Qualitative MCQs

1. Which of the following is a method that is commonly used in qualitative research?

a. Self-administered questionnaires
b. Surveys
c. Ethnography
d. Structured observation

2. Which of the following is not a criticism of qualitative research?

a. The studies are not generalizable
b. There is chance of biasness
c. The approach is too rigid and inflexible
d. The analysis is too subjective and impressionistic

3. A deductive approach deals with:

a. Emergence of theory out of the data
b. Testing of an explicitly defined hypothesis
c. Findings to feed back into the stock of knowledge
d. Qualitative methods whenever possible

4. What does an empiricist believe?

a. We should not apply natural science methods to social science research
b. It is the sociologist's aim to understand the meaning of social situation
c. Knowledge, in the form of 'facts', should be gained through sensory experience
d. All of the above

5. What does an Interpretivist believe?

a. Peoples’ perceptions and interpretations are primary data sources
b. Believe in total immersion in a setting
c. Prefer to use interview method for exploring data
d. All of the above

6. An inductive approach is one that:

a. Involves testing an explicitly defined hypothesis
b. Does not allow for findings to feed back into the stock of knowledge
c. Uses quantitative methods whenever possible
d. Allows theory to emerge out of the data

7. What is the epistemological position held by an Interpretivist?

a. There is no substitute for an in-depth, hermeneutic understanding of society
b. Scientific research should be based on value-free, empirical observations
c. Events and discourses in the social world do not prevent us from having direct
knowledge of the natural order
d. All of the above
8. Which of the following is an ontological question?
a. Should I use questionnaires or interviews in my project?
b. What can be considered acceptable forms of knowledge?
c. Do social entities have an objective reality, external to social actors?
d. All of the above

9. The objectivism ontological position suggests that:

a. Social phenomena and their meanings are constantly being accomplished by social
actors
b. Individuals are born into a world of rules and structures that they can change
c. Only business activities present an ideal opportunity to exercise the sociological
imagination
d. Social facts and objects have an external reality, independently of the people
who perceive them

10. What is a research design?

a. A way of conducting research that is not grounded in theory
b. The choice between using qualitative or quantitative methods
c. The style in which you present your research findings, e.g. a graph
d. A framework for every stage of the collection and analysis of data

11. Why do qualitative researchers like to give detailed descriptions of social settings?

a. To provide a contextual understanding of social behavior

b. Because once they have left the field, it is difficult to remember what happened
c. So that they can compare their observations as a test of reliability
d. Because they do not believe in going beyond the level of description

12. 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

13. A sensitizing concept is one that:

a. Provides general guidance for more flexible research

b. Imposes a predetermined theoretical model on the social world
c. Helps the researcher to investigate sensitive issues
d. Allows the researcher to measure very small changes in a variable

14. Which of the following is not a criticism of qualitative research?

a. The studies are difficult to replicate

b. There is a lack of transparency
c. The approach is too rigid and inflexible
d. The accounts are too subjective and impressionistic

15. Which of the following is not a contrast between quantitative and qualitative research?

a. Distance vs. proximity of researcher to participants

b. Generalization vs. contextual understanding
c. Hard, reliable data vs. rich, deep data
d. Interpretivist vs. feminist

16. Intellectual puzzle in qualitative research might be

a. Development puzzle
b. Mechanical puzzle
c. Comparative puzzle
d. All of above

17. In qualitative research, people, events and organizations are

a. Sources of data
b. Methods of data
c. Designs of data
d. Questions for data

18. In qualitative research, interview and observation are

a. Sources of data
b. Methods of data
c. Designs of data
d. Questions for data

19. Qualitative Research…

a. Is suited to richer understanding of ideas

b. Avoids statistical arguments about data
c. Isn’t concerned with large samples
d. All of these

20. Which of these is not a term typically used by qualitative researchers?

a. Phenomenological
b. Saturation
c. Textual analysis
d. Regression
21. Triangulation means
a. Conducting research over three months
b. Using three researchers
c. Conducting your research in a pyramid
d. Verifying your results by cross-checking with other methods of research

22. An inductive theory is one that:

a. Involves testing an explicitly defined hypothesis
b. Does not allow for findings to feed back into the stock of knowledge
c. Uses quantitative methods whenever possible
d. Allows theory to emerge out of the data

23. The interpretivist view of the social sciences is that:

a. Their subject matter is fundamentally different to that of the natural sciences
b. We should aim to achieve the interpretive understanding of social action
c. It is important to study the way people make sense of their everyday worlds
d. All of the above

24. The constructionist ontological position suggests that:

a. Social phenomena and their meanings are constantly being accomplished by social
actors
b. Individuals are born into a world of rules and structures that they cannot change
c. Building and construction work presents an ideal opportunity to exercise the sociological
imagination
d. Social facts and objects have an external reality, independently of the people who
perceive them
25. 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

26. Which of the following is not normally included in a written account of qualitative
research?
a. An introduction, locating the research in its theoretical context
b. An explanation of the design of the study
c. A discussion of the main findings in relation to the research questions
d. A decision to accept or reject the hypothesis

27. Postmodernist theorists challenge the idea of objective truth by arguing that:
a. There are many possible ways of interpreting and representing social reality
b. It is important to uncover the social laws that operate in an external reality
c. Only women have the unique standpoint needed to be able to make universal truth claims
d. All of the above
28. Sampling in qualitative research is similar to the type of sampling in quantitative
research?
a. Simple random sampling
b. Systematic sampling
c. Quota sampling
d. Purposive sampling

29. Phenomenology has its disciplinary origins in:

a. Philosophy
b. Anthropology
c. Sociology
d. Many disciplines

30. The specific cultural conventions or statements that people who share a culture hold to be
true or false are called ______.
a. Shared attitudes
b. Shared beliefs
c. Shared values
d. Norms

31. The type of qualitative research that describes the culture of a group of people is called
____.
a. Phenomenology
b. Grounded theory
c. Ethnography
d. Case study

32. In data analysis of the grounded theory approach, the step which focuses on the main
idea, developing the story line, and finalizing the theory is called ________.
a. Open coding
b. Axial coding
c. Selective coding
d. Theoretical saturation

33. Which of the following is not a criticism of qualitative research?

a. The studies are difficult to replicate
b. There is a lack of transparency
c. The approach is too rigid and inflexible
d. The accounts are too subjective and impressionistic

34. Why has qualitative research been seen to have an affinity with feminism?
a. It allows women's voices to be heard, rather than objectifying and exploiting them
b. It has always been carried out by female sociologists
c. It allows the researcher to control variables and suppress women's voices
d. It claims to be value free and non-political

35. Ontological perspective deals with?

a. Social reality
b. Everyday knowledge
c. Social assumptions
d. Evidence

36. Epistemology is usually called?

a. Theory of understanding
b. Theory of knowledge
c. Theory of evidence
d. Nature and essence

37. All qualitative research should be constructed around?

a. Deductive inquiry
b. Everyday knowledge
c. Intellectual puzzle
d. Intellectual understanding

38. Research questions in qualitative research to be explored and developed?

a. Research process
b. Research design
c. Research inquiry
d. Inductive method

39. A qualitative research problem statement:

a. Specifies the research methods to be utilized
b. Specifies a research hypothesis
c. Expresses a relationship between variables
d. Conveys a sense of emerging design

40. Qualitative strategic thinking is?

a. Fixed
b. Dynamic
c. Controlled
d. Pre-defined

41. Which of the following describes the disciplined inquiry of qualitative research?

a. The research is investigative

b. The research is rigorous in terms of data collection and analysis
c. The research emphasizes the voices of participants
d. All of the above
42. A qualitative research question?
a. Asks a question about some process, or phenomenon to be explored
b. Is generally an open-ended question
c. Both A & B are correct
d. None of the above

43. Which of the following is a characteristic of ethnographic research?

a. First-hand experience
b. Observation and participation
c. Cultural settings
d. All of above

44. Interpretivism is defined as:

a. Individuals understanding about social world
b. Interpretivism is an outlook in life about seeing things positively
c. It refers to study of a scientific phenomenon
d. None of above

45. Anti-humanist approach denies?

a. Everyday experiences
b. Humans as a meaningful entity
c. Meaningful social reality
d. Contexal understanding

46. Sources of researchable problems can include?

a. Researchers’ own experiences as educators
b. Practical issues that require solutions
c. Theory and past research
d. All of above
Answer D

47. Most commonly used method in qualitative research is?

a. Interview
b. Case study
c. Focus group discussion
d. Ethnography

48. The process of qualitative interviewing involved?

a. Knowledge is waiting to be discovered

b. Construction or reconstruction of knowledge
 c. Knowledge is fixed and controlled
d. All of the above

49. Which type of study is loosely structured and designed to expand understanding of a
topic and provide insights?
a. Formal
b. Causal
c. Exploratory
d. Experimental
e. Descriptive

50. Studies that are conducted in the field_____.

a. Occur under actual environment conditions
b. Controlled environmental conditions
c. Imitate reality
d. Control for extraneous variables
51. 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
52. 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
53. What is meant by the term "grounded theory"?
a. Theories should be tested by rigorous scientific experiments
b. As a social researcher, it is important to keep your feet on the ground
c. Theories should be grounded in political values and biases
d. Theoretical ideas and concepts should emerge from the data
54. What is meant by the term "theoretical saturation"?
a. Deciding on a theory and then testing it repeatedly
b. The point at which a concept is so well developed that no further data
collection is necessary
c. The problem of having used too many theories in one's data analysis
d. A state of frustration caused by having used every possible statistical test without
finding any significant results
55. What is involved in "purposive sampling" for grounded theory?
a. Using a random numbers table to select a representative sample of people
 b. Strategically selecting respondents who are likely to provide relevant data
c. Deciding on a sampling strategy early on and pursuing it relentlessly
d. Sampling units of time rather than individual persons
56. Why is an ethnographic study unlikely to use a probability sample?
a. Because the aim of understanding is more important than that of generalization
b. Because the researcher cannot control who is willing to talk to them
c. Because it is difficult to identify a sampling frame
d. All of the above
57. Which of the following is a component of ethnographic research?
a. Being immersed in a social group or setting
b. Participant observation, interviews, and/or documentary analysis
c. A written account of an ethnographic study
d. All of the above
58. Which of the following is a characteristic of qualitative research?
a. Design flexibility
b. Inductive analysis
c. Context sensitivity
d. All of the above
59. ________ is a general methodology for developing theory that is based on data
systematically gathered and analyzed.
a. Theory confirmation
b. Grounded theory
c. Theory deduction
d. All of the above
60. You want to study a Native American group in New Mexico for a six month period to learn
all you can about them so you can write a book about that particular tribe. You want the book to
be accurate and authentic as well as informative and inspiring. What type of research will you
likely be conducting when you get to New Mexico?
a. Ethnography
b. Phenomenology
c. Grounded theory
d. Collective case study

61. The emic perspective refers to an external, social scientific view of reality.
a. True
b. False

62. _________ is used to describe cultural scenes or the cultural characteristics of a group of
people.
a. Phenomenology
b. Ethnography
c. Grounded theory
d. Instrumental case study

63. Terms such as “geeks,” “book worms,” “preps,” are known as _____ terms.
a. Emic
b. Etic

64. When a researcher identifies so completely with the group being studied that he or she can
no longer remain objective you have what is called _________.
a. Culture shock
b. Going native
c. Regression
d. Cultural relativism
65. In "phenomenology," a well written report will be highly descriptive of the participants’
experiences and will often elicit in the reader a feeling that they feel as though they are
experiencing the phenomenon themselves. This experience is called _____.
a. A phenomenal experience
b. A vicarious experience
c. A significant experience
d. A dream

66. Which of the following is an example of value-free research?

a. Conscious partiality
b. Sympathy for the underdog
c. Unstructured interviewing
d. None of the above
67. An important practical issue to consider when designing a research project is:
a. Which theoretical perspective you find most interesting
b. Whether or not you have time to retile the bathroom first
c. How much time and money you have to conduct the research
d. Which colour of ring binder to present your work in
68. 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
69. Panel and cohort designs differ, in that:
a. Cohort studies involve quantitative research, whereas panel studies are qualitative
b. A panel study does not need rules to handle new entrants to households
c. Only a cohort study will suffer from sample attrition
d. A panel study can distinguish between age effects and cohort effects, but a cohort design
cannot
70. Which of the following is not usually found in a report of a quantitative study?
a. Measurement
b. Introduction
c. Confession
d. Results
71. The introductory section of a research report should aim to:
a. Identify the specific focus of the study
b. Provide a rationale for the dissertation, or article
c. Grab the reader's attention
d. All of the above
72. What is the purpose of the conclusion in a research report?
a. It explains how concepts were operationally defined and measured
b. It summarizes the key findings in relation to the research questions
c. It contains a useful review of the relevant literature
d. It outlines the methodological procedures that were employed
73. In a report of quantitative research, an empiricist repertoire serves to:
a. Confuse the reader with long and technical words
b. Demonstrate the researcher's reflexivity about their role in the research process
c. Give the impression that the results were objective and logically inevitable
d. Provide a confessional tale of what went wrong in the procedure
74. Which of the following is not normally included in a written account of qualitative research?
 a. An introduction, locating the research in its theoretical context
b. An explanation of the design of the study
c. A discussion of the main findings in relation to the research questions
d. A decision to accept or reject the hypothesis
75. An advantage of conducting an interview online rather than face-to-face is that:
a. It saves time and money as no travelling is involved
b. Informants have more time to give detailed, considered responses
c. There is no need to transcribe the data
d. All of the above
76. How might qualitative research facilitate quantitative research?
a. By providing hypotheses that can later be tested
b. By helping with the design of survey questions
c. By informing the schedule of a structured interview
d. All of the above
77. How might quantitative research facilitate qualitative research?
a. By identifying specific groups of people to be interviewed
b. By showing the frequency of different responses to a survey item
c. By imposing a rigorous positivist framework on it
d. By combining laboratory experiments with structured observation
78. Why might qualitative researchers regard interviewing an attractive alternative to participant
observation?
a. It is easier to accommodate into the researchers personal life.
b. It gives a better insight into the day to day functioning of the research site.
c. It is a considerably less time-consuming process.
d. It reduces the problem of reactivity.
79. Which of the following is a quality associated with qualitative interviewing as opposed to
quantitative interviewing?
a. Replicability.
b. Generalizability.
c. Flexibility.
d. Sustainability.
80. A practical tip for transcribing interviews is to:
a. get the respondent to do it.
b. transcribe only those sections of an interview that are important.
c. invest in the latest voice recognition software.
d. all of the above.
81. Ethnomethodology is:
 a. a research methodology that looks at prioritises the role of ethnic minorities.
b. the study of covert research methods.
c. the study of how ethnography can be combined with social surveys.
d. the study of the methods of accomplishing social order.
82. Sampling in qualitative research is similar to which type of sampling in quantitative
research?
a. Simple random sampling
b. Systematic sampling
c. Quota sampling
d. Purposive sampling
83. ___________ is a set of elements taken from a larger population according to certain rules.

a. Sample
b. Population
c. Statistic
d. Element
84. What is meta-analysis?
a. A technique of correcting for the errors in individual studies within a survey
of a large number of studies, to demonstrate the effect of a particular
variable
b. A process of secondary-data gathering to assemble all the possibilities for a
variable's effects
c. A substitute for original research, which is justified by constraints of time or
money
d. A specialized step in a computer software program (SPSS e.g.)
85. Clearly defined topic supports the
a. Ontological position
b. Epistemological position
c. Both of above
d. None of above
86. Rapport building with research participants is not the part of qualitative research
a. True
b. Partially true
c. False
d. Either can be true or false
e. Qualitative
87. Naturalism has been defined as:
a. Viewing natural and social objects as belonging to the same realm
b. Being true to the nature of the phenomenon under investigation
 c. Minimizing the intrusion of artificial methods of data collection into the
field
d. All of the above
88. Why is it important that personal data about research participants are kept within secure,
confidential records?
a. So that the participants cannot find out what has been written about them
b. So that individuals, places or organizations cannot be harmed through
identification or disclosure of personal information
c. So that government officials, teachers and other people in authority can
have easy access to the data
d. To enable the researcher to track down individuals and find out more
about their lives

89. The minimum sample size for qualitative interviewing is:

a. 10
b. 20
c. 50
d. It's hard to say
90. What represents wider ontological and epistemological positions in qualitative approach?
a. Research question
b. Hypothesis
c. Proposition
d. All of the above

91. Which of the following is characteristic of qualitative research?

a. Generalization to the population
b. Random sampling
c. Unique case orientation
d. Standardized tests and measures

92. Phenomenology has its disciplinary origins in:

a. Philosophy
b. Anthropology
c. Sociology
d. Many disciplines
93. The specific cultural conventions or statements that people who share a culture hold to be
true or false are called ______.
a. Shared attitudes
b. Shared beliefs
c. Shared values
d. Norms

94. The written and unwritten rules that specify appropriate group behavior are called _____.
a. Shared attitudes
b. Shared beliefs
c. Shared values
d. Norms
95. _____ are the standards of a culture about what is good or bad or desirable or undesirable.
a. Shared attitudes
b. Shared beliefs
c. Shared values
d. Norms

96. _________ is the study of human consciousness and individuals’ experience of some
phenomenon.
a. Phenomenology
b. Ethnography
c. Grounded theory
d. Case study research

97. Which of the following is a characteristic of qualitative research?

a. Design flexibility
b. Inductive analysis
c. Context sensitivity
d. All of the above
99. The final stage in grounded theory data analysis is called ___________.

a. Axial coding
b. Theoretical saturation
c. Constant comparative method
d. Selective coding

100. In which qualitative research approach is the primary goal to gain access to individuals’
inner worlds of experience?
a. Phenomenology
b. Ethnography
c. Grounded theory
d. Case study

101) Intellectual puzzle in qualitative research can be solved by

a) field experience
b) understanding the verbatim
c) verstehan by the researcher to understand phenomenon
d) prior formulation of research questions

102) researchers’ struggle is to

a) reach out to the research population
b) getting across the gate keeper to get insider view
c) articulating essence of enquiry
d) forming the research design

103) Seeing true nature and essence of social reality is

a) varying from situation to situation
b) fundamental need of quantitative research
c) ontological position of researcher
d) hard to conceptualise

104) Epistemology in qualitative research is

a) research’s theory of knowledge
b) reality of social phenomenon
c) research design
d) theoretical framework

105) Epistemology helps in connection to the joining dots of ontological questions

a) agreed
b) disagreed
c) it’s true only in quantitative research
d) it’s elusive and vague idea not applicable .

106) Designing research in qualitative research is

a) having an entire blue print for research in advance
b) understanding to evolve a prior strategy
c) grounded practice fluid and exploratory
d) designing basic idea at the start of proposal

107) what the difference between external research design and internal research design
a) one is for the initial proposal audience and former is for the researcher
b) it means the research design for the initial stage later is for the final stage
c) external refers to the outer world perspective and the internal designs refers to the insider’s
approach
d) none of above

108) thinking creatively for your research will

a) make it only more elusive
b) stray you off from reality
c) broaden the horizon of research choices
d) it will limit the use of practical knowledge

109) Making a data chart of possible research methods and including those which you can reject
later
a) wastage of time
b) quantitative method
c) it will confuse further
d) good way to start

110) what question a researcher should ask at the beginning of research

a) which elements of the background relate to my area of research
b) where to head for funding
c) workout the financial constraints first
d) figuring out the time constraints

111) The components important at the beginning stage of research contains

a) research questions, data sources , justification.
b) research question, theoretical framework, internal research design
c) research question, grounded theory , methodology
d) none of above
112) methodological strategy is
a) logical answers to research questions
b) logical pattern of collecting data
c) rationale of proposal
d) grounded theory evolving from research

113) methodological strategy is building and assembly

a) data
b) evidence
c) none of them
d) both of them

114) methodological studies covers

a) historical context
b) method of data collection
c) before and after study of phenomenon
d) a and c

115) methodological strategy

a) it’s about finding right label of school of thought for the research type .
b) it is about aligning with particular version of research philosophy
c) it means alignment with particular philosophical school of thought of social eg feminism, post
modernism
d) none of above

116) For data collection the most desirable way is to focus on

a) one method of data collection
b) multiple ways of data collection
c) not to make on an untidy bag of methods
d) b and c

117) ontological integration means

a) combination of various methods
b) strategy of data collection
c) consistency of data
d) logic of methodology

118) integration of the knowledge and evidence involves asking for

a) whether the data collected is authentic
b) whether the data collection is followed by ethical considerations
c) whether the different methods emanate from same epistemology
d) a and b

119) the important parts of research planning is

a) evidence and substantiation
b) decision on size and scale of project
c) both of above
d) none of above

120) reliability stands for

a) generalisability of research outcome
b) accuracy of data analysis
c) accuracy of data collection methods and technique
d) all of above

Key to answers
1) d 2) c 3) c 4) a 5) a 6) b 7) a 8) c 9) d 10)a
11) a 12) a 13) d 14) c 15) a 16) d 17) c 18) c 19) c 20) c