BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Target Test Prep · GMAT

Choose how you want to prepare

Learn live with an expert or move at your own pace. Every option includes the complete TTP study system.

★★★★★5.0559 reviews
Vote for Target Test Prep, Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards 2026
NEWSWEEK READERS’ CHOICE 2026

BIG NEWS! Target Test Prep has been nominated, and they’d love your vote!

TTP has worked incredibly hard to build the best test prep experience possible, and winning Newsweek’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Test Prep would mean a lot to them. If TTP has helped you, they’d be incredibly grateful for your vote. You can vote once each day through September 9.

Vote for TTP
GMATLiveTeach 7 seats left
Chris Peckover
NEXT LIVE COHORT

Oct 13 to Jan 7, 2027

with Chris Peckover

Schedule
Tue, Thu · 8:00 to 10:00 PM ET
Included
40 live hours + 6 months of GMAT OnDemand
  • Live instruction and real-time questions
  • Class recordings and assigned practice
View class & enroll
Limited cohort · enrollment openTarget Test Prep
EALiveTeach 5 seats left
Logan Thompson
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Sep 6 to Dec 6, 2026

with Logan Thompson

Schedule
Sun · 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Included
40 hours of live online classes plus six months of access to the complete TTP EA OnDemand course.
  • 165+ EA Score Guarantee
  • 4,100+ Quant, Verbal, and Integrated Reasoning practice questions
  • 400+ hours of in-depth video lessons
  • 3,000+ step-by-step video solutions
View EA class & enroll
Limited cohort · enrollment openTarget Test Prep
GMATOnDemand Start anytime
SELF-PACED MASTERCLASS

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Complete access from day one. Study on your schedule.

715+ score guarantee
$0to start then $127/mo
  • Personalized study plan and analytics
  • Thousands of lessons and practice questions

Compare the format, schedule, and included access before enrolling. Prices and seat counts shown reflect the supplied offer details.

Explain the discrepancy - please help

Expert replies
by SavedByNazar » Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:03 am
Hi - I am having such a tough time understanding the solution to this problem. I understand why the wrong answers are wrong, but can't seems to grasp why C is the right answer. Please could anyone help break it down for me? Thank you so much ahead for your help.


In a recent poll, 71% of respondents reported that they cast votes in the most recent national election. Voting records show, however, that only 60% of eligible voters actually voted in that election.

Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would provide the best explanation for the discrepancy?

A. The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus five percentage points
B. Fifteen percent of the survey's respondents were living overseas at the time of the election
C. Prior research has show that people who actually do not vote are also more likely to respond to poll than those who do not vote
D. Some people who intend to vote are prevented from doing so by last-minute conflicts on election day or other complications
E. People are less likely to respond to voting poll on the same day that they voted
Join the discussion
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:26 am
SavedByNazar wrote: In a recent poll, 71% of respondents reported that they cast votes in the most recent national election. Voting records show, however, that only 60% of eligible voters actually voted in that election.

Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would provide the best explanation for the discrepancy?

A. The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus five percentage points
B. Fifteen percent of the survey's respondents were living overseas at the time of the election
C. Prior research has show that people who actually do not vote are also more likely to respond to poll than those who do not vote
D. Some people who intend to vote are prevented from doing so by last-minute conflicts on election day or other complications
E. People are less likely to respond to voting poll on the same day that they voted
So, the poll numbers (71% voted) do not match up with the actual numbers (60% voted). Why is this?
When we have statistical questions based on samples, we should ALWAYS ask: "Is the sample representative of the entire population?"
For this question, there are two possibilities:
1) The sample IS representative of the population, but several of the poll respondents lied (i.e., they said they voted when they did not vote)
2) The sample is NOT representative of the population.

Answer choice C suggests that the sample is NOT representative of the population. Here we see that the poll respondents may have included a disproportionate number of non-voters.

Of course, you might then ask, "if the poll respondents included a disproportionate number of non-voters" then the poll results should have been WAY LESS THAN 71%. That's where we get into the lying scenario. It looks like non-voters may be predisposed to lying about whether or not they voted, and this explains why the poll voting numbers were so much higher than the actual voting numbers.

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
Image
Join the discussion

by SavedByNazar » Mon Apr 21, 2014 7:46 am
Thank You SO MUCH! After reading several explanations, the one you've provided below was as clear as water. Appreciate the help again a ton!
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:
SavedByNazar wrote: In a recent poll, 71% of respondents reported that they cast votes in the most recent national election. Voting records show, however, that only 60% of eligible voters actually voted in that election.

Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would provide the best explanation for the discrepancy?

A. The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus five percentage points
B. Fifteen percent of the survey's respondents were living overseas at the time of the election
C. Prior research has show that people who actually do not vote are also more likely to respond to poll than those who do not vote
D. Some people who intend to vote are prevented from doing so by last-minute conflicts on election day or other complications
E. People are less likely to respond to voting poll on the same day that they voted
So, the poll numbers (71% voted) do not match up with the actual numbers (60% voted). Why is this?
When we have statistical questions based on samples, we should ALWAYS ask: "Is the sample representative of the entire population?"
For this question, there are two possibilities:
1) The sample IS representative of the population, but several of the poll respondents lied (i.e., they said they voted when they did not vote)
2) The sample is NOT representative of the population.

Answer choice C suggests that the sample is NOT representative of the population. Here we see that the poll respondents may have included a disproportionate number of non-voters.

Of course, you might then ask, "if the poll respondents included a disproportionate number of non-voters" then the poll results should have been WAY LESS THAN 71%. That's where we get into the lying scenario. It looks like non-voters may be predisposed to lying about whether or not they voted, and this explains why the poll voting numbers were so much higher than the actual voting numbers.

Cheers,
Brent
Join the discussion

by binit » Sun Apr 26, 2015 11:05 pm
C. Prior research has show that people who actually do not vote are also more likely to respond to poll than those who do not vote
Hi SavedByNazar,

Although this is a very old post and the Q is perfectly solvable (by elimination) I have serious doubts about the wording in choice C. Can somebody confirm this?

~Binit.
Join the discussion