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 telephodirectory.
d survey a random sample of persons within each neighborhood.

Explanation:

• Option A: Surveying only residents who use public transportation is a biased sample as it excludes those who don't use it.
• Option B: Surveying people using public restrooms is a convenience sample and may not represent all city residents.
• Option C: Surveying the last 100 residents in a telephone directory is a non - random and potentially biased sample (e.g., not all residents may be listed, or listed in a particular order).
• Option D: Surveying a random sample of persons within each neighborhood helps ensure that different areas (and thus different types of residents) are represented, reducing bias.

Answer:

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