Research Methodology in Public Administration Questions and Answers

Q: The study of naturally occurring events of a situation is called :

It is called field research.Field research studies people and events in their natural settings, as they occur, without the researcher manipulating the situation. Participant observation and ethnography are typical forms.Experimental research deliberately manipulates variables under controlled conditions, which is the opposite of studying naturally occurring events. Survey research collects responses from a sample through questionnaires or interviews rather than observing events. Theoretical research works with ideas and existing theory rather than with events in the field.

Q: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :List IList II(a) Unique interview(1) Interviewer's role is mild(b) Personal interview(2) Interviewer himself writes answers(c) Focused interview(3) Collects entire information(d) Others administered interview(4) Face to face contactCodes : (a) (b) (c) (d)

The key is B: (a)-3, (b)-4, (c)-1, (d)-2.A personal interview is a face-to-face meeting of interviewer and respondent, so (b)-(4). Only option B pairs (b) with (4); A and C pair it with (1) and D pairs it with (2), so B is the only option that can be right.The other pairs fit B's reading: in an 'others administered' interview the interviewer himself writes the answers (d)-(2), and in a focused interview the interviewer's role is limited to keeping to a set focus (c)-(1). 'Unique' interview with 'collects entire information' (a)-(3) is the part I could not confirm independently.

Q: It is a form of non-probability sampling :

The form of non-probability sampling is purposive sampling.In non-probability sampling, units are chosen by the researcher's judgement or convenience, so not every unit has a known chance of selection. In purposive (judgement) sampling the researcher deliberately picks the cases thought most useful for the study.Simple random, stratified random and systematic sampling are all probability methods: each gives every unit in the population a known, non-zero chance of being chosen.

Q: According to whom '' to decide upon the right problem of research is half way to success'' ?

The keyed answer is R.L. Ackoff (printed 'Eckoff').Russell L. Ackoff wrote The Design of Social Research (1953), and the key credits him with the remark that to decide upon the right problem of research is halfway to success. The thought is a common one in research methods: a research problem that is well chosen and well stated shapes the design of the whole study.I could not find the quotation itself in any source I could check, so the attribution rests on the key. George Holmes, Lundberg and Goode and Hatt are known for other methodological works and none of them is the one the key gives.

Q: Which of the following is not an advantage of using closed questions in a survey ?

The item that is not an advantage is they prevent respondents from giving spontaneous unexpected answers (printed 'present').Closed questions offer fixed response categories. Their advantages are those in the other three options: answers are recorded uniformly, which reduces variability; they are easy to code, process and analyse; and they are quick and easy for respondents to complete.The fact that respondents cannot give spontaneous or unexpected answers is a disadvantage, not an advantage. The researcher may miss responses that were not anticipated when the categories were designed, and respondents may be forced into answers that do not quite fit their views. That is why open questions are preferred in exploratory work.

Q: The term 'secondary analysis' refers to the techniques of :

Secondary analysis means analysing existing data collected by another person or organisation.In secondary analysis the researcher uses data already gathered by others, such as census data, national sample surveys, official statistics or another research team's survey, to answer new questions or to reanalyse old ones. It saves time and money and allows the study of large, high-quality data sets, though the researcher has no control over how the data were collected.Studying seconds and measures of time is a pun on the word, analysing one's own data twice is reanalysis rather than secondary analysis, and part-time work is irrelevant.

21.

Mrs. Pauline Young has stated .......... type(s) of facts.

A.one
B.two
C.three
D.four

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The key is D, four types of facts. I could not confirm this from a source.

Pauline V. Young wrote Scientific Social Surveys and Research, where she discusses social facts and how they are collected. I could not read the passage on types of facts, and none of the web sources found gives a number, so this explanation cannot say what the four are.

The key is kept because nothing shows it wrong. One, two and three (options A, B and C) could not be ruled out from a source, so a reader should treat this item as unverified.

Discuss in Forum

22.

The study of naturally occurring events of a situation is called :

A.Experimental research
B.Field research
C.Survey research
D.Theoretical research

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: B

It is called field research.

Field research studies people and events in their natural settings, as they occur, without the researcher manipulating the situation. Participant observation and ethnography are typical forms.

Experimental research deliberately manipulates variables under controlled conditions, which is the opposite of studying naturally occurring events. Survey research collects responses from a sample through questionnaires or interviews rather than observing events. Theoretical research works with ideas and existing theory rather than with events in the field.

Discuss in Forum

23.

What does 'Sampling cases' mean ?

A.Sampling using sampling frame
B.Identifying people who are suitable for research
C.Researcher's briefcase
D.Sampling people, newspaper, TV programmes, etc.

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The key is D: sampling cases means sampling people, newspapers, television programmes and the like. This is from the key, and I could not trace the term to a source.

In content and media research, a 'case' can be a person, an article or a programme, and sampling cases means selecting the units to be studied from such a population. This fits option D, which names people and media items.

Option A describes using a sampling frame, which is a tool for sampling and not the meaning of 'sampling cases'. Option B describes identifying suitable people, which is closer to purposive selection, and C has no research meaning. The reading rests on the wording of the options, not on a cited definition.

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24.

Match List I with List II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :

List I	List II
(a) Unique interview	(1) Interviewer's role is mild
(b) Personal interview	(2) Interviewer himself writes answers
(c) Focused interview	(3) Collects entire information
(d) Others administered interview	(4) Face to face contact

Codes : (a) (b) (c) (d)

A.(2) (1) (3) (4)
B.(3) (4) (1) (2)
C.(2) (1) (4) (3)
D.(4) (2) (3) (1)

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: B

The key is B: (a)-3, (b)-4, (c)-1, (d)-2.

A personal interview is a face-to-face meeting of interviewer and respondent, so (b)-(4). Only option B pairs (b) with (4); A and C pair it with (1) and D pairs it with (2), so B is the only option that can be right.

The other pairs fit B's reading: in an 'others administered' interview the interviewer himself writes the answers (d)-(2), and in a focused interview the interviewer's role is limited to keeping to a set focus (c)-(1). 'Unique' interview with 'collects entire information' (a)-(3) is the part I could not confirm independently.

Discuss in Forum

25.

It is a form of non-probability sampling :

A.Simple random
B.Stratified random
C.Systematic
D.Purposive

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The form of non-probability sampling is purposive sampling.

In non-probability sampling, units are chosen by the researcher's judgement or convenience, so not every unit has a known chance of selection. In purposive (judgement) sampling the researcher deliberately picks the cases thought most useful for the study.

Simple random, stratified random and systematic sampling are all probability methods: each gives every unit in the population a known, non-zero chance of being chosen.

Discuss in Forum

26.

The prescription-oriented report should not be :

A.Value Driven
B.Normative
C.Casual
D.Purposive

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: C

The key is C, 'casual', which is the answer to the question as printed.

A prescription-oriented report recommends action, so it is value driven (A), normative (B) because it says what ought to be done, and purposive (D) because it aims at a stated end. It should not be casual: careless or offhand.

'Casual' may be a misprint for 'causal', which would make the intended question 'should not be causal'. I could not tell which was meant. Read as printed, C is the only option that a report of this kind should not be, so the key stands.

Discuss in Forum

27.

According to whom '' to decide upon the right problem of research is half way to success'' ?

A.George Holmes
B.R. L. Eckoff
C.Lundberg
D.Goode and Hatte

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: B

The keyed answer is R.L. Ackoff (printed 'Eckoff').

Russell L. Ackoff wrote The Design of Social Research (1953), and the key credits him with the remark that to decide upon the right problem of research is halfway to success. The thought is a common one in research methods: a research problem that is well chosen and well stated shapes the design of the whole study.

I could not find the quotation itself in any source I could check, so the attribution rests on the key. George Holmes, Lundberg and Goode and Hatt are known for other methodological works and none of them is the one the key gives.

Discuss in Forum

28.

Which of the following is not an advantage of using closed questions in a survey ?

A.It reduces the risk of variability in the way answers are recorded
B.It makes answers easier to process and analyse
C.They present respondents from giving spontaneous unexpected answers
D.Closed questions are quicker and easier for respondents to complete

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: C

The item that is not an advantage is they prevent respondents from giving spontaneous unexpected answers (printed 'present').

Closed questions offer fixed response categories. Their advantages are those in the other three options: answers are recorded uniformly, which reduces variability; they are easy to code, process and analyse; and they are quick and easy for respondents to complete.

The fact that respondents cannot give spontaneous or unexpected answers is a disadvantage, not an advantage. The researcher may miss responses that were not anticipated when the categories were designed, and respondents may be forced into answers that do not quite fit their views. That is why open questions are preferred in exploratory work.

Discuss in Forum

29.

The term 'secondary analysis' refers to the techniques of :

A.conducting study of seconds and other measures of time
B.Analysing your own data in two different ways
C.Analysing existing data that has been collected by another person or organisation
D.Working part time on project along side other responsibilities

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: C

Secondary analysis means analysing existing data collected by another person or organisation.

In secondary analysis the researcher uses data already gathered by others, such as census data, national sample surveys, official statistics or another research team's survey, to answer new questions or to reanalyse old ones. It saves time and money and allows the study of large, high-quality data sets, though the researcher has no control over how the data were collected.

Studying seconds and measures of time is a pun on the word, analysing one's own data twice is reanalysis rather than secondary analysis, and part-time work is irrelevant.

Discuss in Forum

30.

This method entails in-depth study of any one unit of social life :

A.Field study
B.Case study
C.Experimental method
D.Survey method

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: B

The method that studies one unit of social life in depth is the case study.

A case study is an intensive, holistic investigation of a single unit, such as a person, family, institution, village, organisation or event, using multiple sources of evidence like interviews, documents and observation. P.V. Young describes it as a method of exploring and analysing the life of a social unit in depth.

A field study investigates people in their natural setting but need not focus on a single unit. The experimental method manipulates variables under controlled conditions, and the survey method collects standardised information from many units, the opposite of depth on one.

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