Deck 8: Designing the Questionnaire

Question 1

A question that is not clearly framed to provide respondents all the possible implications of a situation may lead to _____.

A) question order bias
B) assumed consequences
C) generalizations
D) item nonresponse
E) filter questions

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following statements is INCORRECT with respect to the randomized-response model?

A) The respondent answers one of several paired questions at random.
B) The interviewer knows which question is being answered by the respondent.
C) It is not possible to link responses to the paired questions with other responses such as demographic characteristics.
D) The respondent is less likely to refuse to answer or to answer untruthfully if the randomized-response model is used.
E) Answers to sensitive questions are more likely to be truthful.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following does NOT affect a respondent's willingness to produce a response?

A) Amount of work involved.
B) The person's ability to articulate an answer.
C) The sensitivity of the issue.
D) The individual's ability to remember the event.
E) All of the above affect a respondent's willingness to provide a response.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

When designing questionnaires, hypotheses can be used:

A) as a guide to determine what information will be sought.
B) to determine the type of question.
C) to determine the form of response.
D) Both a and b
E) a, b, and c.

Question 5

Which of the following is(are) useful in deciding what information will be sought in the development of a questionnaire?

A) Randomized response model
B) "Dummy tables" used to structure data analysis
C) The hypotheses
D) Both a and b above.
E) Both b and c above.

Question 6

A researcher developing a questionnaire becomes aware of an interesting additional relationship that could be investigated at very little cost and effort. He knows that this is not vital to his present research purpose. He should:

A) investigate it to a limited extent.
B) forget it.
C) evaluate the cost.
D) investigate it carefully.
E) investigate it, as this is likely to reduce sampling error.

Question 7

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) Respondents tend to answer questions even when they do not possess the necessary information to give reasonable answers.
B) Some questionnaire studies fail because the respondent is willing but is unable to provide the information needed.
C) A respondent may be more willing to provide information to a researcher if he or she is capable of articulating answers to the researcher's questions.
D) Any response given by the respondent is good.
E) Offering an incentive often affects the respondent's willingness to participate.

Question 8

In determining the type of questionnaire and the method of administration the researcher need not specify:

A) precisely what primary data are needed.
B) how these data might be collected.
C) what degree of structure will be used.
D) what degree of disguise is warranted.
E) the method of statistical analysis to be used.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT true about the randomized-response model?

A) The particular question asked is selected at random.
B) The interviewer does not know which question the respondent is answering.
C) The probability of the sensitive question asked is not known.
D) The probability of the "innocuous" event occurring is known.
E) It requires sophisticated statistical analysis.

Question 10

Which of the following is TRUE?

A) In forming a question for a questionnaire, a question should be worded so as to secure an answer with only the required detail, not so as to generate additional information.
B) It is wise to break one question into two when different frames of reference could be used by the respondent.
C) The open-ended question is often employed as the beginning question in that it can provide insight into the respondent's frame of reference.
D) When determining if the individual has the necessary information, the researcher should take into account how important the event was likely to be to the individual and how long ago it took place.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 11

Which of the following do NOT impact an individual's ability to remember information sought by a researcher?

A) The presence or absence of stimuli that assist in remembering an event.
B) The importance of the event to be remembered.
C) The length of time since the event to be remembered occurred.
D) All of the above impact an individual's ability to remember information.
E) Both b and c.

Question 12

A researcher who is investigating why consumers' tastes in cars are changing has developed lengthy attitude and motivation scales and several open-ended questions. She should use:

A) a mail survey.
B) personal interviews.
C) the observation method.
D) telephone interviews.
E) Any of the above would be suitable.

Question 13

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) There is a definite increase in claimed awareness when a respondent's memory is jogged using a recognition measure rather than an aided recall measure.
B) One thing that affects a respondent's willingness to provide an answer is the amount of work involved in producing it.
C) The only historically successful way of asking about a sensitive issue is to state that the behavior or attitude is not unusual before asking the specific questions of the respondent.
D) In general it is better to address sensitive issues later, rather than earlier, in the survey.
E) The randomized response model is sometimes used to secure sensitive information.

Question 14

Which of the following is TRUE?

A) A "filter" question can be used to determine if a questionnaire respondent is familiar with a certain topic.
B) Any questionnaire response is a good response.
C) Telescoping error refers to the fact that people tend to remember only events that have occurred rather recently.
D) An optimal reference period used for framing questions is about one year.
E) All of the above are false.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of an unstated alternative in a questionnaire?

A) Do you prefer driving to work?
B) Do you prefer driving to work or waiting for public transport?
C) Are you in favour of increasing taxes to expand social security?
D) Should people be jailed for drunk driving or sentenced to community service?
E) Should children be made to undergo detention or do community service for a minor offence?

Question 16

The respondent's "frame of reference" refers to the:

A) respondent's native language.
B) viewpoint a respondent adopts when answering a question.
C) dictionary commonly used by the respondent.
D) respondent's stage in the family life cycle.
E) respondent's native culture.

Question 17

Which of the following is TRUE?

A) Designing a questionnaire is often an iterative process, with steps or sequences of steps often being repeated.
B) It is difficult, if not impossible, to state a question in such a way that it will mean exactly the same thing to every respondent.
C) Gathering information by way of a questionnaire requires decisions with respect to structure and disguise and also whether it will be administered by mail, telephone, or personal interview.
D) Both a and b
E) a, b, and c.

Question 18

When deciding to ask for specific information, researchers should ask which of the following questions?

A) Is the question necessary?
B) Can two questions be combined in one?
C) Do respondents have the necessary information?
D) Researchers should ask all the above.
E) Both a and c.

Question 19

"Did you vote in the last presidential election?" is an example of which of the following question types?

A) Filter question
B) Leading question
C) Branching question
D) Double-barreled question
E) Telescoping question

Question 20

The first step in designing a questionnaire is to:

A) determine the type of questionnaire and method of administration.
B) specify what information will be sought.
C) determine the content of individual questions.
D) determine the form of response to each question.
E) determine the wording of each question.

Question 21

The most versatile type of question format used by researchers is the:

A) fixed-alternative question.
B) multiple-choice question.
C) open-ended question.
D) true-false question.
E) branching question.

Question 22

The question, "Do you exercise often? seldom? sometimes?" is:

A) leading.
B) concrete.
C) ambiguous.
D) contains an implied alternative.
E) contains an implied assumption.

Question 23

A split-ballot refers to:

A) the practice of using different phrasing or different orders for the alternatives on subsets of questionnaires to combat order bias.
B) the practice of splitting the questionnaire responses in half for more accurate analysis.
C) an administrative procedure in state elections.
D) averaging in scale construction.
E) None of the above.

Question 24

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) When using the funnel approach to questionnaire design, the researcher will start with broad questions and progressively narrow the scope of further questions.
B) Classification information is the heart of the survey and is so called because it will be classified into the appropriate categories of the dummy tables.
C) Basic information should be secured first and classification information last.
D) In dealing with sensitive issues when designing a questionnaire, the preferred alternative is to avoid these types of questions altogether, if at all possible.
E) One way of dealing with sensitive questions is to hide them in a group of more innocuous questions.

Question 25

"Please indicate your opinion on congressional spending and tax reform." This question:

A) would be a good closing question for a survey.
B) uses the funnel approach.
C) contains an implicit assumption.
D) is double-barreled.
E) is branching.

Question 26

The question in a restaurant survey, "What is your evaluation of the speed and courtesy of your waitperson?" is an example of a(n):

A) unambiguous question.
B) branching question.
C) double-barreled question.
D) generalization.
E) redundant question.

Question 27

A question that cues the respondent to the desired answer is:

A) leading.
B) double-barreled.
C) ambiguous.
D) closed-ended.
E) open-ended.

Question 28

In the randomized response model, which of the following questions would NOT be appropriate for pairing with this question: "Have you ever shoplifted?"

A) "Were you born prior to 1960?"
B) "Do you cheat on your income taxes?"
C) "Is your birthday in September?"
D) "Are you male or female?"
E) All of the above could be paired with the question.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT true about question sequencing?

A) The first few questions should be simple and interesting to respondents.
B) Narrow questions should be asked first and the questions should get progressively broader.
C) Classification information should be asked last.
D) Basic information, or the information most germane to the study, should be asked for first.
E) Questions on sensitive issues should be asked later.

Question 30

The "funnel approach" refers to:

A) asking simple questions first.
B) a method of data analysis.
C) successively narrowing the focus of related questions.
D) using a funnel as a visual aid when asking sensitive questions in a personal interview.
E) successively broadening the scope of related questions.

Question 31

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) Multiple-choice questions tend to bias results by the order in which the alternatives are given.
B) An important advantage of open-ended questions is that respondents may answer them in their own words and are not limited to a set of alternative answers.
C) Because respondents are able to better clarify their answers with open-ended questions than with other types of questions, the results can be more easily coded by the researcher.
D) Both b and c
E) a, b, and c.

Question 32

The following is an example of a(n) ____

A) double-barreled question.
B) leading question.
C) ambiguous question.
D) implied alternative.
E) branching question.

Question 33

Which of the following is TRUE?

A) Branching questions are easy to develop for a mail questionnaire.
B) Sequence bias is potentially more of a problem in telephone interviews than in mail questionnaires.
C) With the exception of telephone interview questionnaires (which are never seen by the respondents), it is generally appropriate to number the questions on a questionnaire.
D) The physical appearance of a questionnaire is especially influential in securing cooperation to studies done by mail.
E) All of the above are false.

Question 34

The question, "Do you feel the government should be forced to stop picking our pockets with excessive taxes and return a portion of the taxes collected to taxpayers?"

A) Is leading.
B) Contains an implicit alternative.
C) Is double-barreled.
D) Both a and c
E) None of the above.

Question 35

"Order bias" refers to the:

A) potential for responses to be affected by the sequence in which the alternatives are presented.
B) tendency of individuals to order their thoughts in a chronological manner.
C) desire of individuals to live in an "ordered world."
D) tendency of respondents to follow the instructions given by an interviewer literally.
E) tendency of respondents to complete questions in the order they are presented by an interviewer.

Question 36

What is wrong with this question? "What is your annual income?
____ $10,000-$25,000
____ $25,000-$40,000
____ $40,000-$55,000
____ $55,000-$70,000

A) The categories are not of equal ranges.
B) The alternatives are not realistic.
C) The categories are not mutually exclusive.
D) The categories are too broad.
E) The categories are too narrow.

Question 37

Which of the following is TRUE?

A) A double-barreled question is one that calls for two responses and thereby creates confusion for the respondent.
B) It is extremely important that the first few questions on a questionnaire be simple, interesting, and in no way threatening to the respondents.
C) Opinion questions are typically good openers for a questionnaire because people like to feel their opinion is important.
D) Both a and b
E) a, b, and c.

Question 38

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) Respondents tend to choose either the first or the last response to a multiple-choice question.
B) Item nonresponse invalidates the results of a research project.
C) When designing questionnaires it is good to keep in mind that many people have difficulty with relatively simple tasks.
D) A leading question is one formed so as to give the respondent a clue as to how he or she should answer.
E) Many dichotomous questions can be framed as multichotomous questions and vice versa.

Question 39

Item nonresponse refers to:

A) deception on the part of a respondent.
B) respondent refusing to answer a question.
C) respondent incorrectly answering a question.
D) deception on the part of the researcher.
E) poor phrasing of a question.

Question 40

Which of the following is TRUE?

A) An advantage of scales is that a great deal of information can be secured from the respondent in a short period of time.
B) Item nonresponse is the group of respondents who refuse to participate in the survey being conducted.
C) Once a good set of questions has been developed, it is of little consequence as to the order they are asked on the questionnaire.
D) Both a and b
E) a, b, and c.

Question 41

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) One problem with all questionnaires is that a question and the way it is asked will affect the response.
B) Initial pretests are best done by personal interview even if the survey is to be handled by mail or telephone.
C) Initial pretests are best done by personal interview unless the survey is to be handled by mail.
D) Both a and b
E) Both a and c.

Question 42

A questionnaire using quality paper and printing techniques:

A) is an unnecessary expense.
B) reflects the importance of the study.
C) is unimportant in gaining respondent cooperation.
D) is unimportant to questionnaire design.
E) causes mistrust in the respondent.

Question 43

In any study there should be two pretests, the first should be conducted by ____ and the second by ____.

A) personal interview, mail
B) the planned method of administration, mail
C) personal interview, the planned method of administration
D) the planned method of administration, the planned method of administration
E) There is no one best way to conduct the pretests.

Question 44

The following is an example of a ____. Many people are using dry-cleaning less because of improved wash-and-wear clothes. How do you feel wash-and-wear clothes have affected your use of dry-cleaning facilities in the past 2-4 years?

A) Double-barreled question
B) Leading question
C) Semantic differential scale
D) Branching question
E) All of the above

Question 45

A recruiting script is a(n):

A) introduction to a questionnaire.
B) method of statistical analysis.
C) list containing respondent details.
D) type of rating scale.
E) example of response order bias.

Question 46

The question "How much was the price per gallon of gasoline when you last purchased it at a full-service service station?" should be avoided because it:

A) is beyond the respondent's ability or experience.
B) uses a specific example to represent a general case.
C) asks respondents for specifics when only generalities are likely to be remembered.
D) is a double barreled question.
E) There is nothing wrong with the question.

Question 47

When using branching questions the researcher should:

A) develop a flow chart of the logical possibilities and then prepare the questions and instructions to follow the chart.
B) place the question branched to as close as possible to the question causing the branching.
C) order the questions so the respondent can anticipate what information is required, and thus answer the questions more easily.
D) place the question following the branch on a different page.
E) Both a and b.

Question 48

Which of the following is TRUE?

A) Smaller questionnaires that do not appear crowded are better at securing cooperation than larger ones.
B) One thing that seems to promote respondent cooperation is physically numbering the questions on a questionnaire.
C) The first pretest should uncover any problems with question wording or question sequence.
D) The second pretest should reveal any problems unique to the planned mode of administration.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 49

Which of the following statements does NOT describe an advantage of physically smaller, over larger, questionnaires?

A) They generally take less time to complete.
B) They are less likely to cause respondents to refuse to participate.
C) They are easier to carry in the field.
D) They are easier to sort, count, and file in the office.
E) They sometimes appear cluttered.

Question 50

The physical appearance of a questionnaire is important in securing respondents' cooperation, particularly for:

A) personal interviews.
B) mail questionnaires.
C) telephone interviews.
D) All of the above.
E) Both b and c.

Question 51

When the pretest results are analyzed and recorded in dummy tables, which of the following is most likely to have occurred if some part of a table remains empty?

A) The response rate was poor.
B) The interviewer asked leading questions.
C) Some respondents did not understand a particular question.
D) A necessary option was omitted.
E) The researcher has no way of knowing.

Question 52

If you were told that a young monk was rebuffed by his superior when he asked if he could "smoke while he prayed." A friend advised the monk to ask the question a different way: "May I pray while I smoke?" This illustrates that:

A) questions may be worded to always get a positive response.
B) questions may be worded so that the response is biased by the question itself.
C) questions should be worded to support the interests of the research sponsor.
D) monks shouldn't smoke.
E) a, b, and c.

Question 53

An interviewer gives the respondent very subtle cues such as saying "yes" and nodding his head to statements with which the interviewer agrees. This is an example of:

A) double barreling the respondent.
B) unintentional respondent fraud.
C) leading the respondent.
D) interviewer misunderstanding.
E) there is nothing wrong with saying "yes."

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT recommended to facilitate handling and control of a questionnaire?

A) Stapling multiple pages together.
B) Leaving enough room for open-ended questions.
C) Numbering the questions.
D) Using paper no larger than 8 1/2 x 11 inches.
E) All of the above are all recommended to facilitate handling and control of questionnaires.

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT included in the introduction part of the questionnaire?

A) Identification of the sponsor/researcher.
B) The purpose of the survey.
C) Explanation of how the respondent was selected.
D) Demographic questions.
E) Almost anything can be in the introduction part of the questionnaire.

Question 56

Which of the following about questionnaire design is TRUE?

A) If the early steps in questionnaire design are carefully followed, the questionnaire usually does not need to be revised.
B) When designing questionnaires, the researcher should expect to do a good deal of iteration and looping among the steps.
C) As a general rule, larger questionnaires are favored over smaller ones, because they are less crowded.
D) Both a and b
E) a, b, and c.

Question 57

The problem with using the following words: "like", "for example" in a question is:

A) it is used to introduce an example and the choice of an example influences response.
B) it refers to something akin to the subject of the sentence, yet is not the subject of the sentence.
C) it does not translate easily into foreign languages.
D) All of the above are problems with using "like" or "for example"
E) None of the above; that is, it's ok to use the word "like."

Question 58

The statement "Do you believe wholesalers or retailers are responsible for the high cost of meat in supermarkets today" is an example of a(n) ____ question.

A) double-barreled question
B) leading question
C) open-ended question
D) ambiguous question
E) All of the above

Question 59

Which of the following statements is INCORRECT with respect to branching questions?

A) Branching questions are more appropriate for mail surveys than telephone or personal interviews.
B) The evidence indicates that branching instructions increase the rate of item nonresponse for items immediately following the branch.
C) When designing branching questions, it is generally good practice to develop a flow chart of the logical possibilities and then prepare the question to follow the flow chart.
D) It is a good idea to order branching questions so that respondents cannot anticipate what additional information is required.
E) Place the question that follows the branch as close as possible to the original question.

Question 60

Branching questions are less appropriate with:

A) personal interviews.
B) telephone interviews.
C) mail questionnaires.
D) mall intercepts interviews.
E) Both a and b.

Question 61

There is nothing wrong with the following question: "Do you favor or disapprove of increased military spending next year, which, as you know, can protect our interests abroad and help us fight the war on terrorism."

Question 62

There is nothing wrong with the following question: "Do you believe McDonald's has fair prices, quality food, and excellent service?"

Question 63

The most versatile type of question format used by researchers is the ____________________ question.

Question 64

If a question has multiple possible answers, such as a question that asks a respondent to "indicate all that apply," it requires special consideration in terms of precoding.

Question 65

Sensitive questions should always be put first in a questionnaire.

Question 66

Words like any, anybody, best, could, and ever are NOT good words to use in a questionnaire.

Question 67

The words occasionally, sometimes, regularly and often are considered ambiguous.

Question 68

The questionnaire pretest serves the same role in questionnaire design that test marketing serves in new product development.

Question 69

A(n) ____________________ question is framed so as to give the respondent a clue as to how he or she should answer.

Question 70

You should try to use the word "always" in designing questions so that you place a specific time parameter around an event.

Question 71

The tendency for earlier questions to affect respondent's answers to later questions is called question order bias.

Question 72

There is nothing wrong with the following question: "How much do you think you would pay for a pair of sunglasses that will protect your eyes from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, which are known to cause blindness?"

Question 73

A question that calls for two responses and creates confusion for the respondent is called a(n) ____________________ question.

Question 74

What type of question is the following: "Do you feel that the quality of electronics manufactured in America are as good as those manufactured in Japan?"

A) Double-barreled question
B) Leading question
C) Ambiguous question
D) Sensitive question
E) All of the above

Question 75

Open ended questions are generally used only at the end of the questionnaire.

Question 76

There is nothing wrong with the following question: "When your child misbehaves at Toys R Us, do you discipline him/her?"

Question 77

Data collection should never begin until you have pretested the questionnaire.

Question 78

Discuss at least five (5) rules researchers should keep in mind in trying to develop bias-free questions.

Question 79

____________________ refers to the potential for responses to be affected by the sequence in which alternatives are presented.