Consider the following statements regarding questionnaire preparation:

Question

Consider the following statements regarding questionnaire preparation:

a. Questionnaires collect data by asking people to respond to different set of questions.

b. The validity and reliability of the data depend largely on the design of your questions.

c. Collect the data without a pilot test of all questionnaires.

d. When designing your questionnaire you should consider the wording of individual questions prior to the order in which they appear.

Which of the following statement is correct?

1. A. a and b
2. B. b and c
3. C. a and d
4. D. b and d (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — b and d

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is b and d.

Key Points

• Correct statements about questionnaire design: a (questionnaires collect data through questions) ✓, b (validity depends on question design) ✓, d (wording must be considered) ✓.
• Statement c is wrong — a pilot test IS necessary.
• Statements b and d are most precisely correct.

Additional Information

• A questionnaire is judged on validity (does it measure what it intends?) and reliability (does it give consistent results?), and both depend on how the questions are worded.
• Good practice: keep questions short and unambiguous, avoid leading and double-barrelled questions, order from general to specific, and place sensitive items last.
• A pilot survey on a small group is run to expose ambiguity before full fieldwork.
• Closed questions are easy to tabulate; open questions capture nuance but are harder to code.