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2 Participant Observation and Fieldwork Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 2 Participant Observation and Fieldwork, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
Choose one
1 point

A researcher joins selected activities in a community while observing and recording everyday interactions. Which method best describes this approach?

  1. A

    A method based only on interviewing people about their past behavior.

  2. B

    An ethnographic method that combines participation in some activities with systematic observation and recording.

  3. C

    A method in which researchers avoid social settings and analyze only documents.

  4. D

    A method that requires the researcher to take on a full-time role in the community.

02
True or false
1 point

If a community leader grants a researcher access to a setting, that approval necessarily means everyone in the setting has consented to participate.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

03
Choose one
1 point

A researcher encounters a community practice that differs from their own expectations. Which response best reflects cultural relativism?

  1. A

    Judge the practice by whether it matches the researcher’s own cultural expectations.

  2. B

    Assume that everyone in the community understands the practice in the same way.

  3. C

    First seek to understand participants’ meanings and circumstances, then analyze the practice carefully.

  4. D

    Accept the practice without question because it is locally meaningful.

04
Written response
1 point

What term refers to brief reminders a researcher makes during fieldwork to preserve details for fuller notes later?

05
Fill in the blank
1 point

A researcher records their own reactions, assumptions, and possible influence on an interaction. In fieldnotes, this is an example of .

06
Choose all
1 point

Which approaches can strengthen a researcher’s interpretation of a community practice? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    Ask participants how they understand the practice.

  2. B

    Treat the researcher’s first interpretation as definitive.

  3. C

    Compare perspectives rather than assuming one person speaks for everyone.

  4. D

    Observe the practice in different situations.

07
True or false
1 point

Once a researcher participates in an activity, their presence and actions cannot affect what happens in the setting.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

08
Written response
1 point

In ethical fieldwork, consent should be treated as what kind of process, rather than as a one-time event?

09
Choose one
1 point

A researcher’s relationships in a field setting change, and participants raise new concerns about where notes are taken. What is the most appropriate response?

  1. A

    Continue observing every activity because initial access cannot be changed.

  2. B

    Ask one gatekeeper to decide what all participants are comfortable sharing.

  3. C

    Avoid discussing the change so that rapport is not affected.

  4. D

    Renegotiate the scope of observation and note-taking as relationships and circumstances develop.

10
Fill in the blank
1 point

Using pseudonyms or altered identifying details may help protect participants, but it does not guarantee .

11
Choose all
1 point

Which practices are consistent with ethical fieldwork? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    Explain the project and how collected information will be used.

  2. B

    Protect records and consider possible consequences of publication.

  3. C

    Treat gatekeeper approval as a substitute for participants’ consent.

  4. D

    Obtain informed consent and necessary permissions.

12
Choose one
1 point

A researcher combines participant observation with interviews and documents to understand social life. What broader approach does this represent?

  1. A

    Rapport

  2. B

    Ethnography

  3. C

    Reflexivity

  4. D

    Cultural relativism

13
Open ended
1 point

A researcher is invited to help organize a community event. A leader grants access, but some participants later express concern about being observed, and the researcher notices that people behave differently when they are present. Describe how the researcher should proceed and explain how they should document and interpret what happens.

14
Choose one
1 point

A researcher wants to understand how people coordinate a shared meal in everyday life. Which approach best fits participant observation?

  1. A

    Conduct a one-time interview and treat it as a complete account of everyday life.

  2. B

    Take part in some activities while systematically observing and recording everyday life.

  3. C

    Observe from a distance without engaging in any activities or recording interactions.

  4. D

    Ask community leaders to describe routines and assume their accounts represent everyone.

15
Choose one
1 point

A researcher encounters a community practice that seems unfamiliar. Which response best reflects cultural relativism?

  1. A

    Evaluate the practice using the researcher’s cultural expectations before learning how participants understand it.

  2. B

    Assume that everyone in the community interprets the practice in the same way.

  3. C

    First learn how participants understand the practice and the circumstances in which it occurs.

  4. D

    Avoid analyzing the practice so that participants’ views cannot be challenged.

16
Written response
1 point

A fieldworker writes down who spoke during a meeting and how the others responded, without proposing what the exchange meant. Which fieldnote category is this?

17
Choose one
1 point

A community leader permits a researcher to enter a field site. What should the researcher conclude about consent from other people there?

  1. A

    Treat the gatekeeper’s approval as consent from everyone in the setting.

  2. B

    Recognize the approval as important for access, while still addressing consent and views of other people.

  3. C

    Assume that no further explanation of the project is needed once access is granted.

  4. D

    Avoid explaining how collected information will be used unless participants ask.

18
Choose one
1 point

A researcher has developed a friendly relationship with several people at a field site. Which approach is most appropriate when asking to observe a new activity?

  1. A

    Build trust through reliability and attentive listening, while respecting that access may need to be renegotiated.

  2. B

    Assume that a friendly relationship means people owe the researcher personal information.

  3. C

    Rely on one participant to explain the views of the whole community.

  4. D

    Treat access as fixed once it has been granted, regardless of later concerns.

19
Written response
1 point

What term describes brief reminders made during fieldwork to help preserve details for fuller notes later?

20
True or false
1 point

True or false: In fieldwork, obtaining consent once means a researcher need not respond if participants later raise questions or wish to decline participation.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False