CAREPOINT REVIEW CENTER

Practice Test (Social Research/Research Methods)

1. It is an investigation that adds to the knowledge of a particular area of study, but may not have
obvious and immediate applications to real-world settings.
a. Basic research c. Traditional research
b. Applied research d. Action research

2. Which situation depicts the first step of the scientific method which is Identification of Problem?
a. Renzy heard his mother complaining about the increasing price of commercial kerosene. He
came up with a decision to look for an alternative fuel that can light up their lamps instead
of buying kerosene.
b. Renzy used his vacant time researching on the internet about biofuels. He also read several
books about plants that are potential source of energy. He found out that tuba-tuba is the
most promising biofuel crop.
c. Renzy recorded his observations in his SIP notebook. After gathering the necessary data, he
then studied them carefully. He used some mathematical computations in doing so.
d. Renzy finalized the script of his study. He presented it to his research teacher. His teacher
included his study as one of the exhibits in the “Inventions Week” held in their school.

3. Julia always makes sure that she accomplishes her tasks on time. She is concern in coming up
with a good quality of work using less time and money. What characteristic of a good researcher
is shown by Julia?
a. scientific b. creative c. resourceful d. efficient

4. A researcher studies achievement by children in poorly funded elementary schools. She

develops a model that posits parents involvement as an important variable. She believes that
parent involvement has an impact on children by increasing their motivation to do school work.
Thus, in her model, greater parent involvement leads to higher student motivation, which in
turn creates higher student achievement. Student motivation is what kind of variable in this
study?
a. Manipulated variable c. Confounding variable
b. Extraneous variable d. Mediating or intervening variable

5. It is a process skill that forecasts events based from observable patterns.

a. inference b. prediction c. observation d classification

6. Which of the following statements is an inference based on an observation?

a. It is raining hard the whole day.
b. Many students are absent.
c. The overflowing of the river causes the flood.
d. Classes are suspended by the mayor.

7. It is the most frequently occurring number in a dataset.

a. Mean b. Median c. Mode d. Range
8. During an experiment, the pupils were asked to observe a thermometer. Who among them
made the best observation?
a. Manny identified the liquid in the thermometer.
b. Joshua observed that the thermometer is transparent.
c. Jake noticed that the colored alcohol went up when dipped in hot water.
d. Piolo noticed the scale on the side of the thermometer.

9. A class of grade 4 pupils wanted to know where they can learn floating on water faster. They set
out to the swimming pool and the sea. What do you call this activity?
a. Hypothesizing c. Experimenting
b. Controlling variables d. Recording and interpreting data

10. In an experiment on mongo seedlings in which the amount of water has been adjusted, the
variable amount of water is called ___________.
a. Dependent variable c. Experimental variable
b. Controlled variable d. Independent variable

11. Research ethics prohibit an investigator from presenting the ideas or data of others as his or her
own. What ethical consideration is addressed in the statement?
a. Informed Consent c. Using deception
b. Opportunity to Withdraw d. Plagiarism

12. Which word correctly matches with its description?

a. Random sample – a sample in which each member of the sampling frame has an equal
chance of being selected.
b. Population – the eligible members of a group that can participate in the study.
c. Sample – the universe of people to which the study could be generalized.
d. Sampling frame – the subset of people from the population who will participate in the
current study

13. It is a non-random sampling which involves selecting people for the research who are available
for study.
a. Convenience sampling c. Systematic sampling
b. Snowball sampling d. Cluster sampling

14. “For whom did you vote in the 2008 presidential election, Obama or Mc Cain?” This kind of
question with two main response alternatives will generate what type of data?
a. Nominal b. Ordinal c. Interval d. Ratio

15. What is the main advantage of qualitative research?

a. It only needs small sample.
b. It provides a richer and more in-depth understanding of the population under study.
c. It provides results that are generalizable to the population at large.
d. It does not need the complexities of statistical computations.

16. It refers to the extent to which a measure yields the same scores across different times, groups
of people, or versions of the instrument.
a. Validity b. Reliability c. Correlation d. Cronbach’s alpha
17. In an experimental research, it is the variable that is systematically controlled by the researcher
to determine its effect to the outcome of the research.
a. Dependent variable c. Criterion variable
b. Independent variable d. Extraneous variable

18. A correlation is a statistical measure of association between two variables. It has a direction and
magnitude. With respect to direction, a correlation can be either positive or negative. What is a
positive correlation?
I. As one variable increases, the other variable decreases.
II. As one variable decreases, the other variable also decreases.
III. As one variable increases, the other variable also increases.

a. I and II b. I and III c. II and III d. III only

19. In a dataset, when the lowest score is subtracted from the highest score, the difference is the
_____________.
a. Range b. Variance c. Standard Deviation d. Median

20. If Pearson correlation can be used to show a relationship between two interval variables, what
inferential statistic can be used to show a relationship between two nominal variables?
a. Chi-square b. T-test c. ANOVA d. Spearman

21. A quantitative survey is combined with qualitative interviews, or a quantitative experiment is

combined with a qualitative focus group. This situation shows using more than one
methodology to address the same question to establish the validity and reliability of the data.
What method is employed in the above situation?
a. Mixed methods b. Triangulation c. Inductive d. Deductive

22. This is a non-active or zero-level version of an independent variable, often used in drug trials.
a. Factor b. Placebo c. Predictor d. Experimental

23. What statistics can be used to determine if three or more groups or levels of an independent
variable differ on a dependent variable?
a. ANOVA b. T-test c. Post-hoc test d. Chi-square

24. Random assignment involves:

a. the researcher selecting a typical population or group of people.
b. haphazard choice of assigning participants to a study.
c. using a sample of people that the researcher does not know about.
d. use of a random procedure so that each possible outcome has an equal chance of being
selected.

25. What is the difference between interval/ratio and ordinal variables?

a. The distance between categories is equal across the range of interval/ratio data
b. Ordinal data can be rank ordered, but interval/ratio data cannot
c. Interval/ratio variables contain only two categories
d. Ordinal variables have a fixed zero point, whereas interval/ratio variables do not
26. It is a statistical index which describes the degree and direction of the relationship between two
characteristics or variables.
a. Correlation b. T-test c. Probability d. Mean

27. What sort of data is income?

a. Ordinal b. Interval c. Ratio d. Nominal

28. Renzy made a wild guess based on the information he got from his research. He speculated that
tuba-tuba seeds oil extract can compete to commercial kerosene in lighting household lamps.
What step of the scientific method is depicted in the situation?
a. Experimentation c. Conclusion
b. Identification of Problem d. Formulating Hypothesis

29. Which of the following are the most similar?

a. nominal, ordinal and ratio data c. nominal, ratio and interval data
b. nominal and ratio data d. ordinal, interval and ratio data

30. The independent variable refers to:

a. the variable being manipulated or varied in some way by the researcher.
b. the variable which is only used in the control condition.
c. a variable which serves as the aim of an experiment.
d. the variable which shows us the effect of the manipulation.

31. When planning to do social research, it is better to:

a. Approach the topic with an open mind
b. Do a pilot study before getting stuck into it
c. Be familiar with the literature on the topic
d. Forget about theory because this is a very practical undertaking

32. Which comes first, theory or research?

a. Theory, because otherwise you are working in the dark.
b. Research, because that's the only way you can develop a theory.
c. It depends on your point of view.
d. The question is meaningless, because you can't have one without the other.

33. A deductive theory is one that:

a. Allows theory to emerge out of the data
b. Involves testing an explicitly defined hypothesis
c. Allows for findings to feed back into the stock of knowledge
d. Uses qualitative methods whenever possible

34. The qualitative research strategy places a value on

a. Using numbers, measurements and statistical techniques
b. Generating theories through inductive research about social meanings
c. Conducting research that is of a very high quality
d. All of the above
35. Research in which the researcher uses the qualitative paradigm for one phase and the
quantitative paradigm for another phase is known as ________________.
a. Basic research c. Quantitative research
b. Action research d. Mixed method research

36. We review the relevant literature to know:

a. What is already known about the topic
b. What concepts and theories have been applied to the topic
c. Who are the key contributors to the topic
d. All of the above

37. What is a cross-sectional design?

a. A study of one particular section of society, e.g. the middle classes
b. One that is devised when the researcher is in a bad mood
c. The collection of data from more than one case at one moment in time
d. A comparison of two or more variables over a long period of time

38. In an experimental design, the dependent variable is:

a. The one that is not manipulated and in which any changes are observed
b. The one that is manipulated in order to observe any effects on the other
c. A measure of the extent to which personal values affect research
d. An ambiguous concept whose meaning depends on how it is defined

39. If a study is "reliable", this means that:

a. It was conducted by a reputable researcher who can be trusted
b. The measures devised for concepts are stable on different occasions
c. The findings can be generalized to other social settings
d. The methods are stated clearly enough for the research to be replicated

40. An operational definition is:

a. One that bears no relation to the underlying concept
b. An abstract, theoretical definition of a concept
c. A definition of a concept in terms of specific, empirical measures
d. One that refers to opera singers and their work

41. A sampling frame is:

a. A summary of the various stages involved in designing a survey
b. An outline view of all the main clusters of units in a sample
c. A list of all the units in the population from which a sample will be selected
d. A wooden frame used to display tables of random numbers

42. Which of the following is not a type of non-probability sampling?

a. Snowball sampling
b. Stratified random sampling
c. Quota sampling
d. Convenience sampling
43. The findings from a study of young single mothers at a university can be generalised to the
population of:
a. All young single mothers at that university
b. All young single mothers in that society
c. All single mothers in all universities
d. All young women in that university

44. What is the name of the test that is used to assess the relationship between two ordinal
variables?
a. Spearman's rho
b. Phi
c. Cramer's V
d. Chi-square

45. What sort of data are post codes (zip codes)?

a. Nominal b. Ordinal c. Interval d. Ratio

46. If there were a perfect positive correlation between two interval/ratio variables, the Pearson's r
test would give a correlation coefficient of:
a. - 0.328 b. +1 c. +0.328 d. – 1

47. What is the difference between a bar chart and a histogram?

a. A histogram does not show the entire range of scores in a distribution
b. Bar charts are circular, whereas histograms are square
c. There are no gaps between the bars on a histogram
d. Bar charts represents numbers, whereas histograms represent percentages

48. Which of the following is the first step in starting the research process?
a. Searching sources of information to locate problem
b. Survey of related literature
c. Identification of problem
d. Searching for solutions to the problem

49. A reasoning where we start with certain particular statements and conclude with a universal
statement is called _________________.
a. Deductive Reasoning c. Abnormal reasoning
b. Inductive Reasoning d. Transcendental reasoning

50. From a sample of students in your statistics class, you collect the following: the student’s name,
gender, SAT score, age and their grade in a freshman level math class. The variable student’s
name is measured on which scale of measurement?
a. Nominal b. Ordinal c. Interval d. Ratio

51. Event A can be inferred to cause event B if _______________.

a. If A doesn’t happen, B doesn’t happen either
b. Whenever A happens, B happens
c. A happens before B
d. All of the above
52. The data set of annual revenues for Johnson & Johnson for the years 1994-2003 is an example of
a. Cross-sectional data c. Panel data
b. Time-series data d. None of the above

53. The nominal level of measurement is represented in which variable below?

a. Fear of crime b. Temperature c. Income d. Gender

54. Which of the following levels of measurement provides the most information?
a. Nominal b. Ordinal c. Interval d. Ratio

55. Median of 7, 6, 4, 8, 2, 5, 11 is _________.

a. 6 b. 12 c. 11 d. 4

56. Number which occurs most frequently in a set of numbers is ___________.

a. Mean b. Median c. Mode d. None of the above

57. “The introduction of the new models of Nokia mobile will lead to a decrease in the sales of
Siemens mobiles”. In this statement:
a. The introduction of the new models of Nokia mobile is the independent variable, and the
decrease in the in the sales of Siemens mobiles is the dependent variable.
b. The introduction of the new models of Nokia mobile is the dependent variable, and the
decrease in the in the sales of Siemens mobiles is the independent variable.
c. There are no independent and dependent variables.
d. None of the above

58. Mode of 12, 17, 16, 14, 13, 16, 11, 14 is _____________.
a. 13 b. 11 c. 14 d. 14 and 16

59. Which research strategy is described here? Theory is developed from data generated by a series
of observations or interviews principally involving an inductive approach.
a. Ethnography c. Action research
b. Grounded theory d. Experiment

60. If mean of 6 numbers is 41, then the sum of these numbers is ____________.
a. 250 b. 246 c. 134 d. 456

61. If two variables oppose each other, then the correlation will be ____________.
a. Positive correlation c. Perfect correlation
b. Zero correlation d. Negative correlation

62. Qualitative research is often exploratory and has all of the following characteristics except:
a. It is typically used when a great deal is already known about the topic of interest.
b. It relies on the collection of non-numerical data such as words and pictures.
c. It is used to generate hypotheses and develop the theory about phenomena in the world.
d. It uses the inductive scientific method.
63. ___________ is the determination of the plan for conducting the research and as such it
involves the specification of approaches and procedures.
a. Strategy b. Research design c. Hypothesis d. Deductive

64. If the researcher is concerned with finding out who, what, where, when or how much, then the
study is ________________.
a. Exploratory b. Descriptive c. Empirical d. Causal

65. _______________ presents a problem, discusses related research efforts, outlines the data
needed for solving the data and shows the design used to gather and analyse the data.
a. Research question c. Research design
b. Research proposal d. Research methodology

66. The quality of a research to produce almost identical results in successive repeated trials reflects
its ________________.
a. Reliability b. Validity c. Accuracy d. Linearity

67. The first step in the research process is the _________________.

a. Development of the research plan
b. Survey of stakeholders to determine if problems exist
c. Collection of the available sources for needed information
d. Definition of the problem and research objectives

68. What is a good research? The following are correct except:

a. Purpose clearly defined
b. Research process detailed
c. Research design thoroughly planned
d. Findings presented ambiguously

69. What is the key defining characteristic of experimental research?

a. Extraneous variables are never present.
b. A positive correlation usually exists
c. A negative correlation usually exists
d. Manipulation of the independent variable

70. Which research strategy is described here? The researcher is involved in the acts under study;
he/she causes changes and monitors the outcomes.
a. Survey b. Grounded theory c. Action research d. Case study