What is the meaning of population, sample, descriptive and inferential?

In this case study, Top Films of All Time

Honoring the 10th anniversary of its award-winning series, the American Film Institute (AFI) again conducted a poll of 1500 film artists, critics, and historians, asking them to pick their 100 favorite films from a list of 400. The films on the list were made between 1915 and 2005. After tallying the responses, AFI compiled a list representing the top 100 films. Citizen Kane, made in 1941, again finished in first place, followed by The Godfather, which was made in 1972. The following table shows the top 40 finishers in the poll. [SOURCE: Data from AFI's 100 Years. . . 100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition. Published by the American Film Institute.]

Rank Film Year Rank Film Year

1 Citizen Kane 1941 21 Chinatown 1974

2 The Godfather 1972 22 Some Like It Hot 1959

3 Casablanca 1942 23 The Grapes of Wrath 1940

4 Raging Bull 1980 24 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 1982

5 Singin' in the Rain 1952 25 To Kill a Mockingbird 1962

6 Gone with the Wind 1939 26 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939

7 Lawrence of Arabia 1962 27 High Noon 1952

8 Schindler's List 1993 28 All About Eve 1950

9 Vertigo 1958 29 Double Indemnity 1944

10 The Wizard of Oz 1939 30 Apocalypse Now 1979

11 City Lights 1931 31 The Maltese Falcon 1941

12 The Searchers 1956 32 The Godfather, Part II 1974

13 Star Wars 1977 33 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975

14 Psycho 1960 34 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937

15 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 35 Annie Hall 1977

16 Sunset Blvd. 1950 36 The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957

17 The Graduate 1967 37 The Best Years of Our Lives 1946

18 The General 1927 38 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948

19 On the Waterfront 1954 39 Dr. Strangelove 1964

20 It's a Wonderful Life 1946 40 The Sound of Music 1965

• Identify the population.
• Identify the sample.
• Is the sample representative of the population of all US moviegoers? Explain.
• Consider the following statement: "among the 1500 film artists, critics and historians polled by AFI, the top-ranking film was Citizen Kane." Is this statement descriptive or inferential? Explain.