Research methodology MCQ questions and answers

1. The researcher who is conducting the research must be ___ and neutral
in approach.
Ans. Objective

2. Research always requires a ___ and ___ method of inquiry

Ans. Structured, sequential

3. Research is done for ___ existing theories or arriving at new ___

Ans. Proving, models

4. An important aspect of business research is its ___ assisting nature.

Ans. Decision

5. Applied research is the kind of research where one needs to apply specific
statistical procedures. (True/ false)
Ans. False

6. In basic research, the context is vast and the time period is flexible.
(True/ false)
Ans. True

7. The research that is especially carried out to test and validate the study
hypotheses is termed
(a) Fundamental resaeach
(b) Applied research
(c) Conclusive research
(d) Exploratory research
Ans. (c) Conclusive research

8. The research studies that explore the effect of one thing on another and
more specifically, the effect of one variable on another are known as
(a) Causal research
(b) Applied research
(c) Conclusive research
(d) Exploratory research
Ans. (a) Causal research

9. Every research study always begins with a hypothesis. (True/ false)

Ans. False
10. The group of individuals from whom one needs to collect data for the
study is called the sample. (True/ false)
Ans. True

11. The assumption about the expected result of the research is called the
___.
Ans. Hypothesis

12. The data collection methods may be classified into ___ and ___ data
methods.
Ans. Primary, secondary

13. Marketing department of a business organization carries out researches

related to:
(a) Product
(b) Pricing
(c) Promotion
(d) All the above
Ans. (d) All the above

14. Demand forecasting, and quality assurance and management are part of
(a) Personnel and human resource management
(b) Marketing function
(c) Financial and accounting research
(d) Production and operations management
Ans. (a) Production and operations management

15. The research study must follow a ___ plan for investigation.
Ans. Sequential

16. One of the most important aspects of a research study is that it must be
___ if one follows similar conditions.
Ans. Replicable

17. The management decision problem must be reduced to a ___ problem.

Ans. Research

18. A research problem can be defined as ___ in the decision makers’

existing body of knowledge which inhibits efficient decision making.
Ans. A gap

19. Simple research problems usually test ___ relationships.

Ans. Linear
20. Complex problems look at the interrelationship between ___ variables.
Ans. Multiple

21. The management problem is a difficulty face by the ___

Ans. Decision maker

22. The management research problem has to be converted into a ___

before it can be tested.
Ans. Research problem

23. The management decision problem can be tested, that is, subjected to
research inquiry.
(True/ False)
Ans. False

24. How can students be made to learn the course on research methodology
is a research problem. (True/False)
Ans. False

25. Which of these is not a step in the problem identification process?

(a) Discussion with subject experts
(b) Review of existing literature
(c) Theoretical foundation and model building
(d) Management decision making
Ans. (d) Management decision making

26. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

(2001) and the Chicago Manual of Style (1993) are:
(a) Well known works on research
(b) Referencing style guides in management
(c) Publishing journals
(d) Management journals
Ans. (b) Referencing style guides in management

27. A valuable source of problem formulation is based on informal

interviews conducted with industry experts. (True/False)
Ans. True

28. Formulation of the research problem does not require primary data
collection. (True/False)
Ans. False

29. The causal variable is also called the ___ variable.

Ans. Independent
30. The ___ variable is also called the effect.
Ans. Dependent

31. If one evaluates the impact of the pedagogy of Prof. N S on the research
methods course grades of students, then Prof. N S, here, is the unit of
analysis. (True/False)
Ans. False

32. Moderating variables are the ones that have a strong effect on the
relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
(True/False)
Ans. True

33. The hypotheses are always made in question form. (True/False)

Ans. False

34. The hypotheses must be measurable and quantifiable. (True/False)

Ans. True

35. The hypotheses that a talk about the relation between two or more
variables is called___ hypotheses.
Ans. Relational

36. If one is making a proposition about the magnitude or behavior of a

particular population, we call it a ___ hypothesis.
Ans. Descriptive

37. A formal document that presents the research objectives, design of

achieving these objectives, and the expected outcomes/deliverables of the
study is called
(a) Research design
(b) Research proposal
(c) Research hypothesis
(d) Research report
Ans. (b) Research proposal

38. In a research proposal, the time-bound dissemination of the study with

the major phases of the research has to be presented using the
(a) CPM
(b) GANTT charts
(c) PERT charts
(d) All the above
Ans. (d) All the above
39. Academic proposals require extensive literature review. (True/False)
Ans. True

40. External organizational proposals are generally conducted by external

research agencies. (True/False)
Ans. True

41. The execution details of the research question to be investigated are

referred to as the ___.
Ans. Research design

42. Research designs come ___ the problem formulation stage.

Ans. After

43. Researcher design is the same as the research method. (True/false)

Ans. False

44. The formulated design must ensure:

(a) Converting the research question and the hypotheses into measurable
variables
(b) Specifying the process to complete the above task
(c) Specifying the ‘control mechanism(s)’
(d) All the above
Ans. (d) All the above

45. Previously collected findings in facts and figures which have been
authenticated and published are referred to as ___.
Ans. Secondary data sources

46. A carefully selected small set of individuals representative of the larger

respondent population under study is called a ___.
Ans. Focus group

47. The case study method is generally focused on a single unit of analysis.
(True/False)
Ans. True

48. Expert opinion survey and respondent group discussions together form
a two-tiered research design. (True/False)
Ans. False

49. A research study that tracks the profile of a typical social networking
user is an example of an exploratory research design. (True/False)
Ans. False
50. If one wants to assess changes in investment behavior of the general
public over time, the best design available to the researcher is a longitudinal
design. (True/False)
Ans. True

51. A study to analyze the profile of the supporters of Anna Hazare would
need a cross-sectional research design. (True/False)
Ans. True

52. Married couples are the unit of analysis in a cohort analysis.

(True/False)
Ans. False

53. Different groups of people tested over a single stretch of time is a

special characteristic of a longitudinal design. (True/False)
Ans. False

54. The research variable in a longitudinal research design is studied over

fixed intervals in time. (True/False)
Ans. True

55. Descriptive designs do not require any quantitative statistical analysis.

(True/False)
Ans. False

56. ___ validity refers to the generalization of the sample results to that of
the population.
Ans. External

57. Test units are selected at random in a quasi-experimental design. (True/

False)
Ans. False

58. There cannot be more than two independent variables in a factorial

experiment. (True/False)
Ans. False

59. There is no possibility of error in true experimental research design.

(True/False)
Ans. False

60. In the true experimental design and statistical design, the respondents
are selected at random which may not be the case in real life. (True/False)
Ans. True
61. The data that is always collected first in a research study is called ___
data.
Ans. Primary

62. ___ data is not always specific to the research problem under study.
Ans. Secondary

63. Census data is an example of the primary data source. (True/False)

Ans. False

64. Sampling frame of the respondent population is an example of

secondary data. (True/False)
Ans. True

65. Primary data methods have a significant time and cost advantage over
secondary data. (True/False)
Ans. False

66. Cash register receipt is an example of ___ secondary data sources.

Ans. Internal

67. Customer grievance data available with the company is an important

source of ___ data.
Ans. Secondary

68. Statistical abstracts of India are prepared by ___.

Ans. Central Statistical Organization

69. The ___ prepares the National Sample Survey (NSS).

Ans. Ministry of Planning

70. Poor’s Statistical Services is a government publication on the people

below the poverty line.(True/False)
Ans. False

71. Syndicate sources are periodic in nature.(True/False)

Ans. True

72. Observation is a direct method of collecting

(a) Primary data
(b) Secondary data
(c) Both
(d) Published data
Ans. (a) Primary data
73. Observing the remains or the leftovers of the consumers’ basket is
referred to as
(a) Structured observation
(b) Unstructured observation
(c) Trace analysis
(d) Mechanical observation
Ans. (c) Trace analysis

74. In case one wants to know why some people use plastic bags for
carrying their groceries even after the imposition of a ban on plastic bags by
the Delhi Government, one may use the observation method to collect the
data. (True/False)
Ans. False

75. Usually the observation method entails that the observation is

disguised, i.e., carried out without the respondent’s knowledge.
(True/False)
Ans. False