Free Research Methods MCQs with Answers
103 Research Methods MCQs from Sociology, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
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31. When a number of researchers use the same operational definition to measure a variable and achieve the same results the measure is said to be_______________?
- A. valid
- B. reliable
- C. factual
- D. internally consistent
- E. instrumental
Explanation: A measure is reliable when repeated use produces consistent results, including when different researchers apply the same operational definition. Validity instead concerns whether the measure actually measures the intended concept.
Correct answer: reliable32. The concepts in a hypothesis are stated as______________?
- A. variables
- B. populations
- C. ideas
- D. indices
- E. theories
Explanation: A hypothesis expresses expected relationships between variables, which are the measurable forms of its concepts. Populations are groups being studied, while indices combine indicators into a measurement.
Correct answer: variables33. In sociology_______________?
- A. theory always precedes research
- B. theory can be developed independent of research
- C. research always precedes theory
- D. the relationship between theory and research is cyclical
- E. research is dictated by the theoretical perspective
Explanation: Theory guides research, while research findings can refine, reject, or develop theory, making their relationship cyclical. Neither theory nor research permanently comes first in all sociological work.
Correct answer: the relationship between theory and research is cyclical34. An instructor wants to determine if giving essay tests increases student learning In one class that the instructor teaches she continues to test as she has always done In another class She then measures the differences in learning if any between the two classes The class that is given essay s is the______________?
- A. control group
- B. representative group
- C. experimental group
- D. correlation group
Explanation: The class receiving the changed treatment, essay testing, is the experimental group. The class tested in the usual way serves as the control group for comparison.
Correct answer: experimental group35. A researcher can obtain a higher response rate by using which type of survey ?
- A. interviews
- B. naires
- C. representative samples
- D. observation techniques
Explanation: Interviews usually produce higher response rates because an interviewer can explain questions, encourage participation, and reduce incomplete answers. Self-administered questionnaires are more likely to be ignored or returned incomplete.
Correct answer: interviews36. In order to genuinely reflect a broad range of the population a survey must be based on precise ?
- A. representative sampling
- B. experiments
- C. surveys
- D. hypothesesAccess Government Careers
Explanation: Representative sampling gives different sections of the population a suitable chance of being included, allowing survey findings to reflect the wider population. A large sample alone is not necessarily representative.
Correct answer: representative sampling37. A detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically called a (n) ?
- A. sample
- B. experiment
- C. research design
- D. scientific method
Explanation: A research design is the detailed plan specifying how data will be collected, measured, and analysed. A sample is only the selected group of cases, not the complete plan.
Correct answer: research design38. Formulating the hypothesis is the _________ step in the scientific method?
- A. first
- B. second
- C. third
- D. fourthTry Prep Courses
Explanation: In the commonly taught sequence, the researcher first identifies a problem or question and then formulates a testable hypothesis. Some textbooks arrange the steps differently, but under this standard sequence the answer is second.
Correct answer: second39. A double barreled has the potential of having______________?
- A. two respectable responses/answers
- B. two answers but incompatible with each other
- C. Both A and B
- D. None of theseSubmit Research Papers
Explanation: A double-barrelled question combines two questions in one, so respondents may have two separate answers that do not agree. Therefore, both described possibilities can arise.
Correct answer: Both A and B40. Which one of these is a measure of dispersion ?
- A. parameter
- B. range
- C. median
- D. mean
Explanation: The range is a measure of dispersion because it shows the distance between the highest and lowest observations. The mean and median measure central tendency, while a parameter describes a population characteristic.
Correct answer: range