Six Sigma Black Belt Certified Practice Exam

A check sheet is the most appropriate tool for collecting data to study the symptoms of a problem due to its structured format that allows for easy gathering and analysis of information. It is essentially a prepared form that facilitates the recording of specific data points or occurrences, which can be used to identify patterns, frequency, and deviations from the norm related to a problem's symptoms. By systematically collecting information in this manner, it becomes easier to identify the root causes or areas needing improvement.

On the other hand, a flow diagram is used to visualize the process flow or steps in a procedure, but it does not inherently collect data about symptoms. Force-field analysis focuses on understanding the driving and restraining forces affecting a change initiative, making it more useful for analyzing situations rather than directly collecting data. Finally, an activity network diagram is utilized for project scheduling and to visualize task dependencies, which is not geared towards symptom data collection. Thus, while the other tools serve valuable purposes, the check sheet stands out for its direct application in data collection related to problem symptoms.