Random vs Biased Samples

Which of the following is an example of a random sample?

• Asking all members of the school basketball team about their favorite sport.

• Selecting 20 students from each grade at random to ask about their favorite subject.

• Interviewing the first 10 people who enter the school about their lunch preferences.

• Sending a survey to the members of the chess club to find out about their favorite games.

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What is a biased sample?

• A sample that includes every member of the population.

• A sample that is selected at random from the population.

• A sample that does not fairly represent the population.

• A sample that is too large to manage.

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Which of the following is a characteristic of a random sample?

• It includes members from one specific group.

• It is chosen without any method.

• Every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

• It focuses on a specific part of the population.

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Identify the biased sample from the options below.

• Surveying 50 randomly chosen people at a football game about their favorite sport.

• Asking 100 random people in a city about their preferred mode of transportation.

• Polling students in a school by randomly selecting 10 students from each class.

• Interviewing only the employees at a gym about the importance of exercise.

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Why is it important to avoid biased samples in research?

• Because biased samples are easier to analyze.

• Because biased samples provide more accurate results.

• Because biased samples can lead to incorrect conclusions about the population.

• Because biased samples include every member of the population.

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Which method would most likely result in a random sample?

• Asking your friends to fill out a survey.

• Handing out surveys to every third person entering a store.

• Posting a survey on a specific online forum.

• Choosing survey participants based on their last names.

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A researcher wants to study the eating habits of teenagers in a city. Which of the following approaches would provide a biased sample?

• Sending out surveys to a random selection of high school students in the city.

• Interviewing teenagers at a popular fast-food restaurant.

• Using a city-wide database to randomly select teenagers for interviews.

• Collaborating with schools to distribute surveys randomly among students.

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What is the main disadvantage of using a biased sample?

• It takes more time to collect the data.

• It is more expensive than a random sample.

• It may not accurately represent the views of the entire population.

• It requires a larger sample size.

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Which scenario is an example of using a random sample to gather data?

• A company surveys only its employees to determine the effectiveness of its products.

• A health organization selects individuals for a study by using a random number generator to choose from a list of volunteers.

• A school conducts a survey on lunch options by asking only the students who buy lunch from the school cafeteria.

• A magazine interviews only its subscribers to find out about reading preferences.

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Why might a researcher intentionally use a biased sample?

• To save time and resources.

• To ensure the sample represents the entire population.

• To obtain results that support a specific hypothesis.

• Because they are unable to obtain a random sample.