Professional Documents
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1) In the Chapter 8 opening scenario on political polling, the big lesson is that ________.
A) figures tell the truth but can be manipulated
B) just because it's "research" doesn't mean it necessarily should be believed
C) more land lines have boosted pollsters' success
D) people do not vote the same way they answer polls
Answer: B
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
3) From plotting a political campaign to promoting a product to confronting a crisis, the first step
in solving any public relations challenge is to ________.
A) conduct research
B) plan a programmatic initiative
C) go with your gut
D) ask your team what their intuition is
Answer: A
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
1
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
4) Which of the following is NOT true of research?
A) Every public relations programs should begin with it.
B) It provides a foundation for public relations solutions.
C) It is essential in helping realize management's goals.
D) It is most important at the end of a campaign.
Answer: D
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
5) If public relations practitioners expect to receive support from management for a proposed
program, they should expect to share which of the following?
A) their intuition about the desired market segment
B) their instincts about the likes and dislikes of a target audience
C) their data helps determine which messages are most effective with targeted audiences
D) their positive attitude indicating a proposed message strategy will work
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
3
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
12) Among the primary forms of public relations research, ________ often reveal differences in
the ways management and target audiences view communications materials, media, messages,
and methods.
A) surveys
B) communication audits
C) published company accounts
D) unobtrusive audits
Answer: B
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
14) Two essential properties of a random sample are that its selection ________.
A) must be formal and scientific
B) is based on equality and independence
C) must be unobtrusive and results-oriented
D) must be representative of the population and specific target audience
Answer: B
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
15) Of the types of random sampling used, ________ sampling is a procedure that surveys
different segments of the targeted population.
A) cluster
B) systemic random
C) stratified random
D) simple random
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
4
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
16) Which type of random sample do journalists use to elicit ideas and points of views from
people on the street?
A) a convenience sample
B) a volunteer sample
C) a quota sample
D) a cluster sample
Answer: A
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
17) Researchers should observe which of the following when designing a questionnaire?
A) Avoid pre-testing.
B) Ask double-barreled questions.
C) Keep it short.
D) Use only open-ended rather than closed-ended questions.
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
18) In public relations research, the most frequently used type of convenience sample is the
________.
A) cluster sample
B) quota sample
C) stratified sample
D) focus group
Answer: D
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
19) Which of the following techniques does NOT help lead to a higher response rate for a
questionnaire?
A) Attach a letter explaining how important the respondents' answers are.
B) After a month, send out reminders to respond.
C) Hand-stamp rather than meter envelopes.
D) Send a follow-up reminder postcard three days after the original questionnaire.
Answer: B
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
5
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
20) Which of the following is a benefit that interviews provide?
A) a personal, firsthand feel for public opinion
B) an unobtrusive measure of public opinion
C) a communications audit
D) secondhand research
Answer: A
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
22) Which of the following involves researchers delivering short questionnaires to people they
approach in shopping malls or retail outlets?
A) drop-off interviews
B) Delphi panels
C) intercept interviews
D) focus groups
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
23) What type of interview occurs when a select panel of experts is exposed to repeated waves of
questionnaires?
A) Delphi panel
B) drop-off interview
C) intercept interview
D) telephone interview
Answer: A
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
6
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
24) All of the following must be considered when analyzing results EXCEPT ________.
A) reliability
B) validity
C) future questionnaire use
D) margins of sampling error
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.3: To discuss the various research tools and evaluative techniques available to public
relations professionals.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
27) The key lesson behind Chapter 8's "A Question of Ethics: (Don't) Name that Boat" is that
________.
A) the research team should have employed post-testing
B) blind taste tests can be misleading unless pre-testing is employed
C) allowing the public to vote on names can be a major mistake
D) corporate sponsorship can lead to more reliable results
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
7
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
28) All of the following are characteristics of evaluation EXCEPT ________.
A) using techniques that measure results against established objectives
B) selecting outcomes randomly, according to the survey design
C) generating data that provides accountability
D) measuring public relations outcomes
Answer: B
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.3: To discuss the various research tools and evaluative techniques available to public
relations professionals.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
29) Which of the following are NOT among the four most common techniques used to measure
public relations outcomes?
A) retention and recall measurement
B) awareness and comprehension measurement
C) analysis and synthesis measurement
D) behavior measurements
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.3: To discuss the various research tools and evaluative techniques available to public
relations professionals.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
8
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
31) Which of the following is NOT one of the targets of Search Engine Optimization?
A) image search
B) cost per click search
C) local search
D) video search
Answer: B
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.4: To underscore the importance of Web monitoring and tools available for Internet
research.
AACSB: Information technology
33) When a public relations professional and her team answer questions related to the purpose of
a social media campaign or a message they want to communicate through a website, they are
________.
A) establishing objectives
B) determining criteria
C) determining benchmarks
D) selecting the right measurement tool
Answer: A
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.4: To underscore the importance of Web monitoring and tools available for Internet
research.
AACSB: Information technology
9
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
34) When a public relations professional and her team project the hits a website will receive
based on competitive data, they are doing which of the following?
A) establishing objectives
B) determining criteria
C) determining benchmarks
D) selecting a measurement tool
Answer: C
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.4: To underscore the importance of Web monitoring and tools available for Internet
research.
AACSB: Information technology
36) In the Chapter 8 opening scenario on political polling, the point is that research shouldn't
always be believed.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
37) Any public relations campaign should begin with research because it creates a much better
story for the media.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
10
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
38) The old adage "Figures lie, and liars figure" means that we must be careful in evaluating
empirical data.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
39) The only way to ensure that public relations advice for management is headed in the right
direction is to base that advice on hard data whenever possible.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
40) Most clients and managers are more interested in what their public relations advisors think
than what they know.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
41) Members of management prefer that public relations professionals demonstrate how their
efforts contribute to overall organizational goals rather than to the bottom line.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
11
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
43) When measuring public relations outputs and outcomes, it is important to remember that
outcomes are short-term, and outputs are more far-reaching.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
44) Applied research is neither strategic nor evaluative, but instead is theoretical.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
46) Because of limited budgets, secondary research makes sense when launching a research
effort.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
47) Content analysis and readability studies are among the unobtrusive research methods used by
public relations practitioners.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
48) Communication audits often reveal differences in the ways management and target audiences
view communications materials, media, messages, and methods.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
12
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
49) Descriptive surveys are concerned with cause and effect.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
50) As a public relations practitioner drawing a survey sample, you would want to make sure that
it is representative of the total public whose views are sought.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Application
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
52) To increase the likelihood that a person responds to a questionnaire, attach a letter explaining
how important the respondents' answers are and let them know they will remain anonymous.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Application
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
53) The focus group is one of the least frequently used interview types in public relations.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
55) Reading Chapter 8's "A Question of Ethics: (Don't!) Name that Boat" one can conclude that
research-based conclusions can be misleading.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
57) Outcome evaluation could include measurement of consumer attitudes before and after a
product launch.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.3: To discuss the various research tools and evaluative techniques available to public
relations professionals.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
58) The ultimate test of measuring the effectiveness of a public relations effort is attitude
measurement.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.3: To discuss the various research tools and evaluative techniques available to public
relations professionals.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
59) Hits and eyeballs are important terms when assessing the impact of the Web for research.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.4: To underscore the importance of Web monitoring and tools available for Internet
research.
AACSB: Information technology
14
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
60) The key purpose of social media metrics is to analyze mobile device usage.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Application
LO: 8.4: To underscore the importance of Web monitoring and tools available for Internet
research.
AACSB: Information technology
61) Why is research even more important to public relations practitioners today than it was just a
decade ago?
Answer: In an era when resources are scarce, management craves data–facts and statistics, in
particular–that contribute and support the bottom line as well as overall business goals. With
management guided by quantitative, empirical measurements, researched data provides a
currency that professionals can exchange when they are seeking management buy-in for
programs and actions. It provides proof that is more logical, that demonstrates more clear
thinking when it applies to audiences–including their likes and dislikes–and effective messages
for those audiences.
Difficulty: 1: Easy
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
62) Describe outputs and outcomes in public relations research, and discuss their differences.
Answer:
• Output phenomena are usually short-term, surface aspects, and include, for example, the
amount of media coverage received or exposure given to a particular message.
• Outcome phenomena are usually more far-reaching, carry greater impact, and include, for
example, the amount of change in awareness, attitudes, and even behavior.
Difficulty: 2: Moderate
Skill: Concept
LO: 8.1: To discuss the importance of research as the essential first step in every public relations
assignment.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
15
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
63) What is a sample? Name the two cross-sectional approaches used to obtain a sample. How
many people would you need to sample in a population of 500,000 to arrive at a five percent
margin of error?
Answer:
• A sample is a selected group or targeted group of the total population whose views you are
seeking.
• Two cross-sectional approaches used to obtain a sample are the more formal, random, and
less formal, nonrandom.
• You would need just 383 people in a population of 100,000 to 500,000 to arrive at a five
percent margin of error.
Difficulty: 3: Challenging
Skill: Concept and Application
LO: 8.2: To explore research principles, types, and methods.
AACSB: Application of knowledge, analytical thinking
16
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.
Test Bank for The Practice of Public Relations 14th Edition by Seitel
65) List and discuss the most common social media metrics that public relations practitioners use
to measure return on investment (ROI).
Answer:
• Blogger outreach: Measuring success in reaching bloggers consists of determining how many
bloggers wrote about your campaign, how many comments, the posts received, how many social
shares the posts received, etc.
• Twitter analytics: Measuring Twitter value consists of determining how often people used
your hashtag, new followers generated by the campaign, cost vs. click-throughs of sponsored
tweets, etc.
• Facebook analytics: Facebook offers built-in tools and demographic options to help measure
success. These include the ability to count how many times people "liked" the particular
message, determine if the targeted demographic was reached (using Facebook Insights), and
evaluating cost and click-through rates of Facebook ads.
• YouTube and other video sites: Use of online video can be measured through assessing
number of views received, assessing "likes" and "favorites" received, counting new subscribers
to the channel, etc.
Difficulty: 3: Challenging
Skill: Application
LO: 8.4: To underscore the importance of Web monitoring and tools available for Internet
research.
AACSB: Information technology, application of knowledge
17
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.