1. A researcher who lives among the homeless in an effort to understand their norms is carrying out:
a. participant observation.
b. content analysis.
c. unobtrusive observation.
d. survey research.
2. The research technique in which the sociologist is the researcher but is also involved in the activities being studied is
called
a. subjective analysis.
b. participant observation.
c. actor-action research.
d. ethnography.
3. How scientific is sociology?
a. Sociology is always completely scientific.
b. Sociology aspires to be both scientific and humanistic.
c. All sociological research strictly adheres to the scientific method.
d. Sociology is not one of the empirical sciences.
4. Sir Francis Bacon originally defined _____, which involves several steps of the research process.
a. deductive reasoning
b. inductive reasoning
c. qualitative research
d. scientific method
5. Which of the following is not a step in the scientific research process?
a. Hypothesis testing
b. Finding funding for the research
c. Observation
d. Data analysis
6. In what way does sociological knowledge differ from philosophy and personal belief?
a. In sociological study the theory must be testable.
b. Sociology focuses only on social problems.
c. Sociological is never humanistic.
d. Philosophy and personal beliefs are based on empirical evidence.
7. Sociological study that starts with a specific research question focused on some generally-held principle is called
_____ reasoning.
a. inductive
b. deductive
c. conceptual
d. applied
8. A sociological study explores whether there is any truth to the stereotype that women are bad drivers. Which of the
following types of reasoning would be used in this type of study?
a. Inductive reasoning
b. Applied reasoning
c. Deductive reasoning
d. Conceptual reasoning
9. Reasoning that begins with specific observations about which one draws conclusions is called _____ reasoning.
a. inductive
b. deductive
c. conceptual
d. applied
10. When Bobby reviews existing research to develop a research question he is involved in _______.
a. a literature review
b. data collection
c. data analysis
d. research design
11. Qualitative research is based on _____.
a. survey data
b. statistics
c. replicated results
d. interpretive observations
12. Mark eats every day in the same cafeteria on campus and notices that everyone seems to sit with the same group
of people whenever they come to eat. Mark notices that people seem to be sitting with others who share traits such
as race or gender, and decides to explore if this is the case. What kind of reasoning does this involve?
a. Applied reasoning
b. Inductive reasoning
c. Deductive reasoning
d. Conceptual reasoning
13. Developing a research question is the _____ step in the research process.
a. first
b. second
c. third
d. fourth
14. Which of the following is not a source of sociological research questions?
a. Past studies that one may want to expand further
b. Past research that one would like to develop a critique of
c. An observation in everyday life
d. All of these may be a source.
15. ​
Professor Conway is reading the previous research completed on his research question. Professor Conway
is _____.
a. developing a hypothesis
b. reviewing the literature
c. performing content analysis
d. searching the web
16. Which of these is not important when assessing whether or not information available on the Internet is valid?
a. What kind of organization is responsible for the website
b. What variables are discussed and whether a causal connection between the variables is stated
c. If the research is based on a random sample or if it is biased
d. The date the website was last updated
17. Research that is exactly the same as a previous study, but on a different group of people or in a different time or
place, is called a _____ study.
a. carbon
b. replication
c. reified
d. spurious
18. How is doing a replication study useful?
a. A replication study can indicate what changes have occurred since the original study was conducted.
b. A replication study is only useful if the first study was conducted incorrectly.
c. If the original researcher replicates the study, it is more useful than other researchers replicating the original
study.
d. A replication is usually less expensive because most of the work has previously been done.
19. The _____ is the overall logic of the research project, including what observational method will be used.
a. review of the literature
b. causal logic of the project
c. research design
d. sociological analysis
20. The _____ is the second step in creating a research design.
a. available funding
b. research question
c. review of the literature
d. hypothesis
21. To study the difference in academic achievement between male and female athletes, one might look at rates of
graduation among university students involved in sports. This is an example of _____ research.
a. quantitative
b. qualitative
c. inductive
d. nonscientific
22. Professor Evans believes that if his students study more they will improve their exam scores. This is an example
of
a. quantitative research.
b. qualitative research.
c. a hypothesis.
d. a variable.
23. When a researcher uses numerical analysis, she is engaged in _____ research.
a. qualitative
b. quantitative
c. content
d. historical
24. Which type of research would Mary use if she wants to take an in-depth look at how mothers and daughters
interact?
a. Qualitative
b. Quantitative
c. Experimental
d. Historical
25. Based on what you read, you think that people whose parents are divorced are more likely to become divorced
themselves. As you begin your research, you state your belief explicitly. This is an example of a _____ .
a. research design
b. statement of causality
c. hypothesis
d. generalized conclusion
26. How are most hypotheses stated or formulated?
a. As an outline of steps that will take place
b. As a list of possible outcomes
c. As if-then statements
d. As a logical argument with evidence presented
27. Which of the following statements about hypothesis testing is true?
a. All sociological research follows the model of hypothesis.
b. A hypothesis is a demonstration of fact.
c. A hypothesis may be either accepted or rejected.
d. Only qualitative studies use hypotheses.
28. Which of these statements can be said of all sociological research?
a. It is all quantitative.
b. It is all qualitative.
c. It always has a plan for the collection of data.
d. It always follows the model of hypothesis.
29. A characteristic that may have more than one value or score is called a(n) _____.
a. variable
b. value
c. hypothesis
d. observation
30. Which of these statements about variables is true?
a. A variable must always be very concrete and straightforward.
b. A variable must always be as abstract as possible.
c. Research is often designed to discover how variables influence each other.
d. Only two variables may be included in any particular study.
31. Which of these statements is the best description of a variable?
a. A variable is something in which the researcher is not interested.
b. A variable is something that can have only one value.
c. A variable is something that can have more than one value or score.
d. A variable is a scientific statement of observation.
32. In a study of the impact of parental prejudice on the attitudes of their child, the attitudes of the child are the
_____ variable.
a. independent
b. dependent
c. intervening
d. control
33. The variable that is presumed to have an effect on or cause something else is called the _____ variable.
a. dependent
b. independent
c. intervening
d. test
34. In the statement, “Diet determines one’s life expectancy,” diet is the _____ variable.
a. dependent
b. independent
c. intervening
d. control
35. If research clearly established that “study time determines the grades that a student earns,” grades are the _____
variable.
a. dependent
b. independent
c. control
d. intervening
36. What is the term for an abstract characteristic that cannot be directly observed, but that can potentially be
measured?
a. Variable
b. Concept
c. Hypothesis
d. Indicator
37. Concepts are
a. empirically testable hypotheses.
b. abstract ideas that are potentially measureable.
c. ideas that can be directly seen.
d. characteristics of a person of a group.
38. In the example of the United Nations’human development index, life expectancy and educational attainment are
used as _____ for level of well-being, which is a(n) _____.
a. independent variables / dependent variable
b. indicators / concept
c. concepts / indicator
d. control variables / experimental variable
39. Which of these statements explains why indicator variables are used to study concepts?
a. Sociologists have no way of measuring concepts.
b. Concepts cannot be observed directly.
c. Concepts cannot be included as variables in a study.
d. Indicators are more easily defined.
40. When variables are used in a research project in order to measure an abstract concept, these are called
_____ variables.
a. dependent
b. independent
c. intervening
d. indicator
41. Social class and power are examples of:
a. a concept.
b. a hypothesis.
c. an indicator.
d. a scale.
42. When a researcher is measuring levels of well-being, the variables“lifeexpectancy”and“educational obtainment“
become _____, because they reflect an abstract concept.
a. a dependent variable
b. an indicator
c. a concept
d. none of the above
43. Using multiple indicators of a concept likely makes the measure more _____.
a. reliable
b. valid
c. reactive
d. reflective
44. How do sociologists ensure the validity of their research findings?
a. They stick to a single indicator for a particular concept in order to avoid confusion.
b. They use more than one indicator for a particular concept.
c. They avoid using concepts at all because they are too abstract.
d. They replicate studies multiple times.
45. Astudent’sgradesarenotanaccuratereflectionofthestudent’sintelligence.Thereforeastudent’sgradeslack
_____ in a study of intelligence.
a. validity
b. reliability
c. objectivity
d. abstraction
46. When a researcher is concerned if a measure gives consistent results, s/he is focused on _____.
a. reliability
b. validity
c. ethics
d. the Hawthorne effect
47. ​
Whether or not a measurement gives the same results when it is repeated under the same conditions is an indication
of the measurement’s _____.
a. validity
b. reliability
c. certainty
d. replicability
48. The gas gauge on your car is broken and always drops to empty when the tank is just half full. Although the
gauge is inaccurate, it can still be said to be _____.
a. valid
b. reliable
c. an independent measure
d. inconsistent
49. Which of these is used by sociologists to ensure the reliability of measures?
a. They use measures that have proven to work in the past.
b. They use multiple indicators.
c. They warn people that they are being studied.
d. They define the concepts in advance.
50. Astudentisgiventhesamesurveythreetimes,eachtimesittingaloneinaroom.Thestudent’sresultsonthe
survey are different each time. This is an indication that the survey
a. is not reliable.
b. is not valid.
c. doesn’tcoverthematerialitwassupposedto.
d. is biased.
51. Professor Stevens tells his students at the start of the class that he wants to measure how many pages of notes
they take during class. Which of the following is of concern for Professor Stevens?
a. The Observational effect
b. The Thomas theorem
c. Murphy’slaw
d. The Hawthorne effect
52. What is the Hawthorne effect?
a. Researcher bias when interpreting results of data collection
b. People acting according to what they believe to be true
c. Subjects of research altering their behavior if they know they are being studied
d. Believing something will happen actually causing it to happen
53. Which of the following is an example of primary data?
a. Theresearchusedinanothersociologist’sstudy
b. Police reports of crime
c. Theresultsofaone’sownsociologicalsurvey
d. Birth data from the Bureau of Vital Statistics
54. When sociologists conduct surveys or engage in participant observation they are gathering _____ data.
a. primary
b. secondary
c. background
d. experimental
55. When choosing a research method, the first thing for sociologists to consider is
a. what sociological question is being investigated.
b. which research method is most popular at the time of the study.
c. if funding is available for that particular method.
d. the size of the desired sample.
56. When used as data for sociological analysis, national opinion polls, and census data are all considered _____.
a. invalid
b. unreliable
c. secondary sources
d. primary sources
57. Which of these is an example of secondary data?
a. Theresultsofaresearcher’squestionnaire
b. Information on the population from the Census Bureau
c. The results of one’s sociological telephone survey
d. Data gathered from doing participant observation
58. If a researcher is interested in studying all baseball teams, a randomly-selected team would represent a _____.
a. correlation
b. population
c. sample
d. primary data source
59. What is a sample?
a. Any subset of people of a population being studied
b. Another term for the population under study
c. The set of data that comes in response to a survey
d. A portion of data taken from another study to the one being done
60. Professor Porter is interested in studying how students interact with faculty on her campus. All the students at her
college represent the _____ in her study.
a. population
b. sample
c. case study
d. experimental group