Multiple choice questions
Question 1
Which of the following statements is correct?
a) Self-completion questionnaires are a type of postal survey
b) Postal surveys can include self-completion or email surveys
c) Self-completion questionnaires can include postal or email surveys
d) Email surveys are a type of postal questionnaire
Question 2
One of the advantages of self-completion questionnaires over structured interviews is that:
a) They are quicker and cheaper to administer
b) They create interviewer effects
c) They have greater measurement validity
d) They are less prone to inter-coder variation
Question 3
Which of the following is not a disadvantage of self-completion questionnaires compared to structured interviews?
a) The respondent can read the whole questionnaire before answering the first question
b) The researcher cannot ask many closed-ended questions
c) The researcher cannot probe or prompt respondents for more detail
d) The respondent may not answer all questions, resulting in missing data
Question 4
Which of the following steps can be taken to improve response rates to postal questionnaires?
a) Write a personalized covering letter to introduce the research
b) Enclose a stamped addressed envelope with a postal questionnaire
c) Send out polite reminder letters
d) All of the above
Question 5
Why is it generally better to present fixed choice answers in vertical rather than horizontal form?
a) It takes up less space on the page
b) It encourages respondents to choose more than one answer
c) It allows questions to be spread over more than one page
d) It makes the layout of the questionnaire more clear and unambiguous
Question 6
When using a Likert scale with a long list of items, it is usually better to:
a) Arrange the answers horizontally, in abbreviated form
b) List the answers vertically, for each consecutive item
c) Omit any instructions about how to select an answer
d) List all questions on one page and all answers on another
question 7
In order to identify response sets in a Likert scale, you could:
a) Pre-code all items consistently from 1-5
b) Reverse the scoring of pre-coded answers
c) Only include items about socially desirable behaviours
d) Include explicit instructions to respondents not to deceive you
Question 8
Corti (1993) makes a distinction between two types of researcher-driven diary:
a) Valid and reliable diaries
b) Quantitative and qualitative diaries
c) Structured and free-text diaries
d) Open or closed answer diaries
Question 9
The 'time-use' diary can provide quantitative data about:
a) The amount of time respondents spend on certain activities every day
b) The subjective meanings that concepts of 'time' have for different people
c) The way respondents make sense of their life stories in narrative form
d) The historical significance of clocks, watches and other devices for measuring time
Question 10
One advantage of using diaries in quantitative research is that:
a) There is a reduced risk of attrition, as respondents tend to be highly motivated
b) They are likely to elicit data about sensitive issues or deviant activities
c) They highlight the thoughts, feelings and experiences that are unique to each respondent
d) None of the above