Question 1

The analysis of existing documents and official statistics is NOT a solid method of sociological research.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 2

Brym and Lie suggest that few,if any,sampling frames are perfect.Even the United States Census,which is one of the largest and most meticulous surveys in the world,misses a small percentage of the American population.The group that was most undercounted in the census is:

Accepted Answer

A)  women
B)  minority groups
C)  college students
D)  European-Americans
E)  none of these choices B

Question 3

Newton refuses to discuss any competing view about string theory.He states that: "We know all there is to know about string theory!" This is an example of what form of nonscientific thinking?

Accepted Answer

A)  overgeneralization
B)  premature closure of inquiry
C)  the exception to the rule
D)  mystification
E)  illogical reasoning B

Question 4

Because training interviewers and researchers to go out and conduct research in person can be expensive,researchers have started using ____ instead.

Accepted Answer

A)  self-administered questionnaires
B)  face-to-face interviews
C)  telephone interviews
D)  close-ended questionnaires
E)  responsive questionnaires

Question 5

The question of whether researcher A would interpret or measure a variable in the same way as researcher B is a question of:

Accepted Answer

A)  reliability
B)  validity
C)  generalizability
D)  causality
E)  accuracy

Question 6

Census data,police crime reports,and records of key life events are perhaps the most frequently used sources of official statistics.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

A survey that focuses on sensitive,unpopular,or illegal behavior that leads subjects to answer inaccurately is a serious threat to the validity of research results.This problem is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  response bias
B)  wording effects
C)  researcher bias
D)  overcounting
E)  response rate bias

Question 8

When a sociological researcher interviews workers about their opinions of their health insurance,the researcher is engaging in what stage of research?

Accepted Answer

A)  reviewing the literature
B)  selecting a research method
C)  formulate a research question
D)  collecting the data
E)  analyzing the data

Question 9

Knowledge based on established authority or tradition can be considered scientific because it has been effective for a long time and respected people endorse it.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

If a sociological researcher includes gender as a variable in his research but is still using an exclusively male point of view in the construction of a survey,his research will suffer because it is:

Accepted Answer

A)  male centered
B)  male based
C)  gender polluted
D)  gender biased
E)  gender blinded

Question 11

The list of all the people in a population of interest is called a:

Accepted Answer

A)  voluntary response sample
B)  representative sample
C)  full population
D)  sampling frame
E)  probability sample

Question 12

In participant-observation research,there is usually only one person measuring variables in just one social setting.As a result,some sociologists have raised serious questions about the reliability of much participant-observation research.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

A sports commentator insists that football teams from Florida can not win in cold weather because these teams have lost 55% of their past games when played in cold weather.This statement represents which form of knowledge?

Accepted Answer

A)  overgeneralization
B)  generalization
C)  the exception to the rule
D)  mystification
E)  illogical reasoning

Question 14

A young sociologist conducting research about grief awkwardly phrases a series of questions on a survey.This creates a problem with the validity of the findings because research subjects are confused by what the questions mean.This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A)  response bias
B)  wording effects
C)  researcher bias
D)  overcounting
E)  response rate bias

Question 15

One means of overcoming the weaknesses of a particular method when studying a problem is to:

Accepted Answer

A)  follow a single method as well as possible
B)  research all methods over a lengthy period of time
C)  ask the research subjects which method is best
D)  conduct research before formulating the research question
E)  use several methods

Question 16

What is the problem of overgeneralization? How can sociologists correct for this problem?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the problem of overgeneralization? How...

Question 17

A political movement that has forced sociologists to reconsider issues such as the division of labor in the household,violence against women,and the effects of child rearing responsibilities is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  sociolinguistics
B)  feminism
C)  postmodernism
D)  conservatism
E)  political reform

Question 18

Construct your own essay question drawing on relevant course materials for your answer.Points will be awarded for both the question and answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Construct your own essay question drawing on...

Question 19

When conducting research on human subjects,sociologists are mindful of the need to:

Accepted Answer

A)  respect the reputations of their university
B)  respect the need of public information
C)  respect for technology
D)  respect for data
E)  respect the subject's rights

Question 20

One of the more popular ways of conducting a survey,where people are mailed a questionnaire and then return it to the researcher,is known as a:

Accepted Answer

A)  self-administered questionnaire
B)  face-to-face interview
C)  telephone interview
D)  close-ended questionnaire
E)  response rate

Exam 2: How Sociologists Do Research

The analysis of existing documents and official statistics is NOT a solid method of sociological research.

Brym and Lie suggest that few,if any,sampling frames are perfect.Even the United States Census,which is one of the largest and most meticulous surveys in the world,misses a small percentage of the American population.The group that was most undercounted in the census is:

Newton refuses to discuss any competing view about string theory.He states that: "We know all there is to know about string theory!" This is an example of what form of nonscientific thinking?

Because training interviewers and researchers to go out and conduct research in person can be expensive,researchers have started using ____ instead.

The question of whether researcher A would interpret or measure a variable in the same way as researcher B is a question of:

Census data,police crime reports,and records of key life events are perhaps the most frequently used sources of official statistics.

A survey that focuses on sensitive,unpopular,or illegal behavior that leads subjects to answer inaccurately is a serious threat to the validity of research results.This problem is known as:

When a sociological researcher interviews workers about their opinions of their health insurance,the researcher is engaging in what stage of research?

Knowledge based on established authority or tradition can be considered scientific because it has been effective for a long time and respected people endorse it.

If a sociological researcher includes gender as a variable in his research but is still using an exclusively male point of view in the construction of a survey,his research will suffer because it is:

The list of all the people in a population of interest is called a:

In participant-observation research,there is usually only one person measuring variables in just one social setting.As a result,some sociologists have raised serious questions about the reliability of much participant-observation research.

A sports commentator insists that football teams from Florida can not win in cold weather because these teams have lost 55% of their past games when played in cold weather.This statement represents which form of knowledge?

A young sociologist conducting research about grief awkwardly phrases a series of questions on a survey.This creates a problem with the validity of the findings because research subjects are confused by what the questions mean.This is an example of:

One means of overcoming the weaknesses of a particular method when studying a problem is to:

What is the problem of overgeneralization? How can sociologists correct for this problem?

A political movement that has forced sociologists to reconsider issues such as the division of labor in the household,violence against women,and the effects of child rearing responsibilities is known as:

Construct your own essay question drawing on relevant course materials for your answer.Points will be awarded for both the question and answer.

When conducting research on human subjects,sociologists are mindful of the need to:

One of the more popular ways of conducting a survey,where people are mailed a questionnaire and then return it to the researcher,is known as a: