1. What is the primary purpose of utilizing control groups in healthcare research studies? - A) To provide a standard of comparison for the treatment group - B) To assess the placebo effect - C) To eliminate the use of randomization - D) To increase the sample size Answer: A) To provide a standard of comparison for the treatment group Rationale: Control groups are used to compare outcomes with the treatment group to determine the treatment's effect. 2. In a study measuring the impact of a new drug on blood pressure, which type of data would blood pressure readings be considered? - A) Nominal - B) Ordinal - C) Interval - D) Ratio