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A nonprofit organization concerned with a social issue sent out a fund-raising letter to 5,000 people. The letter was accompanied by a survey soliciting recipients' opinions. Of the 300 respondents, 283 indicated in the survey that they agreed with the organization's position on the social issue. This suggests that most of the 5,000 people to whom the letter was sent agreed with that position.
1.
The argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which one of the following grounds?
a
It draws a conclusion about a population from observations of a subgroup that is quite likely to be unrepresentative of that population in certain relevant respects.
b
It takes for granted that most individuals do not vary significantly in the opinions they would express on a given issue if surveyed regarding that issue on different occasions.
c
It relies on the accuracy of a survey made under conditions in which it is probable that most of the responses to that survey did not correctly reflect the opinions of the respondents.
d
It uses evidence about an opinion held by the majority of a population in an attempt to justify a conclusion regarding the opinion of a small part of that population.
e
It takes for granted that the fund-raising letter had some influence on the opinions of most of the people who received it.