Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardSampling and Survey Flaws

University Administrator: To assess whether the 'Skills-First' curriculum implemented three years ago has adequately prepared our students for the workforce, we evaluated feedback from recent alumni. Questionnaires were sent to all graduates from the past three years who currently maintain active memberships in the university's philanthropy network. Over 80 percent of the respondents indicated that they are excelling in their careers and credited the curriculum for their achievements. This clearly demonstrates that the new curriculum successfully prepares our students for professional success.

The reasoning in the university administrator's argument is flawed in that the argument

  1. A
    confuses a correlation between maintaining an active membership in the philanthropy network and achieving professional success with a causal relationship between the two
  2. B
    treats a high percentage of positive survey responses as definitive evidence of the curriculum's success without establishing the absolute number of graduates who received the questionnaire
  3. projects survey results from a specific subgroup of alumni onto the broader graduate population, even though membership in that subgroup is strongly associated with the outcome being measuredAnswer
  4. D
    overlooks the possibility that graduates who declined to join the philanthropy network might have been equally likely to report that the curriculum prepared them well
  5. E
    relies on an ambiguous interpretation of 'professional success' that shifts subtly between the premises regarding survey feedback and the final conclusion

Answer

The argument projects survey results from a specific subgroup of alumni onto the broader graduate population, even though membership in that subgroup is strongly associated with the outcome being measured.
The argument attempts to establish the overall effectiveness of a curriculum based on a survey. However, the survey was exclusively sent to members of the university's philanthropy network. Alumni who donate money to their university are disproportionately likely to be financially secure and successful in their careers. Therefore, this sample is unrepresentative of the entire graduating class, and their highly positive feedback cannot be reliably projected onto all recent alumni. The correct answer accurately identifies this severe sampling bias.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main conclusion of the argument.
The new 'Skills-First' curriculum successfully prepares students for professional success.
Understanding the exact scope of the conclusion is necessary to determine if the evidence provided is sufficient to support it.
2
Identify the premises supporting this conclusion.
A survey of graduates from the past three years who are active in the university's philanthropy network showed that over 80 percent are excelling in their careers and credit the curriculum.
We must isolate the evidence the author uses to justify their generalized claim.
3
Evaluate the relationship between the premises and the conclusion to find the logical gap.
The conclusion makes a broad claim about all students, but the premise relies on a very specific, self-selected sample: members of a philanthropy network. Alumni who donate money are inherently more likely to be financially secure and successful.
This reveals a classic unrepresentative sample flaw: the surveyed group is biased toward the very characteristic (success) being measured.
4
Select the option that accurately describes this sampling flaw in abstract terms.
The correct option notes that the argument projects findings from a subgroup onto a broader population, despite membership in that subgroup being tied to the measured outcome.
This perfectly matches the identified flaw without falling for irrelevant traps regarding causation or absolute numbers.

Key Concept

Unrepresentative Sample Bias (Sampling Flaw)
Rate this question

Topics

Sampling and Survey Flaws

More questions from this topic