Problem-Solving and Data Analysis practice question

Answer: A. How far the true percentage for all adults could plausibly be from the poll's 47%.

A margin of error describes sampling uncertainty: the population value plausibly lies within 3 points of the sample's 47% (44% to 50%).

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The percentage of respondents who answered the question incorrectly.

The margin of error is about the difference between a sample and its population, not about wrong answers.

C. The percentage of adults who refused to take part in the poll.

Non-response is a separate issue and isn't what the margin measures.

D. The probability that the pollsters made a mistake in their arithmetic.

The margin of error has nothing to do with arithmetic mistakes; it exists even for a perfectly conducted poll.

More Problem-Solving and Data Analysis questions

• Easy–Medium
  A jacket originally priced at $80 is discounted by 25%. What is the sale price?
• Easy–Medium
  A bag contains 3 red, 5 blue, and 2 green marbles. If one marble is drawn at random, what is the probability i…
• Easy–Medium
  A recipe uses 2 cups of flour to make 3 servings. How many cups of flour are needed for 12 servings?
• Easy–Medium
  What is the median of the data set 4, 7, 7, 9, 13?
• Easy–Medium
  The ratio of dogs to cats at a shelter is 5 to 3. If there are 40 dogs, how many cats are there?
• Easy–Medium
  A printer produces 8 pages every 5 seconds. At this rate, how many pages does it produce in 1 minute?