Question a-mark
A market researcher selected 200 people at random from a group of people who indied that they liked a certain book. The 200 people were shown a movie based on the book and then asked whether they liked or disliked the movie. Of those surveyed, 95% said they disliked the movie. Which of the following inferences can appropriately be drawn from this survey result?
At least 95% of people who go see movies will dislike this movie.
At least 95% of people who read books will dislike this movie.
Most people who dislike this book will like this movie.
Most people who like this book will dislike this movie.
A market researcher selected 200 people at random from a group of people who indied that
Easy-difficulty · SAT Math · Evaluating Statistical Claims — Recognizing bias. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.
Answer explanation
Choice D is correct. The sample was selected from a group of people who indied that they liked the book. It is inappropriate to generalize the result of the survey beyond the population from which the participants were selected. Choice D is the most appropriate inference from the survey results because it describes a conclusion about people who liked the book, and the results of the survey indie that most people who like the book disliked the movie.
Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because none of these inferences can be drawn from the survey results. Choices A and B need not be true. The people surveyed all liked the book on which the movie was based, which is not necessarily true of all people who go see movies or all people who read books. Thus, the people surveyed are not representative of all people who go see movies or all people who read books. Therefore, the results of this survey cannot appropriately be extended to at least 95% of people who go see movies or to at least 95% of people who read books. Choice C need not be true because the sample includes only people who liked the book, and so the results do not extend to people who dislike the book.
More Evaluating Statistical Claims practice questions
- A sample of 40 fourth-grade students was selected at random from a certain school.
- Residents of a town were surveyed to determine whether they are satisfied with the
- A polling agency recently surveyed 1,000 adults who were selected at random from a
- For the finale of a TV show, viewers could use either social media or
- A psychologist designed and conducted a study to determine whether playing a certain
- The members of a city council wanted to assess the opinions of all city
- Near the end of a US cable news show, the host invited viewers to
Browse all Problem-Solving and Data Analysis practice questions or return to the full SAT question bank.
