Question

when people are discharged from a hospital, they are surveyed about the quality of their stay. the hospital asks each person to turn in the survey before leaving. is this a simple random sample?
yes, because each person is equally likely to get the survey.
yes, because each person has the opportunity to respond to the survey.
no, because each person is asked to fill out the survey, so this is not a sample.
no, because not everyone has the same opportunity to answer the survey.

Explanation:

A simple random sample requires that every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected. In this case, the hospital is surveying all discharged patients (not a subset selected randomly). Since it's a census (everyone is asked) rather than a sample (a subset), it can't be a simple random sample. Also, practical issues like some patients might not have time or ability to fill - out the survey before leaving (even though they are asked) means not everyone has an equal opportunity to respond effectively.

Answer:

No, because each person is asked to fill out the survey, so this is not a sample.