Final answer:
The surveyed residents are the sample because they are a subset of the city's residents chosen for the study, representing the larger population regarding weekly earnings. So the correct answer is Option A.
Step-by-step explanation:
When conducting research on weekly earnings in large cities, it is important to differentiate between the sample and the population. The population is the entire group of individuals that the researchers are interested in studying, while the sample is a subset of the population that is selected for the actual study. In the scenario where a researcher conducted a survey among 100 residents in a city, the correct statement is: a) the surveyed residents are the sample. This is because the sample consists of the specific group of 100 residents that were chosen for the survey, and it is expected to represent the broader population of all residents in the city concerning their weekly earnings. The entire group of residents in the city would be considered the population.