In a recent voter survey, forty percent responded that they are

Question

Which of the following best completes the passage below?

In a recent voter survey, forty percent responded that they are somewhat undecided regarding the upcoming presidential election. However, the survey may undervalue the proportion of voters who are undecided, as ______.

A. some who claimed to be somewhat undecided may actually be very undecided
B. some decided voters taking the survey may have claimed that they are not in favor of any candidate 
C. some undecided voters taking the survey may have claimed that they are in favor of one candidate 
D. some who claimed to be undecided may have done so due to very firmly held opinions
E. some who will not be voting in the upcoming presidential election are probably somewhat undecided

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ankushsambare · Answer

Main idea: Survey says 40% are “somewhat undecided,” but it may actually underestimate total undecided voters.
Prethinking: We need a reason why  more people are truly undecided than reported . So we want an answer showing  undecided voters are misclassified as decided , not the other way around.
Now eliminate:
A. Some “somewhat undecided” are actually “very undecided” → still undecided, just degree change → does NOT increase total undecided count → weak.
B. Decided voters may claim they are not in favor of any candidate → this would  inflate undecided count , not explain underestimation → wrong direction.
C. Some undecided voters may claim they are in favor of a candidate → undecided people are being counted as decided → survey UNDERSTATES undecided population → correct.
D. Some who claimed undecided actually have firm opinions → would reduce true undecided count → weakens conclusion.
E. Non-voters are somewhat undecided → irrelevant group, not tied to survey error.
 Answer: C

vasu1104 · Answer

recent survey shows 40% respondent are somewhat undecided regarding upcoming election.
conclusion- survey may undervalue the proportion of voters who are undecided

we need to come up with reason why the survey could undervalue these people?

A this goes in other direction actually.
B talking about different group. reject.
C only one left. POE. 
D this talks about why those undecided people were undecided but thats not what we are looking for. reject. 
E wrong group of people. reject.

amansoni5 · Answer

The survey says 40% are somewhat undecided, but the conclusion suggests the real number of undecided voters may actually be higher.

So we need an option showing that some truly undecided people were counted as decided.
 Choice C 
- some undecided voters taking the survey may have claimed that they are in favor of one candidate

This means:
Some people who are actually undecided were not counted as undecided.
Therefore, the survey’s 40% figure is likely too low.

BongBideshini · Answer

A. some who claimed to be somewhat undecided may actually be very undecided 
Both groups are still undecided voters, so this does not increase the total percentage of undecided voters.

B. some decided voters taking the survey may have claimed that they are not in favor of any candidate 
This would make the survey overestimate undecided voters, not undervalue them.

C. some undecided voters taking the survey may have claimed that they are in favor of one candidate 
Truly undecided voters are being counted as decided, so the survey could understate the undecided percentage. 
 Correct

D. some who claimed to be undecided may have done so due to very firmly held opinions 
If “undecided” respondents actually have firm opinions, then the survey is overstating undecided voters.

E. some who will not be voting in the upcoming presidential election are probably somewhat undecided 
Non-voters being undecided does not show that the survey undercounted undecided voters among the relevant population.
Ans C

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

C is the best choice.

Video explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGtAtSvWf5s

SkyBulb · Answer

i dont understand given answer. Lets say for 100 voters, 40 said they were undecided and 60 were decided. We have to show that 40/100 is actually undervalue and more than 40 are actually undecided. This can be done either by increasing undecided voters or decreasing decided voters.

B - people who said they were decided actually were not decided - this decrease decided voters (<60) and increase undecided voters.
C - people who said they were undecided were actually decided - this increase decided voters (>60)

How is C option right then? B seems to be the right choice

Sohanm99 · Answer

C. some undecided voters taking the survey may have claimed that they are in favor of one candidate 
Truly undecided voters are being counted as decided, so the survey could understate the undecided percentage. 
 Correct

I agree C is the best possible answer here. But one voter may be in favour of a candidate doesn't mean that the voter has decided to vote. Whatif the voter will be able to cast vote or not. The option says only in favor but doesn't talk about decision.

In my opinion this should still be counted as undecided. Or am I going anywhere wrong?

egmat · Answer

Hi Sohanm99,

Good, careful reading. Your instinct to separate "favors a candidate" from "has fully decided" is the kind of thing that keeps you sharp. Here the key is to see how this particular  survey  sorts people.

Notice how the option labels them.  Choice C says:  "some  undecided voters  taking the survey may have claimed that they are in favor of one candidate."  The option itself tells you these people  are  genuinely undecided. So we don't have to debate their true state - that's given. The only question is: what did the survey  record  them as?

How the survey buckets people.  This survey has exactly two slots: you either say you're undecided, or you don't. The  40%  figure is just "people who said they were undecided." The moment someone says  "I'm in favor of one candidate,"  they fall  out  of that undecided bucket - the survey files them as decided. Whether they'll actually turn up to vote never enters into how the survey counts them.

So in C, people who are truly undecided  told the survey they favor a candidate , which pushed them out of the  40% . Their true undecided-ness was missed - the real undecided share is  higher  than reported - the survey undervalues it. That's exactly the conclusion.

On your "may not be able to vote" point:  that's a real-world possibility, but the argument never raises it, and it doesn't change the counting. The survey undercounts because of what people  claimed , not because of who eventually casts a ballot.

Quick way to feel the split:
- "I'm still torn between A and B" - survey files you as  undecided .
- "I like candidate A" - survey files you as  decided , even if deep down you're still wavering.

That second person is exactly who C describes - truly undecided, but counted as decided. That mismatch is what drives the undervaluation.

Answer: C

In a recent voter survey, forty percent responded that they are

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In a recent voter survey, forty percent responded that they are

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