Assume that the student newspaper at this college is doing a survey of student attitudes toward illegal drug use. Which of the following methods for obtaining a sample would be most likely to produce a representative sample?
a. The newspaper prints a questionnaire and asks students to complete the questionnaire and return it to the paper.
b. Reporters stand by the door of the library interviewing students as they walk in and out.
c. Students in the engineering college are asked to complete a questionnaire.
d. Journalism students are required to complete the survey.
e. The newspaper obtains an official list of students enrolled from the college registrar and then randomly selects a sample of students to contact either on the phone or in person.
Question 2
Which of the following is true about Internet polls?
a. They are a reliable source of information because they reach thousands of people.
b. They are notoriously unreliable because the sample consists of people who choose to answer the survey, sometimes more than once.
c. They have been used accurately and consistently since 1979 to predict election outcomes.
d. They are the preferred method used by most professional research firms today.
e. They are inherently biased against the religious right because churchgoers are less likely to use computers.