A group of experimenters has 60 wasps in a large container and needs to assign 15 to each of four groups labeled A, B, C, and D for an experiment. They can capture the wasps one at a time when the wasps enter a side chamber in the container that is baited with food. Which of the following methods is most likely to result in four comparable groups of 15 wasps each? Place each wasp in its own numbered container (numbered from 1–60) in the order that it was caught. Write the numbers from 1 to 60 on slips of paper, put the slips in a jar, and mix them well. Pick 15 numbers out of the jar. Assign the wasps in the containers with those numbers to group A. Pick 15 more numbers for group B. Pick 15 more numbers for group C. Assign the remaining 15 wasps to group D.
Label the first 15 wasps caught as group A, the second 15 caught as group B, the third 15 caught as group C, and the fourth 15 caught as group D.
Write the letters A, B, C, and D on separate slips of paper. Pick one of the slips of paper randomly and assign the first 15 wasps caught to that group. Pick another slip and assign the next 15 wasps caught to that group. Pick another slip and assign the next 15 wasps caught to that group. Assign the remaining wasps to the remaining group.
When each wasp is caught, roll a die. If the die shows an even number, the wasp is labeled A. If the die shows an odd number, the wasp is labeled B. When 15 wasps have been labeled A and 15 have been labeled B, split the remaining 30 wasps into groups C and D.
When each wasp is caught, roll a die. If the die shows a 1 or 2, the wasp is labeled A. If the die shows a 3 or 4, the wasp is labeled B. If the die shows a 5 or 6, the wasp is labeled C. Repeat this process for 45 wasps. Assign the remaining 15 wasps to group D.