This type of chart plots attribute data into a population percentage readout.

X̄ and R and XmR charts are for continuous data. A c-chart is for expected occurrence against a Poisson distribution where the sample size is constant.

187.

What is the correct order for CTQ flow-down elements?

  • Tactical plan, Operational plan, Project objectives, CTQs

  • Operational plan, Tactical plan, CTQs, Project objectives

  • Project objectives, Tactical plan, Operational plan, CTQs

  • CTQs, Project objectives, Tactical plan, Operational plan

Correct answer: Tactical plan, Operational plan, Project objectives, CTQs

After the strategic goals and planning are accomplished, a tactical execution plan always follows. From there, one needs to work out operationally how the tactical plan is to be executed, hence the need for an operational plan. A project with project objectives can now be drafted. Finally, with specific project objectives now made clear, decisions on critical measures relevant to quality, cost, safety, etc., can be made.   

188.

Loudspeakers designed for heavy metal concerts are capable of handling 600 watts of power with a maximum dispersion angle of 60 degrees. These speakers were designed based on what robustness consideration?

  • Functional

  • Noise

  • Tolerance

  • Statistical Tolerancing

Correct answer: Functional

Heavy metal concerts have a reputation for being among the loudest public venues in the entertainment industry. 

Noise, tolerance, amd statistical tolerance are subordinate considerations in the design of this equipment.

189.

Why are control limits normally set at +/- 3σ from the centerline?

  •  It was Shewhart's common practice.

  • +/- 3σ is a clean, round number.

  • +/- 3σ adds up to 6σ.

  • Special cause variation only begins after 3σ.

Correct answer: It was Shewhart's common practice.  

These limits are normally set at +/- 3σ from the centerline and therefore detect 99.73% of variation, normally considered the limit of common cause variation due to the process being measured. Shewhart felt that this was an economical choice between detecting common cause events and identifying special cause variation.

Control limits can be set at any sigma level, with the required data to justify the setting. Special cause variation can occur more or less frequently than 3σ. 

190.

Automotive manufacturers have made significant strides in designing safety measures for automobiles over the last 20 years, including airbags, improved seat restraints, collision warning equipment, and so forth. What DFX methodology was likely used to enable these new designs?

  • Design for Maintainability (DFM)

  • Design for Test (DFT)

  • Design to Cost (DTC)

  • Design for Producibility (DFP)

Correct answer: Design for Maintainability (DFM)

DFM includes designing safety into the product rather than depending on the user to enact safety procedures as might be prompted by warning labels and safety instructions. These improved safety designs have resulted in dramatic safety benefits for operators and passengers of vehicles since their development.  

DFT, DTC, and DFP are subordinate considerations in this circumstance of servicing and routine maintenance.  

191.

Grant has generated a normal probability plot in his machine bolt quality testing project. The straight line plot displays a distinctive bow-shaped curve on the right-hand side of the graph, with the distribution plot displaying no peak but a descending, curved line from 1 to 0 on the y-axis, as shown in the figure below. 

What type of distribution is Grant reviewing?

  • Exponential distribution

  • Lognormal distribution

  • Hypergeometric distribution

  • Chi-square distribution

Correct answer: Exponential distribution

This distribution is similar to a lognormal distribution, except that it displays no peak but a descending, curved line from 1 to 0 on the y-axis.

A lognormal distribution is distinctive in that the straight line plot is highly curved on the right-hand side of the plot, with the bottom of the curve intersecting with zero on the x-axis, with the distribution plot showing a sharp peak near the y-axis. A hypergeometric distribution normally represents several peaks that are mapped as a result of successive sampling events in a fixed population; each sampling event reduces the size of the population and therefore changes the probability of the characteristics in successive draws. A chi-square distribution displays comparisons between observed results with expected results and will show several distributions.

192.

How often should a Control Plan be updated?

  • Whenever updating is warranted

  • Semi-annually

  • Quarterly

  • As requested by the PMO

Correct answer: Whenever updating is warranted

The Control Plan is a living document, which means that it should keep pace with change.  

193.

Jess, a process operator, is not satisfied with the variation of razor blade sharpness shown in the X-bar and R chart he is reading. Tweaking the controls in order to get the variation closer to the target mean, he finds that he has actually created more variation than when he started tweaking the controls. What has Jess been doing?

  • Overadjustment

  • Underadjustment

  • Gauge calibration

  • Special cause trouble-shooting

Correct answer: Overadjustment

Jess is trying (fruitlessly) to respond to common cause variation. Underadjustment refers to if the process operator fails to respond to the presence of a special cause of variation, this cause is likely to produce additional process variation. Assignable causes is another name for special causes. Special causes of variation include unusual events that the operator, when properly alerted, can usually remove or adjust. Neutral variation is another name for common causes. Common causes are those that are inherent to the process and generally are not controllable by the process operator. Jess is not engaged in a calibration or trouble-shooting exercise, as he is attempting to improve product quality.

194.

Geoff has generated several descriptive statistics for his data set. One statistic reports the data is highly leptokurtic. Which statistic is Geoff looking at?

  • Kurtosis

  • Skewness

  • Standard deviation

  • Coefficient of variation

Correct answer: Kurtosis

This statistic measures the degree to which a set of data is peaked or flat in its curvature. Leptokurtic implies the data is highly peaked.

Skewness measures asymmetry around the mean. Standard deviation is the degree of dispersion of the sample population around the arithmetic mean. The standardized percentage measure of the dispersion of a probability distribution is the coefficient of variation.

195.

What role in team building is best positioned to motivate team members?

  • The coach

  • The mentor

  • The Champion

  • The Facilitator

Correct answer: The coach

Coaching is a process by which a more experienced individual helps enhance existing skills and capabilities of team members. Coaching is about listening, observing and providing constructive, practical, and meaningful feedback. Mentoring focuses on the individual from a career perspective. Champions assist in instituting a change. They advocate for and promote change from within and are instrumental in the implementation of the change. The facilitator plans, guides, and manages a group event to meet its goals.

196.

What is the single largest impediment to building successful teams?

  • Staffing shortages

  • Sponsorship

  • Management support

  • Subject matter expertise

Correct answer: Staffing shortages

Most organizations run as lean as they can on staff to reduce costs. This means that everybody is completely consumed by their ordinary tasks and not available to work on improvement projects.

Lack of sponsorship, management support, and subject-matter experts can all serve as project headwinds but are secondary to obtaining dedicated team participation.

197.

Hoffman is reviewing his measurement testing data, which is composed of actual physical measurements. The data from each sampler is continuous and independent of each other. What Gage R&R test should he run? 

  • Analysis of variance

  • Control chart

  • Attribute agreement

  • Attribute gage study

Correct answer: Analysis of variance

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is best used where the amount of variability induced in measurements by the measurement system itself is of interest. Analysis of variance compares this to the total variability observed to determine the viability of the measurement system.

Control charts are used when there is a need to understand the discriminating power of the instrument, and how upper and lower control limits correspond to the ability (or inability) of the instrument to tell one piece from another. Attribute tests are for ordinal data only, such as a pass/fall test.

198.

A private spacecraft manufacturer has designed their primary launch equipment for rapid reusability, setting a two-week goal of rocket repair and refurbishing. What DFX methodology did this manufacturer likely use?

  • Design for Maintainability (DFM)

  • Design for Test (DFT)

  • Design to Cost (DTC)

  • Design for Producibility (DFP)

Correct answer: Design for Maintainability (DFM)

Driving rapid reusability for maintainability has revolutionized the rocket industry and set new standards for quality and cost. 

Design for Test (DFT), to Cost (DTC), and for Producibility (DFP) are subordinate considerations in this circumstance of servicing and routine maintenance.  

199.

In which of the "six M's" does sheet welding belong?

  • Method

  • Material

  • Machine

  • Manpower

Correct answer: Method

Sheet welding is a manufacturing process, hence it is a method, not a material, machine, or manpower.

200.

Brent has performed a statistical test that indicates he should not reject the null hypothesis that his company's new anti-slicing golf club doesn't produce straighter golf shots than the competition's products. However, another study by an independent testing group a month later indicated that Brent's conclusion was incorrect. What type of error has Brent possibly made?

  • Type II error

  • Type I error

  • An error bad enough to lose his annual bonus

  • Should have tried the club himself

Correct answer: Type II error

This type of error occurs when the null hypothesis is not rejected when it is actually false. In Brent's case, the null hypothesis is Ho: ρ = 0, meaning that the new golf club does not provide straighter golf shots, which Brent does not reject, but the reality is that the new product is in fact, producing straighter golf shots.  

A Type I error would occur if the new product did not impart straighter shots, but Brent failed to reject the null hypothesis, even though it is actually false. Hopefully,  Brent will merely pay his boss's greens fees next time they are out on the golf course. No information was given on whether Brent was qualified to evaluate the golf club's capabilities.

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