At a homecoming pep rally, one student will win free tickets to the homecoming dance. There are 2,400 students attending the pep rally. The student council wants to pull the winning student’s name from a container with the school’s mascot on it. Unfortunately, the container only holds 600 names.

Which method can the student council use to ensure each student has a fair chance of winning?

A.
Randomly assign the 2,400 students to four equal groups. Select a group at random and put all the names from that group in the container. Randomly select the winner from the container.
B.
Put the names of the first 600 students who arrive at the pep rally in the bag. Randomly select the winner from the container.
C.
Select a section of the bleachers and only put the names of students sitting in that section in the container. Randomly select the winner from the container.
D.
Select a grade and only put the names of students from that grade in the container. Randomly select the winner from the container.

Answer A. Logically speaking there is no fair chance unless they use all the names but we can rule out C by the higher chance of students crowding, B is less likely as selecting winners from students who arrive first would be nearly the same as who bought their tickets first. D, selecting a grade excludes (estimating) around 1500 students or more from being included. A is the only logical answer left and by dividing them randomly you give everyone a full chance.