Chapter 9: Surveys: Putting Numbers on Opinions

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Web surveys may include all EXCEPT ______.

a. hosting your survey on its own website

b. using commercial web-based surveys

c. using social media to reach respondents

d. mailing survey forms to respondents

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Online and Mobile Survey Design

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Which one of the following is TRUE of the survey method?

a. Respondents can answer large numbers of questions.

b. Respondents must answer questions slowly.

c. Most survey questions are open-ended.

d. Surveys provide insight into the reasons behind the responses.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Which of the following is a demographic question?

a. age

b. knowledge of politics

c. job satisfaction

d. attitude to marriage

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Writing, Introducing, and Formatting Questions

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Problems with using survey results that have been published by other people includes which of the following?

a. The data is likely not proprietary.

b. The originating organization may have a bias or agenda in conducting the research.

c. You may have to analyze the data to meet your own needs.

d. They are time-intensive to write.

Learning Objective: 9.6: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using other people’s survey data.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Using Other People’s Surveys

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. ______ data refers to data sets that are so huge, complex, or rapidly changing that traditional software or databases cannot process or manage the data.

a. Massive

b. Big

c. Impossible

d. Large

Learning Objective: 9.6: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using other people’s survey data.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Big Data and the End of Surveys?

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Which of the following is TRUE of big data?

a. Traditional software or databases cannot process or manage the data.

b. Big data is easily integrated into existing communication theories.

c. Big data is usually not proprietary.

d. Researchers will have access to all data.

Learning Objective: 9.6: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using other people’s survey data.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Big Data and the End of Surveys?

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Surveys can be administered most cost effectively by ______.

a. phone

b. mail

c. Internet

d. courier

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Improving Survey Response Rates

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. The method selected to deliver survey questions will depend on all EXCEPT ______.

a. time available to complete the survey

b. budget

c. sample size

d. sampling unit

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Survey Methods

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. A combination of negative wording and a double-barreled question results in the ______.

a. double-positive

b. positive

c. double-negative

d. negative

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Double Negative

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. ______ allow respondents to select as many answers as they wish from a list.

a. Text boxes

b. Check boxes

c. Radio buttons

d. Sliders

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Online and Mobile Survey Design

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. ______ permit one response only from a list of options.

a. Text boxes

b. Check boxes

c. Radio buttons

d. Sliders

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Online and Mobile Survey Design

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Which one of the following survey types is best suited to assessing causal relationships?

a. trend

b. panel

c. cross-lagged

d. cohort

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cross-Lagged

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Respondents' answers to survey questions can be influenced by all EXCEPT ______.

a. question format

b. question wording

c. question order

d. font choice

Learning Objective: 9.4: Describe with examples common problems in survey wording and how to correct them.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Writing, Introducing, and Formatting Questions

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Typically, what things do surveys most typically seek to find out about respondents?

a. demographic data, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior

b. demographic data, political affiliation, attitudes, and behavior

c. ethnographic data, knowledge, media use, and behavior

d. demographic data, knowledge, attitudes, and media use

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Writing, Introducing, and Formatting Questions

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. What is a questionnaire?

a. the researcher in charge of a survey

b. a master list of questions from which a researcher selects questions to be answered

c. a specific set of questions the respondents answer

d. a device for randomly generating questions

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Chapter Overview

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. Surveys that collect data at only one point in time are referred to as ______studies.

a. panel

b. cross-sectional

c. cohort

d. cross-lagged

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cross-Sectional

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. Dichotomous questions ask respondents to select one response from ______ possible response(s).

a. one

b. two

c. three

d. four

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Dichotomous Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

18. Leading questions are questions that ______.

a. begin a questionnaire

b. lead respondents to questions they need to answer

c. lead respondents to give answers the researcher is looking for

d. lead respondents to follow-up questions they need to answer

Learning Objective: 9.4: Describe with examples common problems in survey wording and how to correct them.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Leading Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. Funnel-format questionnaires are questionnaires that move from ______.

a. broad questions to specific questions

b. specific questions to broader questions

c. open-ended questions to scaled questions

d. large numbers of respondents to smaller numbers of respondents

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Guiding Respondents Through Surveys

Difficulty Level: Easy

20. What do double-barreled questions ask?

a. questions that two respondents must answer together

b. two questions, each in a different format, to check on reliability

c. two questions before and after a survey to check on reliability

d. two questions simultaneously that allow for only one answer

Learning Objective: 9.4: Describe with examples common problems in survey wording and how to correct them.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Double-Barreled Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. Which of the following techniques are likely to maximize the response rate of surveys?

a. reminder mail or email

b. request from any source

c. assurances of confidentiality, but not anonymity

d. lack of follow-up with respondents

Learning Objective: 9.5: Identify ways to improve survey response rates.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Improving Survey Response Rates

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. In ______ studies, a group of individuals is sampled and recruited, and the same individuals are retained to answer questions over time.

a. trend

b. panel

c. cross-lagged

d. cohort

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Panel

Difficulty Level: Medium

23. ______ route respondents around questions they do not need to answer.

a. Branching

b. Leading

c. Guiding

d. Controlling

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Branching and Filter Questions

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. Double-barreled questions ask two questions simultaneously but allow for only one answer.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Double-Barreled Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Generally, it is not necessary to pretest a well-designed questionnaire.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Online and Mobile Survey Design

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. A problem with mail surveys is that potential respondents may see them as “junk mail.”

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Mail

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Letters or postcards letting potential respondents know that they will be getting a research phone call or questionnaire are unlikely to increase the response rate.

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Mail

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Open-ended questions are the most common format in most surveys.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Open-Ended Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Dichotomous questions force respondents to select one of three possible answers.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Dichotomous Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. A major advantage of Internet-based surveys is that we can have sampling frames of all Internet users.

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Online

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. The results from surveys of Internet users can be easily generalized to nonusers.

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Online

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. One disadvantage of surveys is that respondents are able to answer large number of questions rapidly.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Surveys are usually slower than other types of research.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction: Advantages of Disadvantages of Surveys

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. A disadvantage of survey is that results do not typically explain why respondents answered the way they did.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. One disadvantage of surveys is customers’ unwillingness to participate in them.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Likert-type questions end with a question mark.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Scale Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Surveys allow us to make generalizations.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. Cross-sectional surveys capture information at one moment of time.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cross-Sectional

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. In trend studies, the same group of individuals is retained to answer questions over time.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Trend

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. Question format and wording are very important and influence respondents' answers to survey questions.

Learning Objective: 9.4: Describe with examples common problems in survey wording and how to correct them.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Writing, Introducing, and Formatting Questions

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Leading questions should be avoided as they might lead the respondent to give an answer the researcher wants.

Learning Objective: 9.4: Describe with examples common problems in survey wording and how to correct them.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Leading Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. Double-barreled questions ask one question but allow for multiple answers.

Learning Objective: 9.4: Describe with examples common problems in survey wording and how to correct them.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Double-Barreled questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

20. Longitudinal studies track changes over time.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cross Sectional

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. Cross-lagged surveys allow researchers to draw conclusions about causality.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cross-Lagged

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. One disadvantage of open-ended questions is that there is often limited space in the survey form.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Open-Ended Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

23. One advantage of open-ended question is how quick they are to code.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Open-Ended Questions

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. Dichotomous questions require participants to choose one of two answers.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Dichotomous Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. In rank-order questions, researchers learn the level of importance a respondent has for each answer.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Multiple Choice Questions

Difficulty Level: Easy

Essay

1. Explain trend, panel, and cohort.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Types of Surveys

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Explain the difference between a survey and a questionnaire.

Learning Objective: 9.1: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Chapter Overview

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Identify three different ways of delivering survey questions to people and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Survey Methods

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Identify three problems that can often occur in designing the wording of a survey.

Learning Objective: 9.4: Describe with examples common problems in survey wording and how to correct them.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Common Problems with Wording

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Identify three problems particularly associated with mail surveys and describe how you could overcome these problems.

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Improving Survey Response Rates

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Identify the problems associated with sampling from phone directories for phone surveys and describe how you might overcome such problems.

Learning Objective: 9.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of mail, phone, face-to-face, and online surveys.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Improving Survey Response Rates

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Write an example of a multiple-choice question, a Likert-type question, and a semantic differential question.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Writing, Introducing, and Formatting Questions

Difficulty Level: Hard

8. Explain, with examples, what is meant by a “funnel format” and "inverted funnel" in questionnaire design.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Guiding Respondents Through Surveys

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Explain, with examples, what is meant by a “filter question” in questionnaire design.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Guiding Respondents Through Surveys

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of surveys designed so people can respond to them in their own words.

Learning Objective: 9.3: Demonstrate with examples common ways of formatting survey questions.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Open-Ended Questions

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. People are often reluctant to discuss personal behaviors, religious beliefs, and the like. Suggest ways a survey might be designed so as to maximize respondents’ comfort with such questions.

Learning Objective: 9.5: Identify ways to improve survey response rates.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Guiding Respondents Through Surveys

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Survey response rates can be very low. Explain what you can do to maximize survey response rates.

Learning Objective: 9.5: Identify ways to improve survey response rates.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Improving Survey Response Rates

Difficulty Level: Medium