Question

marjorie wanted to know how many students at school attended the school play. to find out, she asked a random sample of students on the basketball team if they went to the play. which statement best explains why the sample is not representative of the population? a. the students chosen were a random sample. b. marjorie did not ask every student in the school. c. marjorie did not ask every student on the basketball team. d. the basketball team is a specific group that may not represent the whole school.

Explanation:

To determine why the sample (students on the basketball team) is not representative of the school population, we analyze each option:

• Option A: A random sample is representative, so this is incorrect.
• Option B: The population is all students, but the sample is the basketball team (not the entire school), so this misinterprets the sample.
• Option C: The sample is the basketball team, but the issue is the sample’s relation to the school population, not whether every team member was asked.
• Option D: The basketball team is a specific group (with interests/experiences different from the general student body), so it may not represent the whole school. This explains the lack of representativeness.

Answer:

D. The basketball team is a specific group that may not represent the whole school.