Question

decode whether the statement below makes sense or does not make sense. explain your choice
a pollster plans to improve survey results by only conducting polls in which the margin of error is zero

choose the correct answer below.
o a. the statement makes sense. any value can be chosen for the margin of error
o b. the statement makes sense. a margin of error of zero implies that there is no uncertainty in a survey result. this
could happen if the entire population was surveyed
o c. the statement does not make sense. a margin of error of zero implies that there is no uncertainty in a survey result
this could happen only if the entire population was surveyed, rather than just a sample.
o d. the statement does not make sense. the margin of error is always a fixed fraction of the sample statistic

Explanation:

The margin of error measures the uncertainty in a sample - based survey. A margin of error of zero would mean no uncertainty, which only occurs when the entire population is surveyed (a census), not just a sample. Pollsters typically use samples, so aiming for a zero margin of error (while only conducting polls, which are sample - based) is not practical.

Answer:

C. The statement does not make sense. A margin of error of zero implies that there is no uncertainty in a survey result. This could happen only if the entire population was surveyed, rather than just a sample.