A student was study the political party preference of a university's student population. The survey instrument asked student to identify themselves as a democrat or a republican. This question is flawed because:
A. students generally don't know their political preferences.
B. the categories are generally mutually exclusive.
C. the catergories are not exhaustive.
D. political preference is a continuous variable.
I vote for C because the survey doesn't include independents or third parties.
The correct answer is C. The categories are not exhaustive.
To explain why, let's break down the options:
A. The statement that "students generally don't know their political preferences" assumes something about all students, which may not be true. Some students may indeed have a clear political preference.
B. The statement that "the categories are generally mutually exclusive" is not necessarily true. While it is true that many individuals may identify as either Democrat or Republican, there are also individuals who identify as Independents or with other political parties. So, the categories are not completely exclusive.
C. This is the correct answer. The flaw in the question is that it only provides two options: Democrat or Republican. However, there are other political parties and affiliations that are not accounted for in this survey instrument. By not including options for other political parties, the survey is not accounting for the full range of political preferences that students may have.
D. The statement that "political preference is a continuous variable" is not entirely accurate. Political preference can indeed be seen as a spectrum where individuals fall along a range of ideologies, but it is also common to categorize individuals into specific political parties. So, it is not the main flaw of the question.
In conclusion, the flaw in the survey instrument question is that it does not include options for other political parties, making the categories not exhaustive.