The way I figured this one out was saying that if it takes 2lbs to stretch it to 12 inches and 5lbs to stretch to 18 inches that means that 3 additional pounds = 6 inches. Therefore, each additional pound is 2 inches. We know already that with 2 lbs it was 12 inches in length and we can also say that 2 lbs = 4 inches. So subtract 4 from 12 and you end up with the answer of 8 inches.
This is an example of a cluster sample. In a cluster sample, the examiner divides the population into groups (each one of these groups is called a cluster) and once the examiner has these clusters, takes one of them and recollects the data from ALL the members of that cluster. In this case, the teacher divided the class in 3 different groups and then selects one of these groups and asks the average amount of time per week he/she spent studying.
