A principal decides to survey the parents at her school to find out their opinion on
standardized testing. She calls randomly-chosen parents between 4:00 and 5:00 P.M.
every day for a week and collects data on their responses. Identify the population
and the sample. Give a reason why the sample could be biased.
Oa)
Population: All parents who respond to the survey
Sample: All parents with students at the school
Possible Bias: The parents who answered the phone may not be
representative of the whole population because younger parents are more
likely to answer the phone than older ones.
b)
Population: All parents with students at the school
Sample: All parents who respond to the survey
Possible Bias: Parents who are at home between 4:00 and 5:00 P.M. may not
be representative of the whole population.
Oc) Population: All parents with students at the school
Sample: All parents who respond to the survey
Possible Bias: Some parents do not like a particular teacher.
d)
Population: All parents who respond to the survey
Sample: All parents with students at the school
Possible Bias: Some of the people contacted did not answer every question
