Question views-
| Response | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Strongly favor | 56 |
| Somewhat favor | 214 |
| Somewhat oppose | 104 |
| Strongly oppose | 37 |
A researcher interviewed 411 randomly selected US residents and asked about their views on the use of nuclear energy. The table above summarizes the responses of the interviewees. If the population of the United States was 300 million when the survey was given, based on the sample data for the 411 US residents, what is the best estimate, in millions, of the difference between the number of US residents who somewhat favor or strongly favor the use of nuclear energy and the number of those who somewhat oppose or strongly oppose it? (Round your answer to the nearest whole number.)
Views on Nuclear Energy Use Response Frequency Strongly favor 56 Somewhat favor 214 Somewhat oppose 104
Hard-difficulty · SAT Math · Inference from Samples & Margin of Error — Population parameter estimation. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.
Answer explanation
The correct answer is 94. Of those interviewed, 
“strongly favor” or “somewhat favor” the use of nuclear energy, and 
interviewees “somewhat oppose” or “strongly oppose” the use of nuclear energy. The difference between the sizes of the two surveyed groups is 
. The proportion of this difference among the entire group of interviewees is 
. Because the sample of interviewees was selected at random from US residents, it is reasonable to assume that the proportion of this difference is the same among all US residents as in the sample. Therefore, the best estimate, in millions, of the difference between the number of US residents who somewhat favor or strongly favor the use of nuclear energy and the number of those who somewhat oppose or strongly oppose it is 
, which to the nearest million is 94.
More Inference from Samples & Margin of Error practice questions
- A certain forest is 253 acres. To estimate the number of trees in the
- In a study, the data from a random sample of a population had a
- Based on a random sample from a population, a researcher estimated that the mean
- A company that produces socks wants to estimate the percent of the socks produced
- Sample Percent in favor Margin of error A 52% 4.2% B 48% 1.6% The
- Poll Results Angel Cruz 483 Terry Smith 320 The table shows the results of
- To determine the mean number of children per household in a community, Tabitha surveyed
- At a large high school, 300 students were selected at random and were asked
Browse all Problem-Solving and Data Analysis practice questions or return to the full SAT question bank.