Question

the basketball players at rafaels middle school are selling t - shirts, and he wants to determine the average number of shirts that have been sold. first he surveyed five members of the 7th - grade boys basketball team. then he surveyed every third basketball player on the boys and girls 6th - through 8th - grade basketball teams. which sampling technique should produce a more representative sample? the first sampling method (7th graders) is the most representative. the second sampling method (6th - 8th graders) is the most representative. both samples should be exactly the same. neither sample will be representative.

Explanation:

A representative sample should cover the entire population of interest. The population here is 6th - 8th grade boys and girls basketball players. The first sample only includes 7th - grade boys, which is a limited subset. The second sample surveys every third player from 6th - 8th grade boys and girls teams, covering a wider range of the population.

Answer:

The second sampling method (6th - 8th graders) is the most representative.