Sample Quizzes For Preparation: How Do Sociologists Approach The Study of Society?
O Level and IGCSE Sociology Quiz – 1.1 How do sociologists approach the study of society?
1. Which of the following best describes the positivist approach in sociology?
A. Focus on small-scale interactions using qualitative data
B. Belief that society cannot be studied scientifically
C. Use of scientific methods to study objective social facts
D. Emphasis on subjective meaning and individual experience
2. Which of the following is an example of quantitative data?
A. Field notes from an observation
B. Responses from open-ended interview questions
C. Crime statistics from police records
D. A diary entry
3. What term did Emile Durkheim use to describe measurable forces in society that affect individual behavior?
A. Social interaction
B. Social construct
C. Social facts
D. Social norms
4. Which method would a positivist most likely use to study social trends?
A. Unstructured interviews
B. Participant observation
C. Questionnaires
D. Case studies
5. Which of the following best defines the term ‘validity’?
A. The ability to repeat an experiment and get the same result
B. The extent to which research reflects social reality
C. The size of the research sample
D. The number of times data can be collected
6. What does the interpretivist approach focus on?
A. Collecting large-scale numerical data
B. Understanding meanings and motivations
C. Identifying correlations in datasets
D. Analyzing governmental statistics
7. Which of the following best explains verstehen?
A. A research method involving graphs
B. A statistical test used in surveys
C. Empathetic understanding of human behavior
D. A method for selecting a sample
8. What is the purpose of triangulation in sociological research?
A. To reduce the size of the sample
B. To select the best hypothesis
C. To cross-check findings using multiple methods
D. To increase the Hawthorne effect
9. A researcher follows the same individuals for 20 years to study social mobility. What type of study is this?
A. Cross-sectional
B. Experimental
C. Longitudinal
D. Ethnographic
10. Which of the following is an example of a micro-level sociological approach?
A. Studying the impact of the economy on the job market
B. Examining classroom interactions
C. Analyzing national divorce rates
D. Surveying voting behavior by state
11. Which of the following is a typical feature of the scientific method?
A. Conducting informal interviews
B. Avoiding numerical analysis
C. Hypothesis testing
D. Observing rituals without interference
12. What is one drawback of longitudinal studies?
A. They provide no insight into long-term trends
B. They cannot collect qualitative data
C. Participants may drop out over time
D. They are less valid than case studies
13. Which of the following is most associated with reliability in sociological research?
A. Ability to generalize results
B. Ability to gain detailed personal insights
C. Ability to repeat results consistently
D. Ability to empathize with participants
14. Which term refers to the distortion caused by a researcher’s personal beliefs?
A. Objectivity
B. Bias
C. Validity
D. Representativeness
15. What is the Hawthorne effect?
A. A method for selecting participants randomly
B. When people behave differently because they know they are being observed
C. A type of statistical error
D. The error due to small sample size
16. Which of these is a strength of using official statistics in research?
A. High level of validity
B. Depth of insight
C. Large, representative sample
D. Subjective interpretation
17. In interpretivist research, what is the main goal?
A. To gather numerical data
B. To understand personal meanings
C. To confirm previous findings
D. To eliminate all bias
18. What is one weakness of qualitative data?
A. It cannot reveal individual thoughts
B. It is always biased
C. It is harder to generalize from
D. It has no value in social research
19. Why might a sociologist choose triangulation?
A. To reduce cost
B. To validate findings through multiple methods
C. To eliminate the need for sampling
D. To avoid using interviews
20. What term describes the extent to which research findings apply to the larger population?
A. Representativeness
B. Objectivity
C. Validity
D. Reliability
21. Which type of data is MOST likely to be used in an interpretivist study?
A. Census data
B. Structured questionnaires
C. Interview transcripts
D. Government reports
22. What distinguishes a social fact from a personal opinion?
A. A social fact is subjective
B. A social fact is measurable and external
C. A social fact is based on feelings
D. A social fact is not observable
23. What is a benefit of using structured interviews?
A. Allows for deeper insights
B. Easier to compare responses
C. Less chance of interviewer effect
D. Provides full anonymity
24. Which method would be most reliable for measuring unemployment trends?
A. Open-ended interviews
B. Field notes
C. National labor statistics
D. Participant observation
25. Which of the following is a feature of qualitative research?
A. Uses closed questions
B. Focuses on large populations
C. Produces rich, descriptive data
D. Cannot explore meanings
26. What is the term for understanding behavior from the perspective of the subject?
A. Bias
B. Verstehen
C. Objectivity
D. Causation
27. What is the main aim of using the scientific method in sociology?
A. To understand feelings
B. To generate empathy
C. To produce objective and reliable results
D. To test emotions
28. What is one key strength of using mixed methods in research?
A. Increases subjectivity
B. Avoids need for ethics
C. Compensates for weaknesses in individual methods
D. Makes research faster
29. Which of these is a limitation of positivist approaches?
A. Too much emphasis on emotions
B. Hard to repeat the research
C. Lacks depth of understanding
D. Difficult to collect any data
30. Why might someone criticize the interpretivist approach?
A. It lacks personal insight
B. It relies too heavily on statistics
C. It may lack reliability and generalizability
D. It ignores micro-level behavior
Answer Key with Explanations – O Level and IGCSE Sociology Quiz: 1.1 How do sociologists approach the study of society
1. C. Use of scientific methods to study objective social facts
Positivists believe sociology should adopt the methods of natural sciences to study social facts.
2. C. Crime statistics from police records
Quantitative data involves numerical figures; crime stats are numerical and standardized.
3. C. Social facts
Durkheim emphasized that society is composed of “social facts” which influence individual behavior.
4. C. Questionnaires
Positivists prefer structured, quantitative methods like surveys to identify patterns.
5. B. The extent to which research reflects social reality
Validity is about how truthful or accurate data is in reflecting real social life.
6. B. Understanding meanings and motivations
Interpretivists are concerned with why people behave the way they do, emphasizing meanings.
7. C. Empathetic understanding of human behavior
Verstehen is a German term used by Weber, meaning deep understanding from the subject’s perspective.
8. C. To cross-check findings using multiple methods
Triangulation helps ensure validity and reliability by using more than one method.
9. C. Longitudinal
Longitudinal studies track the same individuals over time to see how things change.
10. B. Examining classroom interactions
Micro-level approaches focus on small group or individual interactions.
11. C. Hypothesis testing
The scientific method involves creating and testing hypotheses through systematic observation.
12. C. Participants may drop out over time
Attrition is a key weakness of long-term longitudinal studies.
13. C. Ability to repeat results consistently
Reliability means that if a study is repeated, it produces consistent results.
14. B. Bias
Bias occurs when personal beliefs or preferences distort objectivity in research.
15. B. When people behave differently because they know they are being observed
This effect compromises validity in observational studies.
16. C. Large, representative sample
Official statistics usually cover a wide population and are easy to generalize from.
17. B. To understand personal meanings
Interpretivists are less interested in general laws and more focused on individual perspectives.
18. C. It is harder to generalize from
Qualitative data is rich and deep, but may lack generalizability due to small sample sizes.
19. B. To validate findings through multiple methods
Triangulation increases the trustworthiness of the data.
20. A. Representativeness
Representativeness refers to how well a sample mirrors the wider population.
21. C. Interview transcripts
These provide in-depth, qualitative data, useful for interpretivist research.
22. B. A social fact is measurable and external
Social facts are not based on personal feelings, but are general to the group and measurable.
23. B. Easier to compare responses
Structured interviews have the same questions in the same order, making comparison easier.
24. C. National labor statistics
These are large-scale, reliable sources of quantitative data ideal for trend analysis.
25. C. Produces rich, descriptive data
Qualitative research focuses on detailed understanding rather than generalizability.
26. B. Verstehen
Verstehen means to deeply understand behavior through the eyes of the participant.
27. C. To produce objective and reliable results
This is the core aim of the positivist and scientific approach.
28. C. Compensates for weaknesses in individual methods
Mixed methods (e.g., triangulation) allow researchers to balance weaknesses of each technique.
29. C. Lacks depth of understanding
Critics argue positivism misses the nuanced, emotional side of human behavior.
30. C. It may lack reliability and generalizability
Interpretivist methods are often harder to replicate or generalize from.