HSA 2007 Algebra/Data Analysis Item 32

The principal will survey 100 students to determine which elective courses to offer next year. The principal will use one of the methods below.

Method A: Survey the first 100 students who enter the cafeteria on a randomly selected day.

Method B: Have 25 teachers each randomly select 4 eleventh-grade students to be surveyed.

Method C: Assign each student a number. Use a random number generator to generate 100 numbers. Survey those students whose numbers are generated.

Complete the following in the Answer Book:

• Which method will provide the principal with a simple random sample of the student population? Use principles of simple random sampling to justify your answer.
• Use principles of simple random sampling to justify why each of the other two methods does not provide a simple random sample.