Multiple Choice Methods PDF

Research Design ✅ 1.​ Why is a strong research design important in political science? (Select all that apply.) ❌ ○​ A) It ensures scientific rigor. ✅ ○​ B) It guarantees a perfect study. ❌ ○​ C) It helps establis...

Research Design ✅ 1.​ Why is a strong research design important in political science? (Select all that apply.) ❌ ○​ A) It ensures scientific rigor. ✅ ○​ B) It guarantees a perfect study. ❌ ○​ C) It helps establish validity, reliability, and generalizability. ○​ D) It removes all bias from research. ❌ 2.​ Which of the following is an example of a Y-centered research question? ✅ ○​ A) How does government stability affect economic growth? ❌ ○​ B) Why did democracy emerge in certain post-colonial states? ❌ ○​ C) How do political parties shape voter behavior? ○​ D) What factors influence voter turnout in the U.S.? Interviews ❌ 3.​ What is a key disadvantage of structured interviews? ✅ ○​ A) They are time-consuming to conduct. ❌ ○​ B) They may lack depth and flexibility. ❌ ○​ C) They do not provide reliable, standardized data. ○​ D) They cannot be used for quantitative research. ✅ 4.​ When would interviewing laypeople be more beneficial than interviewing experts? ❌ ○​ A) When studying the personal voting behavior of citizens. ❌ ○​ B) When analyzing the impact of economic policy on businesses. ❌ ○​ C) When investigating elite decision-making in foreign policy. ○​ D) When evaluating government effectiveness in implementing public policy. ✅ 5.​ What is a benefit of semi-structured interviews? (Select all that apply.) ✅ ○​ A) They provide a balance between structure and flexibility. ❌ ○​ B) They allow for direct comparisons across multiple interviews. ✅ ○​ C) They minimize bias completely. ○​ D) They enable deeper insights while still maintaining some consistency. Content Analysis ✅ 6.​ What are the four key steps in qualitative content analysis? ❌ ○​ A) Unitizing, Sampling, Coding, Reducing ❌ ○​ B) Sampling, Coding, Narrating, Inferring ❌ ○​ C) Unitizing, Validating, Sampling, Coding ○​ D) Identifying, Measuring, Sampling, Concluding ❌ 7.​ Inductive coding is best described as: ✅ ○​ A) Using predefined categories to analyze data. ❌ ○​ B) Developing codes based on emerging themes in the text. ○​ C) Applying statistical models to text-based data.  ○​ ❌ D) Using numerical coding to measure the intensity of themes. ❌ 8.​ A major challenge in coding qualitative data is: ✅ ○​ A) It is always subjective and lacks structure. ❌ ○​ B) Ensuring consistency and objectivity across different coders. ❌ ○​ C) It cannot be used for social science research. ○​ D) There is no way to verify the validity of the findings. Regression Analysis ❌ 9.​ What is the primary difference between linear and logistic regression? ○​ A) Linear regression is used for binary outcomes, while logistic regression ✅ is used for continuous variables. ○​ B) Linear regression examines continuous dependent variables, while ❌ logistic regression is used for categorical outcomes. ❌ ○​ C) Logistic regression is more accurate than linear regression in all cases. ○​ D) Linear regression is only used for experimental research. 10.​Why are regression analyses particularly useful in political science? (Select all that ✅ apply.) ❌ ​ A) They help test hypotheses and predict outcomes. ✅ ​ B) They can establish causality without any additional evidence. ✅ ​ C) They allow researchers to isolate the effect of specific independent variables. ​ D) They strengthen causal arguments by showing statistical significance. ​ Case Study Design 11.​What is a major characteristic of case study research? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) Small number of cases (small-N, medium-N) (✔) ​ B) Focus on in-depth, holistic understanding (✔) ​ C) Prioritizes broad generalizability over depth ​ D) Ignores theoretical frameworks 12.​What type of case study design did Maria Koinova use in her research? ​ A) Cross-sectional ​ B) Longitudinal (✔) ​ C) Experimental ​ D) Survey-based 13.​According to Yin’s typology, an embedded case study refers to: ​ A) A study that includes multiple sub-units of analysis within a single case (✔) ​ B) A case study with a very broad scope ​ C) A study that does not follow any structured method ​ D) A study that is purely theoretical 14.​What is an advantage of using case studies in political science? ​ A) They allow for in-depth analysis of complex phenomena (✔) ​ B) They always provide results that can be generalized to all political systems ​ C) They eliminate all potential bias ​ D) They rely solely on statistical methods  15.​Which case selection strategy is used when a researcher chooses a case that contradicts dominant theoretical assumptions? ​ A) Representative case ​ B) Extreme case ​ C) Outlier (deviant) case (✔) ​ D) Longitudinal case Process Tracing 16.​What is the primary goal of process tracing? ​ A) Establishing statistical correlation ​ B) Identifying causal mechanisms linking independent and dependent variables (✔) ​ C) Analyzing large datasets ​ D) Testing multiple regression models 17.​In process tracing, a smoking gun observation refers to: ​ A) Evidence that strongly supports a causal relationship (✔) ​ B) An unreliable source of information ​ C) A piece of information that disproves a theory ​ D) A form of statistical analysis 18.​What are the three facets of configurational thinking in process tracing? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) Multicausality (✔) ​ B) Equifinality (✔) ​ C) Linear causality ​ D) Causal heterogeneity (✔) 19.​What does causal process tracing involve? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) Identifying sequences of events (✔) ​ B) Using historical records to verify causal links (✔) ​ C) Conducting laboratory experiments ​ D) Establishing necessary and sufficient conditions (✔) 20.​What is an example of a causal chain in process tracing? ​ A) Industrialization → Urbanization → Economic Growth (✔) ​ B) Economic growth and democracy developing independently ​ C) A sudden and unexplained policy change ​ D) Comparing multiple countries at one point in time Co-variational Analysis 21.​What is the primary goal of co-variational analysis? ​ A) To establish correlation between an independent and dependent variable (✔) ​ B) To analyze a single case in-depth ​ C) To identify complex causal mechanisms ​ D) To conduct laboratory experiments 22.​In co-variational analysis, what is the most similar case design?  ​ A) Cases are as different as possible in all variables ​ B) Cases are similar in control variables but vary in the independent variable (✔) ​ C) Cases are chosen randomly ​ D) Cases do not need to be similar in any way 23.​Which mode of comparison is commonly used in co-variational analysis? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) Cross-sectional comparison (✔) ​ B) Intertemporal comparison (✔) ​ C) Counterfactual comparison (✔) ​ D) Longitudinal case study 24.​A major weakness of co-variational analysis is: ​ A) It disregards multicausality (✔) ​ B) It cannot be used for political science research ​ C) It is only applicable in economics ​ D) It is unreliable 25.​How is theory used in co-variational analysis? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) To define key variables (✔) ​ B) To establish expected relationships (✔) ​ C) To consider alternative explanations (✔) ​ D) To eliminate all uncertainty from research Regression Analysis (continued) 26.​What type of dependent variable is used in logistic regression? ​ A) Continuous ​ B) Binary (Yes/No, 1/0) (✔) ​ C) Categorical ​ D) Ordinal 27.​What does the R² value in a regression model indicate? ​ A) The level of statistical significance ​ B) The percentage of variance explained by the independent variables (✔) ​ C) The number of cases in the study ​ D) The standard error 28.​What is a limitation of regression analysis? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) It cannot fully explain all variability in the dependent variable (✔) ​ B) It only shows correlation, not causation (✔) ​ C) It always provides a perfect model for predictions ​ D) It cannot estimate the effects of omitted variables (✔) 29.​Which type of regression is best suited for analyzing count data and categorical relationships? ​ A) Linear regression ​ B) Logistic regression ​ C) Log-linear regression (✔) ​ D) Multiple regression 30.​When analyzing political behavior, why might a researcher choose multiple regression instead of simple linear regression?  ​ A) To account for multiple independent variables affecting the dependent variable (✔) ​ B) To improve the study’s generalizability ​ C) Because it is easier to interpret than linear regression ​ D) Because linear regression is only used in economics Research Design (continued) 31.​Which of the following is a bad research question? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) A question that lacks specificity (✔) ​ B) A question that is too broad to answer (✔) ​ C) A question that has already been answered and is not relevant (✔) ​ D) A question that is formulated based on theoretical reasoning 32.​What is the main role of theory in political science research? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) Identifying relevant independent variables (✔) ​ B) Distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant empirical aspects (✔) ​ C) Providing a framework for systematic knowledge accumulation (✔) ​ D) Ensuring 100% certainty in all research conclusions 33.​What is the difference between deduction and induction in research? ​ A) Deduction moves from theory to empirical testing, while induction moves from observations to theory (✔) ​ B) Induction tests existing theories, while deduction develops new ones ​ C) Deduction is used only in qualitative research, while induction is used in quantitative research ​ D) Induction is a more rigorous method than deduction 34.​Operationalization in research refers to: ​ A) Making concepts measurable (✔) ​ B) Formulating hypotheses ​ C) Selecting a research question ​ D) Eliminating bias from the study Interviews (continued) 35.​Which of the following statements about elite interviews is true? ​ A) They focus on gathering information from decision-makers (✔) ​ B) They always use structured interviews ​ C) They are identical to focus group interviews ​ D) They are rarely useful in political science 36.​In semi-structured interviews, what is a key difference from structured interviews? ​ A) Semi-structured interviews allow for follow-up questions and flexibility (✔) ​ B) Semi-structured interviews rely only on multiple-choice responses ​ C) Semi-structured interviews are always conducted with large sample sizes ​ D) Semi-structured interviews do not require coding of responses 37.​Why might researchers use focus group interviews instead of individual interviews? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) To study how people interact and construct meaning collectively (✔)  ​ B) To reduce costs and time by interviewing multiple people at once (✔) ​ C) To avoid interviewer bias entirely ​ D) To generate more reliable standardized data 38.​What is a major ethical consideration when conducting interviews? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) Obtaining informed consent from participants (✔) ​ B) Offering anonymity and confidentiality when necessary (✔) ​ C) Ensuring that participants are compensated for their time ​ D) Avoiding leading or biased questions (✔) Content Analysis (continued) 39.​In qualitative content analysis, what is the purpose of coding? ​ A) To classify and analyze patterns in textual data (✔) ​ B) To assign numerical values to every word in the text ​ C) To create new theories without empirical evidence ​ D) To eliminate subjectivity from research 40.​What is an example of inductive coding in content analysis? ​ A) Developing themes from textual data as they emerge (✔) ​ B) Using pre-existing theoretical categories for coding ​ C) Assigning numerical values to all words in the text ​ D) Relying exclusively on statistical software for analysis 41.​Why is inter-coder reliability important in content analysis? ​ A) It ensures that different coders produce consistent results (✔) ​ B) It removes the need for coding categories ​ C) It allows researchers to create subjective interpretations ​ D) It guarantees perfect validity in research findings Case Study Design (continued) 42.​What distinguishes a most-likely case from a least-likely case in case selection? ​ A) A most-likely case is expected to confirm a theory, while a least-likely case is expected to challenge it (✔) ​ B) A least-likely case is used for quantitative research only ​ C) A most-likely case involves large-N studies, while a least-likely case does not ​ D) Both types of cases are randomly selected 43.​What is an advantage of using comparative case studies? (Select all that apply.) ​ A) They allow researchers to compare structured and focused questions across cases (✔) ​ B) They help test theoretical frameworks in different contexts (✔) ​ C) They eliminate all potential biases ​ D) They can reveal causal mechanisms through structured comparisons (✔) Process Tracing (continued) 44.​What is a confession in process tracing? ​ A) A statement from a key actor explaining their decision-making process (✔) ​ B) A research error ​ C) A statistical test of causality ​ D) A method used exclusively in experiments 45.​What makes causal process tracing (CPT) different from co-variational analysis? ​ A) CPT examines within-case causal mechanisms, while co-variational analysis compares across cases (✔) ​ B) CPT uses large datasets, while co-variational analysis does not ​ C) CPT is always deductive, while co-variational analysis is inductive ​ D) CPT does not rely on empirical evidence Co-variational Analysis (continued) 46.​A cross-sectional comparison in co-variational analysis involves: ​ A) Comparing multiple cases at a single point in time (✔) ​ B) Tracking changes in one case over time ​ C) Using only experimental methods ​ D) Ignoring variation in control variables 47.​What is a major risk of co-variational analysis? ​ A) Overlooking multiple causal factors (✔) ​ B) Being too specific to a single case ​ C) Relying too heavily on qualitative methods ​ D) Not having enough control variables Regression Analysis (final questions) 48.​What does a statistically significant regression coefficient indicate? ​ A) That there is strong evidence that the independent variable affects the dependent variable (✔) ​ B) That the independent variable is always the cause of the dependent variable ​ C) That the research hypothesis has been proven ​ D) That the relationship is perfectly linear 49.​If an R² value is low, what does this suggest about a regression model? ​ A) The model does not explain much of the variation in the dependent variable (✔) ​ B) The model is highly accurate ​ C) The model is invalid and should not be used ​ D) The independent variables are perfectly correlated 50.​What does multicollinearity refer to in regression analysis? ​ A) When independent variables are highly correlated with each other (✔) ​ B) When a dependent variable has multiple categories ​ C) When regression models do not include enough variables ​ D) When statistical significance is too high