Basic Sampling Issues

Multiple Choice

Concept of Sampling

1. Of the following, what is the most important consideration when choosing a sample?
a. size of the sample
b. size of the population
c. how well the sample represents the population
d. how well the population represents the sample
e. survey objectives

Ans: C
Page: 326
Difficulty: Difficult

2. The group from which information is required in order to address specific research objectives is known as:
a. survey participants
b. population of interest
c. sample frame
d. census
e. none of the above

Ans: B
Page: 326
Difficulty: Difficult

3. _____________ is the total group of people from whom information is obtained.

a. Sample of interest
b. Census of interest
c. Population of interest
d. Subset of interest
e. The entire universe

Ans: C
Page: 326
Difficulty: Easy

4. When a researcher attempts to collect data from all individuals in a population, this is referred to as taking
a:
a. census
b. stratified random sample
c. quota sample
d. simple random sample

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 e. systematic quota sample

Ans: A
Page: 326
Difficulty: Easy

Developing a Sampling Plan

5. The first step in the development of a sampling plan is:

a. determine sample size
b. select a sampling method
c. choose a data collection method
d. define the population of interest
e. deciding which statistical techniques are appropriate

Ans: D
Page: 328
Difficulty: Easy

6. Which of the following is NOT an example of a possible sampling frame?

a. Telephone book
b. Yellow Pages
c. Database of previous customers
d. Database of non-customers
e. All are examples of possible sampling frames

Ans: E
Page: 330-332
Difficulty: Difficult

7. The _____________ is a list of the members or elements from which units to be sampled are selected.
a. population
b. sample frame
c. sample source
d. universe
e. none of the above
Ans: B
Page: 330
Difficulty: Easy

8. Under what kind of sampling procedure must the researcher adhere closely to precise selection procedures
to ensure that the results are projectable to the population under study?
a. Non-probability
b. non-random
c. probability
d. quota

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 e. none of the above

Ans: C
Page: 332
Difficulty: Easy

9. What is the main reason for the growing popularity of non-probability samples?
a. sampling error can be computed
b. representative of population
c. lower cost than probability samples
d. less non-response bias than other types of sampling
e. they are more accurate than probability samples

Ans: C
Page: 335
Difficulty: Difficult

10. All of the following, except one, is an example of non-probability sampling:

a. Cluster
b. Convenience
c. Quota
d. Snowball
e. Judgment

Ans: A
Page: 335
Level: Medium

11. Acceptable error and level of confidence are important when determining:
a. non-response bias
b. definition of population
c. operational procedures for sampling
d. sample size
e. response bias

Ans: D
Page: 335
Difficulty: Medium

12. The difference between the sample result and population value is known as __________.
a. level of confidence
b. nonsampling error
c. acceptable error
d. none of the above

Ans: C
Page: 335
Difficulty: Hard

13. Issues such as acceptable error, levels of confidence, and statistical inferences about a population would be
associated with which of the following?
a. probability sample

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 b. snowball sample
c. quota sample
d. all of the above
e. none of the above

Ans: A
Page: 335
Difficulty: Difficult

Probability Sampling Methods

16. Simple random sampling involves:

a. Dividing the sample size into the population size
b. Dividing the population size into the sample size
c. Taking an average of the population for the sample
d. Selecting every nth name to be in the sample
e. Always giving everyone an equally change of selection into the sample

Ans: B
Page: 337
Level: Difficult

17. ________________ samples must be selected in such a way that every element of the population has a
known and equal chance of being selected.
a. Cluster
b. Simple random
c. Convenience
d. Systematic random
e. Stratified random

Ans: B
Page: 338
Difficulty: Medium

18. Which of the following sampling techniques would give the researcher the most confidence in projecting
the findings to the overall population?
a. quota
b. systematic
c. simple random
d. snowball
e. stratified snowball

Ans: C
Page: 338
Difficulty: Easy

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19. If the best sample frame available was a new telephone book and projectable results were needed, which of
the following sampling techniques would be most appropriate?
a. judgment
b. snowball
c. stratified random
d. systematic random
e. none of the above

Ans: D
Page: 338
Difficulty: Difficult

20. Which of the following sample types is often used as a substitute for simple random sampling?
a. snowball
b. judgment
c. quota
d. systematic
e. none of the above

Ans: D
Page: 338
Difficulty: Hard

21. Issues such as acceptable error, levels of confidence, and statistical inferences about a population would be
associated with which of the following?
a. probability sample
b. snowball sample
c. quota sample
d. all of the above
e. none of the above

Ans: A
Page: 335
Difficulty: Difficult

22. Which of the following sampling methods, if properly invoked, will produce projectable results?
a. quota
b. convenience
c. systematic
d. snowball
e. stratified quota

Ans: C
Page: 338
Difficulty: Easy

23. Which of the following sample types would enable the researcher to estimate sampling error?
a. snowball
b. judgment
c. quota
d. systematic

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 e. none of the above

Ans: D
Page: 338
Difficulty: Difficult

24. Which of the following types of samples enables the researcher to compute sampling error?
a. nonprobability
b. convenience
c. probability
d. all of the above

Ans: C
Page: 332
Difficulty: Easy

25. Which of the following sampling techniques involves the calculation of a “skip” interval in the selection of
sampling units?
a. simple random
b. snowball
c. systematic random
d. cluster
e. stratified quota

Ans: C
Page: 338
Difficulty: Easy

26. In order to compute a skip interval, the researcher needs to know the desired sample size and the
__________.
a. census
b. incidence rate
c. stratified sample
d. population size
e. none of the above

Ans: D
Page: 338
Difficulty: Medium

27. Which of the following sampling methods is the most statistically efficient?
a. simple random
b. systematic random
c. stratified random
d. cluster
e. all are equally statistically efficient

Ans: C
Page: 339
Difficulty: Difficult

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28. Stratified random samples are often confused with which of the following nonprobability sampling
techniques?
a. quota
b. convenience
c. judgment
d. snowball
e. none of the above

Ans: A
Page: 339-341
Difficulty: Hard

29. If the researcher is expecting different responses between males and females in a study, which type of
sample might be most useful?
a. judgment
b. snowball
c. stratified random
d. systematic random
e. none of the above

Ans: C
Page: 339-341
Difficulty: Hard

30. Suppose males and females differed markedly regarding the key questions in a given survey. Further, the
population consists of 35% males and 65% females. The probability sampling technique which would
secure the gender proportions mentioned above would be:
a. proportional stratified
b. systematic
c. disproportional stratified
d. area cluster
e. area quota

Ans: A
Page: 340
Difficulty: Easy

31. Proportional allocation is sometimes used in:

a. snowball sampling
b. judgment sampling
c. stratified sampling
d. convenience sampling
e. simple random sampling

Ans: C
Page: 339-340
Difficulty: Medium

32. Which of the following could serve as the basis for forming a stratum?

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 a. usage rate
b. gender
c. income level
d. all of the above
e. none of the above

Ans: D
Page: 340-341
Difficulty: Difficult

33. A researcher randomly selected 10 census tracts from a metropolitan area. Within each census tract, 30
households were randomly selected. The sampling technique just described would be a
a. quota sample
b. area cluster
c. stratified random
d. systematic random
e. systematic quota

Ans: B
Page: 341-343
Difficulty: Difficult

Nonprobability Sampling Methods

34. What do convenience, judgment, quota, and snowball samples have in common?
a. They can all be classified as non-probability samples.
b. They can all be classified as probability samples.
c. They all use random number tables to generate samples.
d. If properly invoked, they all provide projectable results.
e. They utilize every nth element in the sample frame
Ans: A
Page: 344
Difficulty: Easy

35. Which of the following is a correct statement regarding non-probability samples?

a. they are often used in exploratory research
b. they are appealing when the results do not have to be projectable to the population under study
c. they are often used when the research objective is to gain insights into a possible marketing
problem
d. all of the above statements are correct
e. none of the above are correct

Ans: D
Page: 343-346
Difficulty: Medium

36. Which of the following are possible problems associated with non-probability samples?
a. researcher doesn’t know how representative the results are

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 b. results cannot be projected to the population under study
c. sampling error cannot be computed
d. all of the above
e. none of the above

Ans: D
Page: 343-344
Difficulty: Easy

37. In test marketing, companies typically use cities that have been carefully chosen because of their
demographic make up. This is an example of ___________sampling.
a. judgment
b. snowball
c. quota
d. systematic
e. none of the above

Ans: A
Page: 344
Difficulty: Easy

38. Stratified random samples are often confused with which of the following non-probability sampling
techniques?
a. quota
b. convenience
c. judgment
d. snowball
e. none of the above

Ans: A
Page: 344
Difficulty: Medium

39. If a researcher offers beer drinkers an extra incentive to recruit their friends who also drink beer to
participate in the study, s/he is using a (n) ________sample.
a. cluster
b. systematic
c. stratified
d. snowball
e. none of the above

Ans: D
Page: 345
Difficulty: Easy

Internet Sampling

40. How is the Internet population different from the general population?
a. richer
b. more likely to be white
c. more likely to be male

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d. more tech-savvy
e. all of the above

Ans: E
Page: 347
Difficulty: Easy

True/False

Concept of Sampling

41. In marketing research, it is always preferable to take a census rather than a sample of the population under
study.

Ans: False
Page: 326
Difficulty: Easy
42. A census is often used in marketing research.

Ans: False
Page: 326
Difficulty: Medium

43. A census may be feasible when the population consists of a small number of potential respondents.

Ans: True
Page: 326-327
Difficulty: Easy

Developing a Sampling Plan

44. Nonresponse bias is a bigger problem for telephone surveys than for mail surveys.

Ans: False
Page: 330
Difficulty: Medium

45. Only rarely will the sampling frame correspond near-perfectly with the population under study.

Ans: True
Page: 330-332
Difficulty: Medium

46. A telephone book is often a very accurate sampling frame for marketing researchers.

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Ans: False
Page: 330-332
Difficulty: Difficult

47. Marketing research is treated the same as telemarketing on the Do Not Call (DNC) list.

Ans: False
Page: 332
Difficulty: Easy

48. Non-probability samples cost less than probability samples.

Ans: True
Page: 335
Difficulty: Difficult
49. When projectable results are needed, the market researcher will invoke a non-probability sample.

Ans: False
Page: 335
Difficulty: Medium

50. Probability samples are more popular in marketing research than non-probability samples.

Ans: False
Page: 335
Difficulty: Medium

51. A major advantage of probability samples is that they enable the researcher to make inferences about the
general population from the sample:

Answer: True
Page: 334
Level: Easy

Sampling and Nonsampling Errors

52. The smaller sampling error achieved by a census versus a probability sample, might be more than offset by
non-sampling error.

Ans: True
Page: 336-337
Difficulty: Difficult

Probability Sampling Methods

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53. Stratified samples do not have as much statistical efficiency as simple random samples.

Ans: False
Page: 338-339
Difficulty: Medium

54. Simple random samples require a detailed listing of the population of interest.

Ans: True
Page: 338-339
Difficulty: Medium
55. Simple random sampling is often used as a substitute for systematic sampling.

Ans: False
Page: 338
Difficulty: Medium

56. The size of the population is needed in order to compute a skip interval.

Ans: True
Page: 338
Difficulty: Medium

57. Proportional stratified random sampling is statistically more efficient than disproportional stratified random
sampling.

Ans: False
Page: 340
Difficulty: Difficult

58. Proportional allocation is also referred to as optimal allocation.

Ans: False
Page: 340
Difficulty: Medium

59. Stratified sampling is a type of probability sampling.

Ans: True
Page: 339
Difficulty: Easy

60. The area cluster sample is invoked for door-to-door surveys, when projectable results are needed.

Ans: True
Page: 341
Difficulty: Medium

Nonprobability Sampling Methods

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61. If a researcher were attempting to select persons for a focus group that owned at least one SUV, the
preferred mode of sampling would be a convenience sample.

Ans: False
Page: 344-345
Difficulty: Medium
62. Convenience samples should not be used in marketing research.

Ans: False
Page: 344
Difficulty: Medium

63. A judgment sample enables the researcher to make statistical inferences about population values.

Ans: False
Page: 344
Difficulty: Easy

64. Quota samples are identical to stratified samples.

Ans: False
Page: 344-345
Difficulty: Easy

65. If the purchase behavior in question was low-incidence behavior, to secure insights about the behavior the
researcher would likely invoke a snowball sample.

Ans: True
Page: 345
Difficulty: Difficult

66. Snowball sampling results in a reduction of the cost of searching for qualified respondents.

Ans: True
Page: 345
Difficulty: Medium

Internet Sampling

67. One of the advantages of Internet surveys is that target respondents can complete the survey at their
convenience.

Ans: True
Page: 346

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Difficulty: Easy

68. A shortcoming of Internet surveys relative to other modes of data collection is the need to input the data
into a database after it has been collected.

Ans: False
Page: 347
Difficulty: Easy

69. Users of the Internet in the United States have higher incomes than non-users.

Ans: True
Page: 347
Difficulty: Easy

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