AP Environmental Science

Answer: B - The direct count method is carried out by the U.S. government every 10 years to establish the size of the population of the United States.

Key Takeaway: The direct count method, otherwise known as the census, makes every effort to count all of the individuals within a population. Every ten years, the government does this to establish the size of the United States population. Every effort is made to count all citizens, but of course, during the time it takes to conduct the census (usually 1-3 months), families move, babies are born, and people die. Still, the U.S. Census is a fairly good estimate of the population size and structure in the United States.