Final answer:
In Shakespeare's play, Polonius plans to send Horatio to conduct a survey to test the rationality of the people by seeing if they believe in ghosts, aiming to discredit Hamlet's supernatural experiences and portray him as delusional.
Step-by-step explanation:
Polonius, a character in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, plans a devious step of sending Horatio to conduct a survey to determine whether people believe in the presence of ghosts. The notion being tested by Polonius is whether people are rational or if a significant proportion holds superstitious beliefs, as Hamlet claims that a majority of people have witnessed spirits. Polonius expresses skepticism about the existence of ghosts and plans to use the survey results to prove his point, likely attempting to discredit Hamlet's claim of seeing his father's ghost and to portray him as delusional or irrational.