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.
See my answer below.
The answer is C. The categories are not exhaustive.
To understand why this question is flawed, let's break down each answer choice:
A. The statement that students generally don't know their political preferences is an assumption and may not be accurate. While some students may not have a strong political preference, others may have a clear identification with a particular party.
B. The categories "democrat" and "republican" are generally considered to be mutually exclusive, as individuals typically align with one party or the other. However, this does not make the question flawed.
D. The statement that political preference is a continuous variable is incorrect. Political preference is a categorical variable with discrete categories, such as Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc.
C. The categories being used in the question, "democrat" and "republican," are not exhaustive. This means that the question does not provide all possible options for students' political party preferences. It fails to account for individuals who may identify as Independents, Libertarians, Green Party supporters, or members of other political parties. This lack of inclusivity makes the question flawed.
Therefore, the correct answer is C, as the categories are not exhaustive.