Many gardeners believe that certain edible herbs like oregano, sage, and rosemary taste better if deprived of water and nutrients. Kirsten decides to test the hypothesis that the frequency of watering influences the flavor of sage. She grows two sage plants from seed, side by side in two separate pots. She waters one every other day (control) and the other only once a week. Then she invites 50 people for a taste test.
Each receives two samples of sage leaves, marked as A and B so they do not know which sample is from which treatment. The rate for the sample is on a scale of 1 to 5. Kirsten compares the average scores for the plants.
As with any experiment, Kirsten's setup have limitations. Which of the following ideas for increasing replication is most likely to improve her ability to test the hypothesis that watering frequently affects the taste of sage in general?
a. Increase the number of leaf samples taken from each plant.
b. Increase the number of sage plants in the experimental group.
c. Increase the number of sage plants in both control and experimental groups.
d. Do the same test on rosemary and oregano, in addition to sage.