Research Methods and Design Questions and Answers

Q: ................ is a limitation of positivism in research.

A limitation of positivism is that It tends to oversimplify complex social phenomenon.Positivism treats social life like the natural world, studied through observable, measurable facts and general laws. Critics argue that this reduces complex human behaviour, meanings and contexts to variables that can be counted, and so oversimplifies them.The other options describe the opposite of positivism: it insists on empirical evidence, rejects subjective interpretation, and aims to remove personal bias.

Q: The ..................... method is a very popular form of qualitative analysis and involves a careful and complete observation of a social unit, an institution, a cultural group or even the entire community.

The method is the case study.The case study method is a form of qualitative analysis that studies one social unit, a person, family, institution, cultural group or community, in depth and as a whole, by careful and complete observation.An experiment manipulates variables under control, interviews and surveys collect information from respondents, usually many of them; none involves the intensive study of a single unit.

Q: ................... is the difference between the values of the extreme items of the series.

The answer is the range.The range is the simplest measure of dispersion: the largest value in a series minus the smallest. For 4, 9, 12 and 20 the range is \(20 - 4 = 16\).The mean is the average and the mode the most frequent value, both measures of central tendency. The standard deviation measures spread using every value, not just the two extremes.

Q: .................... are characterised by flexibility.

Unstructured interviews are characterised by flexibility.In an unstructured interview there is no fixed list of questions or order. The interviewer may follow up interesting answers, change the wording and explore new topics as they arise.A structured interview uses a set schedule asked the same way to everyone, which makes it rigid. A focused interview concentrates on one given experience, and a directive interview is controlled by the interviewer; both limit freedom.

Q: ................... is defined as the selection of some part of an aggregate or totality on the basis of which a judgement or inference about the aggregate or totality is made.

This is the definition of sampling.Sampling is selecting part of a population (the aggregate or totality) and studying it so that conclusions can be drawn about the whole population. It saves time and cost compared with a full census.Randomisation is a way of assigning or selecting units by chance, coding converts responses into symbols for analysis, and analysing is the later stage of working on the data.

Q: The type of research in which the investigators attempt to trace an effect which has already occurred to its probable causes is called .............

This is ex-post facto research.'Ex post facto' means 'after the fact'. The researcher starts from an effect that has already happened, such as poor school performance, and looks back for its probable causes, without manipulating any variable.Experimental research manipulates the cause and observes the effect, exploratory research investigates a little-known problem to form hypotheses, and action research tries to solve a practical problem on the spot.

Q: ..................... is a common goal of both positivistic and post-positivistic approaches to research.

The common goal is to discover new knowledge and contribute to the understanding of phenomena.Positivism holds that objective knowledge is reached through observation and measurement. Post-positivism accepts that observation is fallible and that complete objectivity is impossible, but still pursues knowledge through rigorous empirical inquiry. Both aim to add to knowledge about the world.Eliminating subjectivity entirely is a positivist ambition that post-positivism rejects as unattainable. Putting personal opinions above evidence, or avoiding data altogether, contradicts both approaches.

Q: The entire group from which sample is chosen is known as :

The entire group is the population.In research, the population (or universe) is the complete set of individuals or items that share the characteristic being studied and from which a sample is drawn, for example all the anganwadi workers of a district. The sample is the part actually studied.'Group', 'mass' and 'people' are everyday words, not statistical terms. A population need not even consist of people, since it may be households, fields or garments.

Q: A measure of the variability in different values of sample mean is given by the ............ of the sample mean.

It is the standard error of the sample mean.If many samples are drawn from the same population, their means vary. The standard deviation of that set of sample means is the standard error, and for a sample of size \(n\) it equals the population standard deviation divided by the square root of \(n\).The sampling distribution is the whole distribution of the sample means, not a single measure of their spread. The normal distribution is a shape that this distribution approaches. The variance of a sample measures the spread of observations within one sample, not between sample means.

Q: It is the spread between the highest and the lowest score ....................

The spread between the highest and lowest scores is the range.The range is the simplest measure of dispersion. It is the highest value minus the lowest, so for scores of 12, 18 and 30 it is \(30 - 12 = 18\).The mean is a measure of central tendency, not of spread. The standard deviation measures how far all the scores lie from the mean, not just the two extremes. A ratio compares two quantities and is not a measure of dispersion.

41.

................ is a limitation of positivism in research.

A.It ignores the importance of empirical evidence
B.It tends to oversimplify complex social phenomenon
C.It places too much emphasis on subjective interpretations
D.It encourages bias and personal opinions in research

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2024, SET Exam - 2024,

Answer: B

A limitation of positivism is that It tends to oversimplify complex social phenomenon.

Positivism treats social life like the natural world, studied through observable, measurable facts and general laws. Critics argue that this reduces complex human behaviour, meanings and contexts to variables that can be counted, and so oversimplifies them.

The other options describe the opposite of positivism: it insists on empirical evidence, rejects subjective interpretation, and aims to remove personal bias.

Discuss in Forum

42.

The ..................... method is a very popular form of qualitative analysis and involves a careful and complete observation of a social unit, an institution, a cultural group or even the entire community.

A.Experiment
B.Interview
C.Case study
D.Surveys

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2024, SET Exam - 2024,

Answer: C

The method is the case study.

The case study method is a form of qualitative analysis that studies one social unit, a person, family, institution, cultural group or community, in depth and as a whole, by careful and complete observation.

An experiment manipulates variables under control, interviews and surveys collect information from respondents, usually many of them; none involves the intensive study of a single unit.

Discuss in Forum

43.

................... is the difference between the values of the extreme items of the series.

A.Mean
B.Range
C.S.D.
D.Mode

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2024, SET Exam - 2024,

Answer: B

The answer is the range.

The range is the simplest measure of dispersion: the largest value in a series minus the smallest. For 4, 9, 12 and 20 the range is \(20 - 4 = 16\).

The mean is the average and the mode the most frequent value, both measures of central tendency. The standard deviation measures spread using every value, not just the two extremes.

Discuss in Forum

44.

.................... are characterised by flexibility.

A.Unstructured interviews
B.Structured interviews
C.Focused interviews
D.Directive interviews

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2024, SET Exam - 2024,

Answer: A

Unstructured interviews are characterised by flexibility.

In an unstructured interview there is no fixed list of questions or order. The interviewer may follow up interesting answers, change the wording and explore new topics as they arise.

A structured interview uses a set schedule asked the same way to everyone, which makes it rigid. A focused interview concentrates on one given experience, and a directive interview is controlled by the interviewer; both limit freedom.

Discuss in Forum

45.

................... is defined as the selection of some part of an aggregate or totality on the basis of which a judgement or inference about the aggregate or totality is made.

A.Randomization
B.Coding
C.Sampling
D.Analyzing

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2024, SET Exam - 2024,

Answer: C

This is the definition of sampling.

Sampling is selecting part of a population (the aggregate or totality) and studying it so that conclusions can be drawn about the whole population. It saves time and cost compared with a full census.

Randomisation is a way of assigning or selecting units by chance, coding converts responses into symbols for analysis, and analysing is the later stage of working on the data.

Discuss in Forum

46.

The type of research in which the investigators attempt to trace an effect which has already occurred to its probable causes is called .............

A.Exploratory research
B.Experimental research
C.Action research
D.Ex-post facto research

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2024, SET Exam - 2024,

Answer: D

This is ex-post facto research.

'Ex post facto' means 'after the fact'. The researcher starts from an effect that has already happened, such as poor school performance, and looks back for its probable causes, without manipulating any variable.

Experimental research manipulates the cause and observes the effect, exploratory research investigates a little-known problem to form hypotheses, and action research tries to solve a practical problem on the spot.

Discuss in Forum

47.

..................... is a common goal of both positivistic and post-positivistic approaches to research.

A.To eliminate subjectivity entirely from the research process
B.To discover new knowledge and contribute to the understanding of phenomena.
C.To prioritize personal opinions and beliefs over empirical evidence
D.To avoid using any form of data in the research process

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2025, SET Exam - 2025,

Answer: B

The common goal is to discover new knowledge and contribute to the understanding of phenomena.

Positivism holds that objective knowledge is reached through observation and measurement. Post-positivism accepts that observation is fallible and that complete objectivity is impossible, but still pursues knowledge through rigorous empirical inquiry. Both aim to add to knowledge about the world.

Eliminating subjectivity entirely is a positivist ambition that post-positivism rejects as unattainable. Putting personal opinions above evidence, or avoiding data altogether, contradicts both approaches.

Discuss in Forum

48.

The entire group from which sample is chosen is known as :

A.The population
B.The group
C.The mass
D.The people

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2025, SET Exam - 2025,

Answer: A

The entire group is the population.

In research, the population (or universe) is the complete set of individuals or items that share the characteristic being studied and from which a sample is drawn, for example all the anganwadi workers of a district. The sample is the part actually studied.

'Group', 'mass' and 'people' are everyday words, not statistical terms. A population need not even consist of people, since it may be households, fields or garments.

Discuss in Forum

49.

A measure of the variability in different values of sample mean is given by the ............ of the sample mean.

A.Sampling Distribution
B.Normal Distribution
C.Standard Error
D.Variance of Sample

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2025, SET Exam - 2025,

Answer: C

It is the standard error of the sample mean.

If many samples are drawn from the same population, their means vary. The standard deviation of that set of sample means is the standard error, and for a sample of size \(n\) it equals the population standard deviation divided by the square root of \(n\).

The sampling distribution is the whole distribution of the sample means, not a single measure of their spread. The normal distribution is a shape that this distribution approaches. The variance of a sample measures the spread of observations within one sample, not between sample means.

Discuss in Forum

50.

It is the spread between the highest and the lowest score ....................

A.Ratio
B.Mean
C.Standard deviation
D.Range

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2025, SET Exam - 2025,

Answer: D

The spread between the highest and lowest scores is the range.

The range is the simplest measure of dispersion. It is the highest value minus the lowest, so for scores of 12, 18 and 30 it is \(30 - 12 = 18\).

The mean is a measure of central tendency, not of spread. The standard deviation measures how far all the scores lie from the mean, not just the two extremes. A ratio compares two quantities and is not a measure of dispersion.

Discuss in Forum

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