50) When you’re using a search engine to find information on the Internet, what illusion should
you be aware of?
51) Briefly explain the main difference between an Internet search engine and a web directory.
52) List the three major disadvantages of Internet search engines; then, briefly describe other
electronic research tools that overcome those shortcomings.
53) Identify the advantage to seeking help from a reference librarian when conducting research.
54) Briefly explain the difference between primary research and secondary research.
55) What are some criteria you can use in evaluating the credibility of an information source?
56) Which of the following is one of the most common primary research methods for business
writing?
A) Observations
B) Surveys
C) Research reports
D) Experiments
E) Databases
57) Which of the following is an indication of the reliability of a survey?
A) Participants respond in a similar manner
B) There are a sufficient number of participants
C) Repeating the survey would produce identical results
D) A representative population sample is used
E) The survey is adaptive
58) Which of the following is an indication of the validity of a survey?
A) It measures what it intended to measure.
B) There are a sufficient number or representative participants.
C) Identical results are produced repeatedly.
D) A representative population sample is used.
E) The survey is adaptive.
59) Which of the following is the result of a survey that does NOT include equal samples of the
overall population?
A) Representative sampling
B) Violation of the Fair Use doctrine
C) A reference management tool must be used
D) Sampling bias
E) Variation in quantitative information
60) Which type of question is designed to solicit opinions and insights from the audience?
A) Leading
B) Open-ended
C) Compound
D) Closed
E) Ambiguous
61) Which of the following is a type of interview that allows a moderator to work through a
series of discussion questions with a group?
A) Focus group
B) Cultural sampling
C) Observations
D) Experiments
E) Adaptive surveys
62) Primary research refers to
A) new research done specifically for your current project.
B) the evidence that stands out in your report.
C) the research you conduct first.
D) research that is fairly easy to conduct.
E) research that is conducted in a consistent manner every time.
63) Which of these documents would NOT qualify as primary research?
A) A recent survey of your company’s top clients
B) The most recent issue of a trade magazine in your industry
C) Notes from a conversation you recently had with a local government official
D) Your company’s latest balance sheet
E) Data generated by other scientists
64) Ask ________ to solicit opinions, insights, and information; ask ________ to elicit yes or no
answers.
A) indirect questions; direct questions
B) closed questions; open-ended questions
C) open-ended questions; closed questions
D) reflective questions; descriptive questions
E) indirect questions; open-ended questions
65) When you’re selecting people to participate in a survey, be sure to get a ________ of the
population you want to survey.
A) stratified sample
B) representative sample
C) cross-sectional sample
D) small sample
E) cohesive sample
66) An online survey is vulnerable to ________ because it captures only the opinions of those
who visit the site and choose to complete the survey.
A) sampling bias
B) backchannel static
C) circular reasoning
D) transactional dysfunction
E) representative limits
67) People are more likely to respond to a questionnaire if
A) they can complete it within a short time.
B) you allow them plenty of time to research their answers.
C) the questions are open ended.
D) there is a reward for correct answers.
E) they can take it home and study the questions before answering.
68) Which of the following is a closed-ended question?
A) Would you rate the proposed expansion plan as likely to succeed or unlikely to succeed?
B) What do you see as the primary benefit of the proposed expansion plan for your family?
C) What corporate goals does the expansion help achieve?
D) How will the expansion affect day-to-day operations?
E) How do you think the client will react to the proposal?
69) A disadvantage of using too many closed questions in an interview is that they
A) do not take full advantage of the interview format.
B) allow important information to be revealed too early in the interview.
C) diminish the interviewer’s control over the interview.
D) require detailed responses.
E) become difficult to interpret.
70) When conducting an information interview, it is a good idea to
A) learn about the person you are interviewing ahead of time.
B) stick to using just one type of question.
C) save the most important questions for last.
D) avoid making an appointment, since you don’t want the subject to think ahead about answers.
E) begin by asking for questions.
71) The answers you receive from a person you’re interviewing will be influenced by
A) the types of questions you ask.
B) the way you ask your questions.
C) his or her cultural and language background.
D) all of the above.
72) A survey is ________ if it produces identical results when repeated. A survey is ________ if
it measures what it’s intended to measure.
A) valid; reliable
B) reliable; utile
C) reliable; valid
D) valid; intentional
E) intentional; reliable
73) The two most common primary research methods in the social sciences are
A) not appropriate for test marketing.
B) experiments and observations.
C) surveys and interviews.
D) test panels.
74) A survey is considered valid if it measures what it was intended to measure.
75) When selecting people to participate in a survey, the most critical task is getting a
representative sample.
76) What is the difference between a reliable survey and a valid survey?
77) Discuss the advantages of face-to-face interviews and focus groups.
78) Describe six strategies for producing surveys that are both valid and reliable.
79) Explain important considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to conduct an
interview face-to-face or via email.
80) Which of the following is the process of reproducing material from a source exactly as you
found it?
A) Summarizing
B) Analyzing
C) Paraphrasing
D) Concluding
E) Quoting
81) Which of the following is one of the advantages of paraphrasing a secondary source instead
of using a direct quote?
A) You can create a choppy feel in the writing
B) You can use vocabulary that the audience is more familiar with
C) You can mimic the tone of the original writer
D) You do not have to cite the source
E) You can more easily vary the tone of important sections
82) Which of the following is the midpoint of a series of numbers, with equal number of items
above and below that number?
A) Median
B) Correlation
C) Mode
D) Causation
E) Mean
83) Which of the following represents a correlation between two variables?
A) A cause-and-effect linkage between two factors
B) The sum of two items in a group
C) The relationship between subsets of data for each item
D) A simultaneous change in both variables
E) A definite pattern over time