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A sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population is called a representative sample.
In a representative sample, if x parts of the population have a certain characteristic, approximately x parts of the sample will share the same characteristic. As an example, consider a sample of cats and dogs selected from all the cats and dogs at a pet shop.
The figure shows cats represent 60 % of the population and 60 % of the sample. Similarly, dogs represent 40 % of the population and 40 % of the sample. In this case, the sample is then representative. Note that in a representative sample, every subgroup of the population is represented.