Given below are two statements: One is labelled as Assertion A and the other…
2023
Given below are two statements: One is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R
Assertion A: Surveys conducted over the internet have witnessed a huge growth since the late 1990s.
Reason R: Internet users always constitute an unbiased sample of the population.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below
Answer: C. A is correct but R is not correct — CONCEPT Survey-mode adoption and sample representativeness are separate ideas. A survey can become common while its respondents still differ systematically…
- A.
Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A
- B.
Both A and R are correct but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
- C.
A is correct but R is not correct
- D.
A is not correct but R is correct
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
CONCEPT
Survey-mode adoption and sample representativeness are separate ideas. A survey can become common while its respondents still differ systematically from the target population.
Coverage bias arises when some groups cannot enter the sampling frame; self-selection bias arises when participation is voluntary.
APPLICATION
The assertion concerns a historical trend: internet surveys expanded rapidly from the late 1990s. The reason makes an absolute claim that internet users always form an unbiased population sample. Internet-only recruitment can exclude nonusers and attract volunteers with different characteristics, so the universal claim in the reason does not hold.
CONTRAST
A combination that accepts both statements overlooks coverage and self-selection bias.
A combination that accepts both but denies explanation still retains the unsupported universal claim.
The combination “A is correct but R is not correct” separates the documented growth from the sampling-bias issue.
A combination that rejects A but accepts R reverses both evidence-based judgments.
CROSS-CHECK
To test the reason directly, consider population coverage: an internet-only frame can omit nonusers, and voluntary respondents can differ systematically from nonrespondents. Weighting, probability recruitment, and coverage correction are used because internet users do not always form an unbiased population sample.
This independently establishes that R is not correct, while the documented rise of internet surveys supports A. Therefore, A is correct and R is not correct.