AP Statistics Practice Quiz: Potential Problems with Sampling
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 14 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 14
All Questions (14)
A) When a sample is comprised entirely of volunteers.
B) When certain responses are systematically favored over others.
C) When a sampling method does not use chance to select participants.
D) When individuals chosen for the sample refuse to respond.
Correct Answer: B
The provided content defines bias as occurring when 'certain responses are systematically favored over others.' The other options describe specific types or causes of bias, not the general definition.
A) Undercoverage bias
B) Nonresponse bias
C) Response bias
D) Voluntary response bias
Correct Answer: D
This is an example of voluntary response bias because the sample is comprised entirely of volunteers who choose to participate in the poll, rather than being selected through a random process.
A) Undercoverage bias
B) Nonresponse bias
C) Response bias
D) Voluntary response bias
Correct Answer: A
This is undercoverage bias because a part of the population—residents who do not own cars—has no chance of being included in the sample, even though they are relevant to the survey topic.
A) Undercoverage bias
B) Nonresponse bias
C) Response bias
D) Voluntary response bias
Correct Answer: B
This is nonresponse bias because a large number of individuals who were chosen for the sample could not be reached or refused to respond. The bias occurs because the people who did not respond may differ in important ways from those who did.
A) Undercoverage bias
B) Nonresponse bias
C) Response bias
D) Voluntary response bias
Correct Answer: C
This is an example of response bias. The problem originates in the data gathering process itself, as the question is a leading question designed to influence the respondent to agree.
A) Because they do not use chance to select the sample.
B) Because they always result in a small sample size.
C) Because they guarantee that some individuals will refuse to respond.
D) Because the questions asked are always leading.
Correct Answer: A
The provided content explicitly states that 'Non-random sampling methods introduce potential for bias because they do not use chance.' By not using chance, the sample may not be representative of the population.
A) Undercoverage stems from volunteer samples, while nonresponse stems from leading questions.
B) Undercoverage is a result of non-random sampling, while nonresponse only occurs in random sampling.
C) Undercoverage means some groups have a reduced chance of being in the sample at all, while nonresponse means individuals selected for the sample do not participate.
D) Undercoverage affects the data gathering process, while nonresponse affects the sampling frame.
Correct Answer: C
Undercoverage bias occurs when the sampling frame excludes certain parts of the population. Nonresponse bias occurs after the sample has been selected, when chosen individuals cannot be contacted or refuse to respond.
A) When part of the population has a reduced chance of being included in the sample.
B) When a sample is comprised entirely of volunteers.
C) When individuals chosen for the sample refuse to respond.
D) When the wording of a question influences the answers.
Correct Answer: B
The provided content defines voluntary response bias as occurring 'when a sample is comprised entirely of volunteers.'
A) Voluntary response bias
B) Undercoverage bias
C) Nonresponse bias
D) Response bias
Correct Answer: D
The content defines response bias as resulting 'from problems in the data gathering process, like leading questions.' The behavior of an interviewer or the wording of a question are both part of this process.
A) Undercoverage and Response Bias
B) Voluntary Response and Nonresponse Bias
C) Undercoverage and Nonresponse Bias
D) Response and Voluntary Response Bias
Correct Answer: B
It is voluntary response bias because the sample is comprised of volunteers who chose to respond to the mass email. It is also nonresponse bias because a large portion (4,500 employees) of the chosen population did not respond, and their opinions might be systematically different.
A) A political pollster asks, 'Do you support the visionary policies of Candidate X?'
B) A survey is sent to a random sample of 500 households, but only 100 are returned.
C) A TV station asks viewers to text their vote for their favorite contestant on a reality show.
D) A survey on technology habits is conducted by telephone using a directory of landlines, excluding households that only use cell phones.
Correct Answer: D
Option D is the best example of undercoverage because a specific part of the population (cell-phone-only households) has a zero or reduced chance of being included in the sample. Option A is response bias, B is nonresponse bias, and C is voluntary response bias.
A) Nonresponse bias
B) Response bias
C) Undercoverage bias
D) Voluntary response bias
Correct Answer: C
This is the definition of undercoverage bias, which occurs when part of the population has a reduced chance of being included in the sample.
A) Response bias
B) Undercoverage bias
C) Voluntary response bias
D) Nonresponse bias
Correct Answer: A
This is a form of response bias. The data gathering process (a face-to-face interview on a sensitive topic) is causing respondents to give socially desirable, rather than truthful, answers.
A) Undercoverage bias, because poorer households were not selected.
B) Response bias, because the questions must be worded in a confusing way.
C) Voluntary response bias, because only volunteers are responding.
D) Nonresponse bias, because a specific group that was chosen for the sample is not responding.
Correct Answer: D
This is a clear example of nonresponse bias. All households were chosen for the sample, but one group (poorer households) is refusing to respond at a higher rate. This is not undercoverage, as they were mailed the survey. It is not voluntary response because the initial sample was random.