A potential buyer of the breed of snake known as a rattlesnake wishes to find the average weight and length of a full-grown rept
ile. Which of the following is an effective method of collecting a sample of the population? A.) Measuring the weight and length of 200 rattlesnakes from across the United States
B.) Measuring the weight and length of all rattlesnakes in the United States
C.) Sending a questionnaire to breeders at the nationally recognized Snake Breeders Association of America and asking them for their expert opinion regarding the average weight and length of these snakes
D.) Measuring the weight and length of 10 rattlesnakes found at the local zoo
Obviously it's impossible for anyone to measure the weight and length of all US rattlesnakes.
Thus, A is correct. 200 is not a large sample compared to millions or billions of rattlesnakes, but is still a lot more reasonable and workable than attempting to measure ALL US rattlesnakes.
