Lesson 4.1.3.7

4.1.3.7 Values, objectivity and sociology and social policy Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.1.3.7, Values, objectivity and sociology and social policy: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Sociology (7192), Unit 1: Education with Theory and Methods, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What does Max Weber mean by 'value freedom' in social science?

    • The researcher should have no values at all, which makes it impossible to choose any research topic
    • The researcher should separate empirical analysis from personal value judgements about what ought to be done
    • The researcher should only study topics in which the state has an official interest and policy concern
    • The researcher should be free to promote any political values they hold, since all knowledge is political

  2. Which argument is most associated with the claim that sociology cannot be value-free?

    • Research is always commissioned by government, so researchers never have any choice over their own topics
    • Choice of topic, concepts and interpretation are influenced by the researcher's social position and values
    • Research findings are always produced by computers, which introduce random errors that cannot be controlled
    • Research is always carried out in laboratories, where the presence of the researcher distorts the results

  3. Which concept describes a bias in research that arises from the researcher's own commitments and assumptions?

    • Value bias, in which the researcher's personal or political commitments influence the findings
    • Random error, in which chance variation in the data leads to small differences between measurements
    • Sampling frame, in which the list used to select participants excludes certain members of the population
    • Triangulation, in which several methods are used to check the consistency of findings across sources

  4. Which view best describes the interpretivist position on values in research?

    • Values are inseparable from social research, so researchers should be reflexive about how their values shape the study
    • Values have no place in social research, because interpretation should be carried out by machines without human input
    • Values are only relevant to policy makers, so researchers should avoid all discussion of values in their work
    • Values should be eliminated from social research entirely, so that only measured facts are reported in every case

  5. Which view would a Marxist most likely take of the claim that sociology should be value-free?

    • That the claim is irrelevant, since sociologists should only observe social life without any interest in change
    • That the claim proves that sociology is more scientific than natural science, which is always value-laden
    • That the claim can conceal the ways in which dominant values shape what research is funded and how it is used
    • That the claim is an accurate description of how sociological research is always carried out in practice

  6. Which statement best describes the relationship between sociology and social policy?

    • Sociology has no relationship with policy, because policy is made entirely on the basis of public opinion
    • Sociology is the same as policy, since both aim to produce a single set of agreed solutions to social problems
    • Sociology can inform policy by providing evidence about social problems, although policy involves political choices
    • Sociology is always controlled by policy makers, so sociologists have no capacity to criticise government

  7. Seebohm Rowntree's study of poverty in York at the start of the twentieth century is an example of research that influenced which area?

    • Religious doctrine, since his findings were used to change the teachings of local churches in York
    • Social policy, since his findings helped to highlight the extent of poverty and to inform welfare reform
    • Military recruitment, since his findings were used to reorganise the armed forces across the country
    • Agricultural production, since his findings were used to change the methods of farming in rural areas

  8. Which criticism is most often made of sociology that is closely tied to government policy agendas?

    • It may limit the questions asked to those that policy makers find useful, rather than the most important sociological questions
    • It always produces findings that are rejected by policy makers, because governments never use social research
    • It always produces findings that are more objective than other research, because it has official backing
    • It always produces findings that are identical to those of the Marxist tradition in sociology

  9. Which statement about the 'objectivity' of sociology is most accurate?

    • Objectivity is fully achieved by every researcher who uses statistics, since numbers cannot be biased
    • Objectivity is an aim that researchers pursue through method and reflexivity, but it is difficult to achieve completely
    • Objectivity is impossible to pursue, so sociologists should abandon all attempts to use systematic methods
    • Objectivity is a feature of the research subject, so the choice of researcher has no influence at all

  10. Which argument is associated with feminist critiques of value-free research?

    • Research that claims neutrality is irrelevant, since all social groups have identical experiences of society
    • Research that claims neutrality can ignore women's experiences, since knowledge is shaped by the position of the knower
    • Research that claims neutrality is always correct, since women have no interest in social theory at all
    • Research that claims neutrality must be rejected, because it is always produced by women researchers alone

  11. Which concept describes a researcher's awareness of how their own background and assumptions shape a study?

    • Reflexivity, which requires the researcher to consider the influence of their own position on the research
    • Operationalisation, which describes the translation of concepts into indicators that can be measured
    • Hegemony, which describes the way that dominant ideas are accepted by subordinate groups as common sense
    • Replication, which describes the repetition of a study to test whether the same results are obtained

  12. Which argument would a New Right thinker most likely make about sociology's relationship with social policy?

    • Sociology should be given greater control over state welfare, so that its theories can be applied in every policy area
    • Sociology is a neutral source of evidence, which should be used by government to produce identical policy outcomes
    • Sociology has been too closely linked to state welfare, and its critical stance has encouraged dependence on government
    • Sociology should be abolished entirely, since it has no value for individuals or for the economy in any form

  13. Which evaluation of the claim that research should be 'value-free' is most consistent with sociological debate?

    • It is an irrelevant concern, because research findings are always the same regardless of the researcher's values
    • It is a false ideal, because researchers should openly promote the values of their own political party
    • It is a useful regulative ideal, but it must be combined with reflexivity because complete neutrality is difficult to achieve
    • It is a complete description of how research is carried out, so reflexivity is unnecessary in every study

  14. A government asks a sociologist to produce research on school exclusions to inform a new policy. Which concern is most relevant to the sociologist's objectivity?

    • Whether the sociologist's findings will be published in a journal with a high number of readers
    • Whether the funding and policy framing limit the questions asked or the way the findings are reported
    • Whether the sociologist has a car that is large enough to carry research equipment to the schools
    • Whether the sociologist can complete the research in the time available before the end of the year

  15. Which statement best reflects Gouldner's concern about sociology in relation to social policy?

    • Sociologists should avoid all contact with government, since contact always destroys the objectivity of research
    • Sociologists should accept the policy framing of government without question, to ensure research is useful
    • Sociologists should be aware that their research and their social position can influence their relationship to policy
    • Sociologists should write only about policies that have already been implemented, to avoid any influence

  16. Which view best summarises the Marxist critique of value-free sociology?

    • Value-free sociology is the same as Marxism, since both aim to produce knowledge that is free from class interests
    • Value-free sociology is irrelevant to politics, so it has no bearing on the distribution of power in society
    • Value-free sociology is the best guarantee of social change, because it allows the critical evaluation of all ideas
    • Value-free sociology can serve dominant interests by accepting existing structures as given rather than criticising them

  17. Which argument is most often made by critics who claim that sociology serves powerful interests when it is commissioned by government?

    • Commissioned research always produces findings that are rejected by government and never used in policy
    • Commissioned research may shape which questions are asked, limiting critical analysis of policy goals
    • Commissioned research has no effect on the questions asked, since funders never influence the research design
    • Commissioned research is always carried out by private companies, which removes any state influence

  18. Which statement describes the view of Howard Becker in Whose Side Are We On?

    • Sociologists cannot avoid taking sides, and they should consider whose perspective their research represents
    • Sociologists should remain neutral in every study, because taking sides always destroys the validity of research
    • Sociologists should avoid all contact with the people they study, since contact always compromises objectivity
    • Sociologists should always side with the government, since the state represents the interests of the whole society

  19. A researcher argues that her values have led her to choose a topic about poverty. Which idea best describes this acknowledgement?

    • Reflexivity, in which the researcher recognises how their own values influence the research they carry out
    • Replicability, in which the research can be repeated by other researchers to test the same findings
    • Generalisability, in which findings from a sample can be applied to the wider population of interest
    • Operationalisation, in which the researcher translates abstract concepts into measurable indicators for analysis

  20. Which statement best describes the claim that scientific knowledge is always provisional?

    • Scientific theories are never tested, because their truth is established by the authority of the scientific community
    • Scientific theories are permanently fixed once they have been published in a respected academic journal
    • Scientific theories are accepted as the best current explanation, but they may be revised or replaced by new evidence
    • Scientific theories are only valid for the lifetime of the scientist who first proposed them in their work

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