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Problem-Solving and Data AnalysisEasy–MediumRecognising a self-selected sample

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis practice question

Which of the following is an example of a self-selected sample?

  1. A. People who phone a radio programme to give their opinion on a question it has posed.Correct
  2. B. Every tenth shopper leaving a supermarket on a Saturday.
  3. C. Names drawn at random from a list of all a school's students.
  4. D. Households reached by a computer dialling randomly generated phone numbers.

Answer: A. People who phone a radio programme to give their opinion on a question it has posed.

Callers decide for themselves whether to take part, and those with strong opinions are far more likely to call. That is self-selection.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. Every tenth shopper leaving a supermarket on a Saturday.
Every tenth shopper is a systematic sample chosen by the researcher, not by the shoppers.
C. Names drawn at random from a list of all a school's students.
A random draw from a list is a random sample.
D. Households reached by a computer dialling randomly generated phone numbers.
Random dialling selects households without their choosing to be selected.

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