The Boston Globe (“College Graduation Rates below National Average”) examined the graduation rates at community colleges in Massachusetts. Overall, 16.4% of full-time community college students in Massachusetts earn a degree or certificate within three years. This appears to be well below the national average of 24.7. To determine this, random samples were taken in both Massachusetts and in the nation as a whole. A file entitled Masspass contains outcomes of this sampling.

Assume the populations have normal distributions.

a. Determine if there is a difference in the variances of the percent of community college students who earn a degree or certificate within three years in both Massachusetts and in the rest of the nation. Use a significance level of 0.05.

b. On the basis of the results of part

a, select the appropriate procedure to determine if there is a significant difference between the average graduation rates for Massachusetts and for the remainder of the nation.