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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41. Which of these is NOT viewed as a strength of surveys ?
- A. they are often undertaken by specialist agencies
- B. they offer an appearance of precision
- C. the data is easy to quantify and analyses
- D. large numbers of people can be studiedTry Science Kits
Explanation: An appearance of precision can be a weakness of surveys because numerical results may conceal measurement errors or oversimplify social experience. Specialist agencies, quantifiable data, and large samples are commonly treated as survey strengths.
Correct answer: they offer an appearance of precision42. Eyeballing is a technique that involves________________?
- A. reading a textual document quickly to understand the gist of it
- B. gathering a sample from whoever you can see in a public place
- C. scanning a table to identify general patterns and significant figures
- D. keeping your eyes on research participants at all times
Explanation: In research, eyeballing means scanning a table or dataset to notice broad patterns, unusual results, and potentially important figures. It is an initial visual inspection, not participant surveillance or rapid reading of prose.
Correct answer: scanning a table to identify general patterns and significant figures43. According to Scott (1990) a document is authentic if it________________?
- A. is a sincere and accurate account free from political bias
- B. is representative of all the similar documents that did not survive
- C. has both a literal and an interpretable meaning
- D. is a sound original, or reliable copy of known authorship
Explanation: For Scott, authenticity concerns whether a document is genuine, such as a sound original or a reliable copy whose authorship is known. Sincerity and representativeness are separate tests of documentary evidence.
Correct answer: is a sound original, or reliable copy of known authorship44. Ethnographic research produces qualitative data because_____________?
- A. the findings are amenable to statistical analysis
- B. it is conducted over a period of several years
- C. it uncovers rich detailed accounts from an insider's perspective
- D. it compares findings from a number of different cases
Explanation: Ethnography relies on close observation and participation to produce rich, detailed descriptions from the standpoint of people in the setting. Such data are primarily qualitative rather than designed for statistical analysis.
Correct answer: it uncovers rich detailed accounts from an insider's perspective45. A survey should avoid asking_____________?
- A. fixed-choice questions s
- B. short questions s
- C. leading questions
- D. funneled questions s
Explanation: Leading questions suggest or pressure respondents toward a particular answer, creating response bias. Fixed-choice, short, and funnel questions can all be useful when designed clearly.
Correct answer: leading questions46. Which of the following is not a research purpose ?
- A. triangulation
- B. explanation
- C. description
- D. exploration
Explanation: Description, exploration, and explanation are standard purposes of sociological research. Triangulation is a method of checking findings by using multiple sources or methods, not a research purpose itself.
Correct answer: triangulation47. Which one of the following statements is not part of the Code of Ethics developed by the American Sociological Association? Researchers must_______________?
- A. acknowledge research collaboration and assistance
- B. preserve the confidentiality of their subjects
- C. protect their subjects from personal harm
- D. make all research notes available for public scrutiny
Explanation: Ethical research protects confidentiality, prevents personal harm, and acknowledges assistance or collaboration. Researchers are not required to make all raw notes publicly available, especially when confidentiality could be breached.
Correct answer: make all research notes available for public scrutiny48. An instructor wants to determine if giving essay tests increases student learning one class that the instructor teaches she continues to test as she has always done In another class she gives the students essay s 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 experimental group receives the treatment being tested, here the essay tests. The class continuing with the usual tests serves as the control group for comparison.
Correct answer: experimental group49. William F Whyte's study of a low-income Italian neighborhood in Boston was a classic example of_____________?
- A. participant observation research
- B. a survey
- C. content analysis
- D. an experiment
Explanation: William Foote Whyte’s Street Corner Society involved extended immersion and observation within an Italian-American neighbourhood, making it a classic participant-observation study. It was not a survey or laboratory experiment.
Correct answer: participant observation research50. Which of the following would be an example of a random sample? A researcher_________________?
- A. administers a naira to every fifth woman who enters a business office
- B. examines the attitudes of residents of a city by interviewing every twentieth name in the city,s telephone book
- C. studies the attitudes of Democratic voters by choosing every tenth name found on a city,s list of registered Democrats
- D. None of the aboveHire Grant Writers
Explanation: Choosing every fifth or twentieth person is systematic sampling, not simple random sampling, because the selection follows a fixed interval. Therefore none of the listed examples is strictly a random sample, despite the stray text attached to option d.
Correct answer: None of the aboveHire Grant Writers