Lesson 4.3.2.1

4.3.2.1 Quantitative and qualitative methods and research design Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.3.2.1, Quantitative and qualitative methods and research design: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Sociology (7192), Unit 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which statement best distinguishes quantitative from qualitative research?

    • Quantitative research studies only historical documents, while qualitative research studies only current statistics from official sources
    • Quantitative research always uses interviews with a small sample, while qualitative research always uses surveys of thousands of people
    • Quantitative research gathers numerical data to test patterns, while qualitative research explores meanings and experiences in depth
    • Quantitative research is carried out only in laboratories, while qualitative research is carried out only in natural settings like homes

  2. Which research design involves studying the same group of people at several points in time?

    • A cross-sectional design, which collects data from different people at a single point in time from a large sample
    • A case study design, which studies one unit in great depth without following its development over successive periods
    • A comparative design, which compares the same variables across two or more societies or social groups at one moment
    • A longitudinal design, which tracks change in the same sample over time

  3. A researcher surveys 2,000 adults at one time to compare attitudes across age groups. Which design is this?

    • A cross-sectional survey design, which provides a snapshot of different groups at a single point in time
    • An experimental design, which randomly allocates participants to treatment and control groups to test a causal hypothesis
    • An ethnographic design, which involves immersion in a community for an extended period to observe everyday life directly
    • A longitudinal panel design, which follows the same individuals over many years to record their changing attitudes

  4. What is the main purpose of a pilot study in research design?

    • To test the research instruments and procedures on a small scale before the main study, so that problems can be fixed
    • To publish findings quickly before the main study begins, so that early results are available to policymakers
    • To replace the main study entirely, since a small pilot is always sufficient to answer the research question fully
    • To recruit a large sample for the main study, since pilot participants are always the most representative of the population

  5. Which feature is most characteristic of qualitative research?

    • Fixed, closed questions with pre-set response options that are coded numerically and analysed with statistical software packages
    • Flexible, open-ended methods such as interviews and observation that allow participants to express meanings in their own words
    • Random sampling from a national list of residents, with a sample size calculated to produce results with a known margin of error
    • Controlled manipulation of variables in a laboratory, in which one variable is changed while all others are held constant

  6. What does 'validity' mean in relation to research?

    • The extent to which a sample is large enough to be treated as statistically representative of the whole population
    • The extent to which a researcher's personal beliefs are kept out of the study, so that the findings are entirely objective
    • The extent to which a study can be repeated by other researchers with identical results on each occasion it is conducted
    • The extent to which a measure or study accurately captures the concept or phenomenon it claims to investigate

  7. What does 'reliability' refer to in social research?

    • The extent to which the findings match the views of the government, so that policymakers accept the research as credible
    • The extent to which a researcher is trusted by participants, who are willing to share personal information with them
    • The extent to which a measure produces consistent results when applied repeatedly under the same conditions
    • The extent to which a study can be generalised to every social group, regardless of the size or design of its sample

  8. A researcher asks respondents to rate their happiness on a 1 to 10 scale on two occasions, one week apart, and gets similar scores. What does this show?

    • The measure shows that the sample is unrepresentative, because similar responses are never found in a diverse population
    • The measure shows that respondents are lying, since genuine feelings always vary greatly from one week to the next in everyone
    • The measure shows good test-retest reliability, meaning it gives consistent results over time
    • The measure shows that happiness is fixed and cannot change, which means the scale has no value for future research at all

  9. Which concept refers to a sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected?

    • Purposive sampling, which selects participants deliberately because they have particular characteristics or experiences
    • Random sampling, which gives each member of the target population an equal probability of inclusion in the sample
    • Quota sampling, which selects participants until a set number from each category has been reached by the interviewer
    • Snowball sampling, which asks participants to recruit others from their own networks, forming a chain of contacts

  10. Why do sociologists use 'triangulation' in research design?

    • To remove all ethical obligations to participants, since the use of several methods makes individual consent unnecessary
    • To reduce the number of participants in a study, since using several methods means that fewer people need to be interviewed
    • To combine different methods or data sources so that findings can be checked and gain greater confidence
    • To avoid collecting any data at all, since triangulation involves reading only theoretical texts and not gathering evidence

  11. A study on the effects of a policy uses a control group who did not receive the policy and an experimental group who did. Which design is this?

    • A historical design, in which archival documents are analysed to reconstruct events from the past in their social context
    • An ethnographic design, in which the researcher lives with the participants and observes their everyday activities for several years
    • A content analysis design, in which written texts are coded systematically for the presence of specific words and themes
    • A quasi-experimental or experimental design, in which an intervention is compared with a comparison group

  12. Which limitation is most commonly associated with qualitative research findings?

    • They are never subject to interpretation, since qualitative data speak entirely for themselves without any analyst involvement
    • They are often based on small samples, so they may not be generalisable to wider populations without further evidence
    • They are always statistically significant, since in-depth observation produces numerical results that can be tested directly
    • They are always identical to official statistics, since qualitative researchers use government data in every study they conduct

  13. Which feature is most characteristic of a structured interview?

    • Standardised questions asked in a fixed order, with little scope for the interviewer to depart from the schedule
    • A group discussion in which participants question each other and the interviewer takes no active part in the conversation
    • An observation of interactions in a public place, in which the researcher records behaviour without speaking to anyone
    • Open-ended conversation with no set questions, in which the interviewer follows wherever the participant's talk leads

  14. A researcher wants to explore how people in a community make sense of a local regeneration project. Which design is most appropriate?

    • A statistical analysis of census data on housing tenure, with no direct contact with residents or community members
    • A qualitative case study using interviews and observation to explore meanings and experiences in depth
    • A large cross-sectional survey of thousands of residents with closed questions on income and household size only
    • A laboratory experiment in which volunteers are asked to rate photographs of the regeneration project on a fixed scale

  15. What is a key advantage of using a mixed-methods design?

    • It combines the breadth of quantitative data with the depth of qualitative data, giving a more complete picture of an issue
    • It removes the need for ethical approval, since two methods together mean that the study poses less risk to participants
    • It requires only one researcher, since the two methods are simple enough to be carried out by a single person in a short time
    • It guarantees that every finding is statistically significant, since combining methods removes any uncertainty from the results

  16. Which question would be best answered using a quantitative research design?

    • How do young people in one neighbourhood make sense of their experiences of policing, as described in their own words?
    • How many people in a region report having been victims of crime in the last year, and how does this vary by age?
    • How do prison officers interpret their role in the daily life of a particular institution, from their own perspective?
    • What are the personal meanings that a single family attaches to their membership of a religious community over decades?

  17. Which claim about research design is most accurate?

    • The choice of design should always be qualitative, since personal experiences are the only source of knowledge about society
    • The choice of design should follow from the research question, the theory being tested and practical and ethical constraints
    • The choice of design is irrelevant to the research question, since any method can answer any question equally well in every case
    • The choice of design should always be quantitative, since numbers are the only form of evidence that sociologists accept as valid

  18. Which feature distinguishes an ethnographic study from a structured survey?

    • Ethnography is always carried out online, while surveys are always carried out face to face in the respondent's own home
    • Ethnography produces statistical tables of results, while surveys produce only written descriptions of participants' lives
    • Ethnography uses only closed questions with numbered answer codes, while surveys rely on open conversations with participants
    • Ethnography involves prolonged immersion in a setting to observe everyday behaviour, while surveys collect standardised responses

  19. A critic argues that a study's findings cannot be generalised beyond its sample. Which feature of the study does this criticism most directly concern?

    • External validity, which concerns whether findings apply beyond the particular people and setting studied
    • Ethical approval, which concerns whether the researcher obtained formal permission from an ethics committee before starting
    • Statistical power, which concerns the size of the effect the researcher expected to find before collecting any data
    • Internal reliability, which concerns whether the researcher recorded the same data on each occasion of data collection

  20. What does a 'representative sample' mean?

    • A sample that includes only the people who volunteer to take part, since volunteers are always the most representative group
    • A sample whose key characteristics match those of the population, so findings can be generalised with more confidence
    • A sample chosen by the researcher because its members hold views that are particularly typical of the researcher's own opinions
    • A sample that is the largest possible size regardless of its composition, since size alone guarantees representativeness

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