Final answer:
The majority of Americans commute to work by car, with a large portion driving alone. A smaller percentage walks or uses public transportation, and even fewer people participate in carpools. A random sample of 1,000 American workers is expected to reflect these trends.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary mode of transportation used by a majority of Americans is by car, truck, or van, with a significant number driving alone. Approximately 86.5 percent of Americans commute to work by car, and of that group, around 84.6 percent drive alone while the other 15.4 percent participate in a carpool. Only a small percentage of Americans, approximately 3.9 percent, choose walking, and about 5.3 percent utilize public transportation.
When creating a table or tree diagram to represent the situation, including other modes of transportation to work and assuming walkers walk alone, it turns out that a very high percentage of commuters - those driving alone plus the walkers - essentially travel alone to work.
If 1,000 workers were randomly selected, based on these statistics, we would expect a large majority to travel alone. On the flip side, if focusing on those who drive in a carpool, we would expect the number to be significantly lower.