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Inference from sample statistics and margin of error SAT question
Math · Problem-Solving and Data Analysis · Easy · Answer it here, explanation included.
A random sample of 50 people from a town with a population of 14,878 were asked to name their favorite flavor of ice cream. If 7 people in the sample named chocolate as their favorite ice‑cream flavor, about how many people in the town would be expected to name chocolate?
ExplanationShow
Choice B is correct. Let x be the number of people in the entire town that would be expected to name chocolate. Since the sample of 50 people was selected at random, it is reasonable to expect that the proportion of people who named chocolate as their favorite ice-cream flavor would be the same for both the sample and the town population. Symbolically, this can be expressed as 
. Using cross multiplication, 
; solving for x yields 2,083. The choice closest to the value of 2,083 is choice B, 2,100.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of errors when setting up the proportion, solving for the unknown, or incorrectly comparing the choices to the number of people expected to name chocolate, 2,083.
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