Which of the following is necessary for a sample to be considered representative?
A)All members of the population must be included in the sample.
B)All members of the population have an equal chance of being included in the sample.
C)All members of the sample belong only to the population of interest.
D)All members of the sample are likely to provide the same data/information.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A representative sample is one that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population of interest. In order to accomplish this, all members of the population do not need to be included in the sample (option A), but rather a random selection process is used to ensure that all members of the population have an equal chance of being included (option B). Option C is not necessary, as some samples may include individuals who are not part of the population of interest (e.g. a sample of all people in a certain geographic region may include individuals who do not live in that region year-round). Option D is not necessary, as different members of a sample may provide different data/information, as long as the overall sample accurately reflects the population.

Which of the Following Is Necessary for a Sample to Be