Sample Questions and Answers
- What is the primary goal of research in the social sciences?
A) To establish a hypothesis
B) To explore new opportunities
C) To generate new knowledge
D) To prove existing theories
Answer: C - Which of the following is an example of qualitative research?
A) Survey with numeric scales
B) Experimental research with a control group
C) Case study involving interviews
D) Statistical analysis of a large dataset
Answer: C - What is a common challenge when conducting research in real-world settings?
A) Lack of participants
B) Managing large datasets
C) Ethical concerns and consent
D) Difficulty in establishing a research question
Answer: C - Which research design involves the in-depth study of a single case or small number of cases?
A) Experimental design
B) Longitudinal study
C) Case study design
D) Cross-sectional survey
Answer: C - What type of research focuses on finding cause-and-effect relationships between variables?
A) Qualitative research
B) Descriptive research
C) Quantitative research
D) Action research
Answer: C - Which of the following is a key feature of action research?
A) Emphasis on large-scale data collection
B) Focus on practical problem solving
C) Rigid control over variables
D) Use of experimental design
Answer: B - What is a key benefit of outcome-based research?
A) Establishing the cause of a problem
B) Focusing on individual cases
C) Measuring the effectiveness of interventions
D) Collecting a lot of descriptive data
Answer: C - Which of the following is an example of a quantitative research method?
A) Observational study
B) Structured survey with closed-ended questions
C) Narrative analysis
D) Focus group discussions
Answer: B - In research, the independent variable is the one that:
A) Is measured in the study
B) Is manipulated or changed to observe its effects
C) Depends on other variables
D) Remains constant throughout the study
Answer: B - Which of the following describes a limitation of qualitative research?
A) It lacks the ability to generalize findings
B) It focuses too much on statistical data
C) It is too time-consuming and expensive
D) It ignores the context of research problems
Answer: A - In a randomized control trial, which group does not receive the intervention?
A) Experimental group
B) Control group
C) Treatment group
D) Outcome group
Answer: B - Which of the following research methods focuses on the study of phenomena in their natural setting?
A) Laboratory experiment
B) Field experiment
C) Case study
D) Ethnography
Answer: D - A major challenge of single-case research design is:
A) The lack of control over variables
B) Generalizability of findings
C) The complexity of data analysis
D) The expense of data collection
Answer: B - Which of the following is an essential feature of an experimental research design?
A) No hypothesis testing
B) Random assignment of participants
C) Use of descriptive statistics
D) Focus on case studies
Answer: B - Which type of research design is used to explore relationships between variables without manipulating them?
A) Correlational research
B) Experimental research
C) Action research
D) Case study design
Answer: A - Which of the following best describes a limitation of quantitative research?
A) It is too subjective
B) It ignores the context of participants
C) It involves too much data analysis
D) It lacks the ability to predict behavior
Answer: B - In program evaluation, what is the primary purpose of a needs assessment?
A) To assess the effectiveness of an intervention
B) To identify gaps in services and resources
C) To collect data for statistical analysis
D) To evaluate participant satisfaction
Answer: B - Which of the following is an example of outcome-based evaluation?
A) Observing behaviors in natural settings
B) Testing participants’ skills before and after an intervention
C) Studying personal beliefs and attitudes
D) Recording participant experiences in interviews
Answer: B - In qualitative research, which of the following is commonly used for data collection?
A) Structured surveys
B) Statistical software
C) Open-ended interviews
D) Randomized sampling
Answer: C - What type of research design is used to study the effect of an intervention over a long period?
A) Cross-sectional study
B) Longitudinal study
C) Experimental design
D) Action research
Answer: B - Which research method is often used to develop new theories based on observed phenomena?
A) Deductive reasoning
B) Grounded theory
C) Experimental hypothesis testing
D) Correlational study
Answer: B - Which of the following is a characteristic of a well-designed research study?
A) It includes only qualitative data
B) It controls for external variables
C) It lacks any statistical analysis
D) It uses small, non-representative samples
Answer: B - The primary difference between qualitative and quantitative research is:
A) The number of participants
B) The type of data collected
C) The complexity of data analysis
D) The focus on real-world problems
Answer: B - Which type of research focuses on testing a hypothesis using numerical data and statistical methods?
A) Experimental research
B) Qualitative research
C) Quantitative research
D) Action research
Answer: C - What is the purpose of a control group in experimental research?
A) To ensure random assignment of participants
B) To measure the outcome of the intervention
C) To compare against the experimental group for differences
D) To introduce a bias in the study
Answer: C - Which of the following is a strength of qualitative research?
A) It allows for generalization to larger populations
B) It captures in-depth, contextual information
C) It minimizes the influence of the researcher
D) It uses highly structured data collection methods
Answer: B - In action research, who typically conducts the research?
A) External researchers hired by the organization
B) Participants who are also the researchers
C) Government agencies
D) Professional statisticians
Answer: B - Which of the following is an example of a non-experimental research design?
A) Randomized controlled trial
B) Case study
C) Pre-test/post-test design
D) Cohort study
Answer: B - What is a key challenge in conducting research on complex, real-world problems?
A) Difficulty in obtaining funding
B) Ethical concerns and biases
C) Limited access to participants
D) Designing a clear and testable hypothesis
Answer: B - Which statistical method is most often used in quantitative research to analyze relationships between variables?
A) T-tests
B) Regression analysis
C) Thematic analysis
D) Content analysis
Answer: B
- Which of the following best describes a characteristic of qualitative data?
A) It is numerical in nature
B) It focuses on understanding the meaning of experiences
C) It is analyzed using statistical methods
D) It is limited to yes/no questions
Answer: B - What is the main purpose of a literature review in research?
A) To summarize all data collected in the study
B) To provide background information and identify gaps in existing research
C) To analyze the results of the study
D) To recruit participants for the study
Answer: B
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