Question

the government of a large city needs to determine whether the citys residents will support the repair of several roads. the government has decided to conduct a survey of a sample of the citys residents. which one of the following procedures would be the most appropriate for obtaining a sample of the citys residents?
a ·survey a random sample of the residents who use public transportation.
b survey every tenth person to use the public restroom.
c survey the last 100 residents listed in the telephone directory.
d survey a random sample of persons within each neighborhood.

Explanation:

To obtain a representative sample of a city's residents for surveying support for road repair, the sample should be as diverse and random as possible.

• Option A only surveys residents who use public transportation. This group may have different interests and needs compared to non - public transportation users (e.g., they may be more concerned about access to public transport stops rather than general road repair). So, it is a biased sample.
• Option B surveys people using public restrooms. This is also a non - representative group. People using public restrooms may be more likely to be out - and - about for certain reasons (e.g., tourists, people running errands in a specific area) and not represent the entire city's residents.
• Option C surveys the last 100 residents in the telephone directory. Telephone directories may not be up - to - date (some people may not list their numbers, or new residents may not be included). Also, just taking the last 100 is an arbitrary and potentially non - random selection method.
• Option D surveys a random sample of persons within each neighborhood. Since a city is composed of multiple neighborhoods, and by sampling randomly within each neighborhood, we can ensure that different parts of the city (with different demographics, economic statuses, etc.) are represented. This helps in getting a more comprehensive view of the city's residents' opinions.

Answer:

D. Survey a random sample of persons within each neighborhood.