THE VOCABULARY DETECTIVE
The survey that spoke for everyone
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representative
biased
proportion
generalize
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“Most students want another drama meeting!” Nolan read the draft poster twice. He liked drama, but he knew plenty of students who preferred sports or music. Had anyone asked them?
The teacher wanted a representative group, one that reflected the different interests across the school. Asking only drama fans could give a biased result: it would favor one kind of student, even if everyone answered honestly.
Nolan checked the proportion in favor. He needed both the number who wanted another meeting and the total who answered. Eighteen yes votes would mean something different in a group of twenty than in a group of two hundred.
Could he generalize from these answers to the whole school? Before approving the poster, Nolan asked to see who had received the survey and how many had replied.