All Free Sociology MCQs with Answers

• A. the influence of specific variables can be controlled by the investigator
• B. it can only be used to study relatively small groups or communities
• C. it is essential when a study is primarily historical or has a historical dimension
• D. it usually generates richer and more in-depth information than other methods

Explanation: Ethnography uses prolonged, close engagement with people in their everyday settings, which usually produces richer and more detailed…

• A. spurious correlation
• B. causal mechanism
• C. multiple regression
• D. multinomial distribution

Explanation: A spurious correlation occurs when two variables appear related but their association is actually produced by a third factor.

• A. the investigator being committed to a particular ideology
• B. the research team prejudging the meaning of the data
• C. the data being unbalanced by the design or execution of the research
• D. interpretations being applied to the results

Explanation: Research bias is a systematic distortion introduced through the design or conduct of a study, causing the data or findings to be…

• A. philosophical and progressive
• B. complex and against commonsense
• C. experimental and statistical
• D. valid and reliable

Explanation: Scientific knowledge must be valid, meaning it measures or explains what it claims to, and reliable, meaning it produces consistent…

• A. research findings feed back into society and as a result may change it
• B. research findings empower the general public making them more confident
• C. research funders have control over research findings and who has access
• D. sociologists learn more about the society they live in

Explanation: Reflexivity here refers to the way research findings can feed back into society and influence the people or institutions studied.

• A. ethnography
• B. survey research
• C. focus groups
• D. biographical research

Explanation: Survey research is generally quantitative because it collects standardised responses that can be counted and statistically analysed.

• A. review the evidence
• B. create a research design
• C. define the research problem
• D. carry out a research design

Explanation: Research begins by defining the problem or question that will guide the study.

• A. participant observation
• B. survey research
• C. historical research
• D. experimental design

Explanation: Humphreys studied covertly through participant observation, observing interactions in public toilets and later contacting some…

• A. secondary observer
• B. participant-as-observer
• C. complete participant
• D. ethnographer
• E. social scientist

Explanation: A participant-as-observer openly identifies as a researcher while also taking part in the group or setting being studied.

• A. tactful
• B. unobtrusive
• C. creative
• D. fluent in several languages
• E. discreet

Explanation: Field research often involves unpredictable settings, so the researcher must be creative and adapt methods as new situations arise.

• A. ethnography
• B. field research
• C. an international approach
• D. comparative approach
• E. content analysis

Explanation: Studying crime-control practices across several countries compares the same social issue in different societies, making it a comparative…

• A. mutually exclusive
• B. exhaustive
• C. comprehensive
• D. tangible
• E. relevant

Explanation: Response categories should be mutually exclusive so that each respondent fits one category only; “some high school” and “high school” can…

• A. the s is clearly worded
• B. they are easy and quick to answer
• C. the answers are mutually exclusive
• D. they cover the return postage
• E. they involve no thought on the part of the respondent.

Explanation: Closed-ended questions provide fixed response options, so respondents can answer quickly without composing lengthy replies.

• A. interviews
• B. participant observation
• C. surveys
• D. content analysis
• E. experiments

Explanation: Surveys use standardised questions to collect information from many people at relatively low cost.

• A. time order
• B. correlation
• C. theory
• D. internal consistency
• E. elimination of spuriousness

Explanation: Causal claims require correlation, correct time order, and elimination of spurious explanations; a theory is also commonly used to support…

• A. Conceptualization
• B. Coding
• C. Factoring
• D. Classification
• E. Enumeration

Explanation: Coding converts raw responses into categories or numerical labels so that they can be organised and analysed statistically.

• A. surveys
• B. ethnography
• C. field research
• D. secondary research
• E. experiments

Explanation: Ethnography is generally a technique or form of field research rather than a separate major research design in this classification.

• A. theory
• B. quantitative theorem
• C. operational definition
• D. hypothesis
• E. scale

Explanation: An operational definition states exactly how an abstract variable will be observed or measured, such as measuring social class through…

• A. the experimental group
• B. the representative group
• C. the control groups
• D. none of the above

Explanation: The experimental group receives or is exposed to the independent variable, while the control group does not.

• A. correlation
• B. dependent variable
• C. independent variable
• D. sample

Explanation: Studying is the presumed cause or predictor, while test performance is the outcome it is expected to influence.