Wachemo University

Department of Statistics
Questions on Research Methodology for Exit Exam Preparation

1. In which field of epidemiology would you expect to see ecological studies?

A. Descriptive epidemiology
B. Intervention studies
C. Analytical epidemiology
D. Statistical analysis
2. Which of the following order is recommended as the flowchart of the research process?
A. Formulate Hypothesis, Sampling Design, Process Data, Identify Research Problem
B. Sampling Design, Process Data, Identify Research Problem, Formulate Hypothesis
C. Formulate Hypothesis, Process Data, Identify Research Problem, Sampling Design
D. Identify Research Problem, Formulate Hypothesis, Sampling Design, Process Data
3. VillageX is a community of 100,000 persons. During 1985 there were 1,000 deaths from all causes. All
cases of tuberculosis have been found and they total 300 (200 males and 100 females). During 1985,
there were 60 deaths from tuberculosis, 50 of them males. What is the crude mortality rate for VillageX?
A. 300 per 100,000
B. 60 per 1,000
C. 10 per 1,000
D. 100 per 1,000
E. 200 per 1,000
4. Cyber bullying at work is a growing threat to employee job satisfaction. Researchers want to find out
why people do this and how they feel about it. The primary purpose of the study is:

A. Description
B. Prediction
C. Exploration
D. Explanation

5. When designing a questionnaire it is important to do each of the following EXCEPT

A. Pilot the questionnaire

B. Avoid jargon
C. Avoid double questions
D. Use leading questions

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6. Which of the study is used for the research that seeks to examine the findings of a study by using the
same design but a different sample?

A. An exploratory study
B. A replication study
C. An empirical study
D. Hypothesis testing

7. Which of the following is true of observations?

A. It takes less time than interviews

B. It is often not possible to determine exactly why people behave as they do
C. Covert observation raises fewer ethical concerns than overt
D. All of the above

8. When conducting an interview, asking questions such as: "What else? or ‘Could you expand on that?’
are all forms of:

A. Structured responses
B. Category questions
C. Protocols
D. Probes

9. Secondary data can include which of the following?

A. Government statistics
B. Personal diaries
C. Organizational records
D. All of the above

10. The ‘reliability’ of a measure refers to the researcher asking:

A. Does it give consistent results?

B. Does it measure what it is supposed to measure?
C. Can the results be generalized?
D. Does it have face reliability?

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11. One of the following is true about interview questions:

A. Interview questions should test the respondents’ powers of memory

B. Interview questions should lead the respondent
C. Interview questions should probe sensitive issues
D. Interview questions should be delivered in a neutral tone

12. A disadvantage of using secondary data is that:

A. The data may have been collected with reference to research questions that are not those of the
researcher
B. The researcher may bring more detachment in viewing the data than original researchers could
muster
C. Data have often been collected by teams of experienced researchers
D. Secondary data sets are often available and accessible

13. Which of the following is a typical research question?

A. To produce a report on student job searching behaviors

B. To identify the relationship between self-efficacy and student job searching behaviours
C. Do students with high levels of self-efficacy demonstrate more active job searching behaviours?
D. Students with higher levels of self-efficacy will demonstrate more active job searching behaviours

14. A review of the literature prior to formulating research questions allows the researcher to:

A. Provide an up-to-date understanding of the subject, its significance, and structure

B. Guide the development of research questions
C. Present the kinds of research methodologies used in previous studies
D. All of the above

15. Adopting ethical principles in research means:

A. The researcher is anonymous

B. Avoiding harm to participants
C. Deception is only used when necessary
D. Selected informants give their consent

16. Which research paradigm is most concerned with generalizing its findings?

A. Quantitative research
B. Qualitative research
C. Mixed-methods research
D. All of the above

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17. A study of teaching professionals posits that their performance-related pay increases their motivation
which in turn leads to an increase in their job satisfaction. What kind of variable is “motivation” in this
study?

A. Extraneous
B. Confounding
C. Intervening
D. Manipulated

18. When interpreting a correlation coefficient expressing the relationship between two variables, it is
important not to:

A. Assume causality
B. Measure the values for X and Y independently
C. Choose X and Y values that are normally distributed
D. Check the direction of the relationship

19. Which of the following can be described as a nominal variable?

A. Annual income
B. Age
C. Annual sales
D. Geographical location of a firm

20. A positive correlation occurs when:

A. Two variables remain constant

B. Two variables move in the same direction
C. One variable goes up and the other goes down
D. Two variables move in opposite directions

21. Qualitative research is used in all the following circumstances, EXCEPT:

A. It is based on a collection of non-numerical data such as words and pictures

B. It often uses small samples
C. It uses the inductive method
D. It is typically used when a great deal is already known about the topic of interest

22. In an experiment, the group that does not receive the intervention is called:

A. The experimental group

B. The participant group
C. The control group
D. The treatment group

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23. Which of the following is not ethical practice in research with humans?

A. Maintaining participants’ anonymity

B. Gaining informed consent
C. Informing participants that they are free to withdraw at any time
D. Requiring participants to continue until the study has been completed

24. Which of the following techniques yields a simple random sample of hospitals?

A. Randomly selecting a district and then sampling all hospitals within the district
B. Numbering all the elements of a hospital sampling frame and then using a random number generator
to pick hospitals from the table
C. Listing hospitals by sector and choosing a proportion from within each sector at random
D. Choosing volunteer hospitals to participate

25. Which of the following statements are true?

A. The larger the sample size, the larger the confidence interval
B. The smaller the sample size, the greater the sampling error
C. The more categories being measured, the smaller the sample size
D. A confidence level of 95 percent is always sufficient

26. Which of the following will produce the least sampling error?

A. A large sample based on convenience sampling

B. A small sample based on random sampling
C. A large snowball sample
D. A large sample based on random sampling

27. A Type 1 error occurs in a situation where:

A. The null hypothesis is accepted when it is in fact true

B. The null hypothesis is rejected when it is in fact false
C. The null hypothesis is rejected when it is in fact true
D. The null hypothesis is accepted when it is in fact false

28. Why do you need to review the existing literature?

A. To make sure you have a long list of references
B. Because without it, you could never reach the required word-count
C. To find out what is already known about your area of interest
D. To help in your general studying

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29. A formal document that presents the research objectives, design of achieving the objectives set, and the
expected outcomes/deliverables of the study is termed as:
A. Research design
B. Research proposal
C. Research hypothesis
D. Research report
30. What are the core elements of a Research Process?
A. Introduction; Data Collection; Data Analysis; Conclusions and Recommendations
B. Executive Summary; Literature Review; Data Gathered; Conclusions; Bibliography
C. Research Plan; Research Data; Analysis; References
D. Introduction; Literature Review; Research Methodology; Results; Discussions and Conclusions
31. Which of the following is true regarding research objectives?
A. Research objectives, when achieved, will provide sufficient earnings to obtain a reasonable return
on investment.
B. Research objectives, when obtained, will ensure the viability of the marketing research department.
C. Research objectives, when achieved, provide the information necessary to solve the problem.
D. Research objectives are seldom achieved but should be stated as goals to be sought
32. Randomized, controlled trials provide strong evidence that an observed effect is due to the intervention
(the assigned exposure). One reason is because
A. When the participants are randomized, many characteristics and possible confounding factors are
likely to be evenly distributed in the groups.
B. It is easier to measure the outcome variable with great precision in randomised, controlled trials
compared to in other study designs.
C. The exposure level and the outcome are measured at the same time.
D. The study participants are volunteers and therefore motivated to take part in the study.
33. Where a group of people with a specific condition receive a treatment and their progress is compared
with a second group receiving a placebo or alternative treatment, what type of study design is this?
A. case–control study
B. cohort study
C. community trial
D. clinical trial
34. In the definition of epidemiology, “distribution” refers to:
A. Who
B. When
C. Where
D. Why
E. All except D

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35. A study in which children are randomly assigned to receive either a newly formulated vaccine or the
currently available vaccine, and are followed to monitor for side effects and effectiveness of each
vaccine for some period of time, is an example of which type of study?

A. Quazi-Experimental
B. Observational
C. Cross-sectional
D. Case-control
E. Clinical trial/ RCT/

36. Please select one of the following responses:

A. Research ethics includes the protection of citizens, especially vulnerable groups such as
children.
B. Research ethics is about making sure the research gets done if someone has funded it.
C. Research ethics is most important at the beginning of the research project.
D. Research ethics only covers data collection and data analysis, it does not cover the publication
of research findings.
37. A cohort study differs from a case-control study in that:

A. Subjects are asked about their exposure status in a cohort study but not in a case-control study
B. Subjects are enrolled or categorized on the basis of their exposure status in a cohort study but not
in a case-control study
C. We may come up with multiple exposure in cohort studies, but not in case-control studies
D. Cohort studies are conducted to investigate chronic diseases, case-control studies are used for
infectious diseases
38. What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?

A. Incidence refers to the proportion of the population with a disease, while prevalence refers to the
number of new cases of a disease in a population over a period of time
B. Incidence refers to the number of new cases of a disease in a population over a period of time, while
prevalence refers to the proportion of the population with a disease
C. Incidence and prevalence are the same thing
D. Incidence and prevalence are measures of mortality

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39. Health education on early diagnosis and treatment is
A. Primary prevention
B. Secondary prevention
C. Tertiary prevention
D. Primordial prevention
40. What is the difference between morbidity and mortality?
A. Morbidity is the number of deaths caused by a disease, while mortality is the number of people
affected by the disease
B. Morbidity and mortality are interchangeable terms that describe the same thing
C. Morbidity is the number of people affected by a disease, while mortality is the number of deaths
caused by the disease
D. Morbidity and mortality refer to different types of diseases, with morbidity referring to infectious
diseases and mortality referring to non-infectious diseases
41. In 1945, there were 1,000 women who worked in a factory painting. The incidence of bone cancer in
these women up to 1975 was compared to that of 1,000 women who worked as telephone operators in
1945. Twenty of the factory painters and four of the telephone operators developed bone cancer
between 1945 and 1975. What study design is this?
A. Cohort Study
B. Experimental Study
C. Clinical Trial
D. Cross-Sectional Study
E. Case – Control Study
42. A screening test for breast cancer was administered to 400 women with biopsy-proven breast cancer
and to 400 women without breast cancer. The test results were positive for 100 of the proven cases and
50 of the normal women. What is the sensitivity of this screening test?
A. 88%
B. 67%
C. 25%
D. 33%
E. 12%
43. In a cohort study, the risk ratio of developing diabetes was 1.46 when comparing consumers of tea
(the exposed) to those who did not drink tea (the unexposed). Which one statement is correct?
A. The tea drinkers have lower risk of developing diabetes.
B. The tea drinkers have higher risk of developing diabetes.
C. Based on the information given we cannot tell if the observed difference in disease risk is the result
of chance.
D. The risk ratio is close to the value one, so there is no difference in disease risk between the two
groups.

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44. Confounding is a particular challenge in epidemiology because
A. People change their life-styles over time.
B. It is difficult to measure people's life-style accurately in large studies.
C. The are no good methods to adjust for confounding in majority epidemiological studies.
D. Different life-style factor’s components are correlated with each other, making it difficult to
separate their effects.
45. Why is it important that personal data about research participants are kept within secure, confidential
records?
A. So that the participants cannot find out what has been written about them
B. In case individuals, places, or organizations can be harmed through identification or disclosure of
personal information
C. So that government officials, teachers, and other people in authority can have easy access to the
data.
D. To enable the researcher to track down individuals and find out more about their lives.
46. You want to assess the efficacy of a new anti-epileptic drug versus an old drug? What is the best design
you choose for this purpose?
A. Ecological Study
B. Cross-Sectional Study
C. Case-Control Study
D. Cohort Study
E. Randomized Clinical Trial / RCT/
47. What practical steps can you take before you actually start your research?
A. Find out exactly what your institution's requirements are for a dissertation.
B. Make sure you are familiar with the hardware and software you plan to use in the methodology.
C. Apply for clearance of your project through an ethics committee.
D. All of the above.
48. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to study the effects of Vitamin A in preventing
deaths among children with measles. The investigators reported a relative risk of 0.60 for the
intervention versus control group. Which statement describes the result above?
A. Children receiving Vitamin A were 40% less likely to die from measles than children receiving
placebo
B. The chance of dying from measles in the placebo group was 60%
C. The chance of the null hypothesis being true is 60%
D. 60% of the children who died received Vitamin A; the other 40% received placebo

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49. In the 12 years follow-up of the Framingham Heart Study, the observed number of cases of angina was
1.6 times higher than the number expected based on population rates. What type of measure is this?
A. Prevalence rate
B. Incidence rate ratio
C. Risk ratio
D. Adjusted incidence rate
50. To assess the association between Skin Allergy and Type of Diaper (Traditional Vs Modern),
investigators conducted a case-control study with 100 cases (children with Skin Allergy) and 100
controls (children without Skin Allergy). Among the children with Skin Allergy, 50 had a history of
recent exposure to Modern Diaper. Among the controls, the number with a recent history of exposure
to Modern Diaper was 25. For this study, the odds ratio will be:
A. 1.0
B. 2.0
C. 3.0
D. Cannot be calculated from the information given

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