Final answer:
The term to complete the sentence is 'population,' which includes all individuals, objects, or measurements whose properties are being analyzed, across various species and contexts, and is often studied using random sampling methods.
Step-by-step explanation:
An individual is a person, population, or things described in a set of data. The correct answer to fill in the blank is A. population. A population can be defined as all individuals, objects, or measurements whose properties are being studied. This includes not just humans, but any species that have populations. For instance, a population of penguins living together in the same area is considered a single population since they are of the same species and interact with each other. In terms of probability and research, a population could also refer to all the shopping visits by all the customers of a store when we are looking to study shopping habits.
The characteristics of a population, such as density and birth and death rates, are of interest to scientists and can be studied to determine the health and stability of the population. When information is collected from every member of the population, it can be a daunting task, which is why a random sampling method is often used to study a population. This method ensures that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected, thus providing a representative sample for the study.