Evaluate the following generalization(s), identifying sample, population, attribute of interest, and the extent to which the claims involved are knowable. Consider carefully the size and diversification of the sample and the extent to which the population differs or may differ from the sample; remember, what's important is that the sample be representative.FRESNO-In a new study of dangerous Halloween pranks, Fresno State University sociologist Joel Best has documented the exact number of American children killed or seriously injured by anonymously given, booby-trapped Halloween treats. Best reviewed supposedly real Halloween horror stories appearing from 1958 to 2004 in the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and the Fresno Bee. He did not find a single case in

Question

which a Halloween treat anonymously given to a child caused serious harm. He concluded that the infamous Halloween sadist is an "urban myth."-Adapted from a McClatchy News Service release

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The question is whether the "exact number" of American children killed or seriously injured by anonymously given Halloween tricks can be determined by looking at the incidents reported in the four newspapers mentioned. There may have been a few incidents not reported in these newspapers, but we'd be surprised if there were many. Events of this type tend to attract too much attention not to be reported in at least one of these sources.