Question 1

Cross-sectional comparative research tends to be all of the following except ______.

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional research compares different groups at a single point in time, so it is not longitudinal. It is variable oriented, nomothetic, and deductive in nature.

Question 2

Narrative historical explanations tend to be ______.

Accepted Answer

Narrative historical explanations tend to focus on the unique and specific events, individuals, and contexts of a particular historical event, making them idiographic in nature.

Question 3

In case-oriented historical research,the sample is ______.

Accepted Answer

In case-oriented historical research, the focus is on a specific case or nation or geographic unit, therefore the sample is typically one nation or other geographic unit. Options A and B are too broad and would not allow for case-oriented research. Option D may be a part of the researched data, but is not the sample as a whole.

Question 4

To identify the underlying structure in a chronology of events,historical social researchers use ______.

Accepted Answer

Event structure analysis is a method used by historical social researchers to identify and understand the underlying structure in a chronology of events. It helps in analyzing sequences of events to uncover patterns, relationships, and structures that explain social phenomena over time.

Question 5

Qualitative historical research often follows a story involving specific actors and other events occurring at the same time or takes account of the position of actors and events in time.In other words,qualitative historical research is usually ______.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative historical research often follows a story involving specific actors and other events occurring at the same time or takes account of the position of actors and events in time. In other words, qualitative historical research is usually narrative.

Question 6

What is the third step in an event structure analysis?

Accepted Answer

Identifying prior steps that are prerequisites for subsequent events is the third step in an event structure analysis.

Question 7

Event history analysis requires a researcher to do all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

Event history analysis focuses on the sequence of events, the timing of events, and the relationships between events. While oral histories may provide valuable information, they are not a requirement for event history analysis.

Question 8

A study of romance novels found four different types of heroines predominated: the cold professional,the emotionally scarred,the romantic dreamer,and the self-sacrificing martyr.This study is most likely ______.

Accepted Answer

The study is analyzing the content of romance novels to identify the predominant types of heroines. This falls under the category of content analysis, which involves systematically analyzing and interpreting the content of a text. The other options (oral history, textual experiment, and narrative analysis) are not as relevant in this context.

Question 9

If the applicability of general theoretical propositions is limited to particular historical circumstances,then the theory is ______.

Accepted Answer

The statement implies that the theory is specific to certain historical circumstances, so it is historically conditional. Option A is incorrect because analytic theories apply to all situations. Option B concerns the interpretation of data, not the historical context of a theory. Option D refers to a type of research design and does not address the applicability of theories.

Question 10

Narrative historical explanations involve what type of causal reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Narrative historical explanations involve idiographic causal reasoning, which focuses on understanding the unique and specific factors that led to a particular event or outcome. This is in contrast to nomothetic or variable-oriented reasoning, which seeks to identify general patterns or laws that apply across different settings and contexts. Quantitative methods, meanwhile, involve measuring and analyzing numerical data, which may or may not be used in historical explanations.

Question 11

When Frank,Hironaka,and Schofer (2000)studied the historical development of environmental protection around the world from 1900 to the late 1900s,they were conducting what kind of research?

Accepted Answer

The study conducted by Frank, Hironaka, and Schofer aimed to understand the historical development of environmental protection across the world from 1900 to the late 1900s. This type of research involves studying the changes and processes that occurred over time, which is characteristic of historical process research. The researchers were not conducting oral history analysis, cross-sectional comparative research, or historical events research, as they did not focus on individual stories, compare different groups at a single point in time, or examine specific events in isolation.

Question 12

What sampling method is used in content analyses?

Accepted Answer

Content analyses can use a variety of sampling methods depending on the research question and the nature of the content being analyzed. This includes simple random samples, stratified samples, and nonrandom sampling techniques.

Question 13

Historical and comparative methods seek to answer questions about economic development,stratification,and other social processes by ______.

Accepted Answer

Historical and comparative methods involve examining and comparing historical data and social processes from different times and places, in order to identify patterns, similarities, and differences. This type of research seeks to provide insight into how economic development, stratification, and other social processes have evolved over time and in different contexts. It does not rely on experimental groups or provide clear answers based on observational science, but rather uses extensive data analysis to draw conclusions.

Question 14

What kind of data sources do demographers use?

Accepted Answer

Demographers use all of these data sources – birth and death records, marriage and divorce records, and migration records – to analyze population characteristics and trends.

Question 15

Max Weber's (Bendix 1962:268)comparative sociology of religions contrasted which religions?

Accepted Answer

Max Weber's comparative sociology of religions contrasted a total of six religions, namely Protestantism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Ancient Judaism. Therefore, option D is the correct choice.

Question 16

Research that involves studying a single case in a long period of time is known as ______.

Accepted Answer

The description provided in the question corresponds to historical process research, which involves studying a single case over a long period of time to analyze its historical development and changes. The other options, comparative historical research and cross-sectional comparative research, involve comparing multiple cases from different times or contexts. Historical events research does not necessarily focus on a single case over time, but rather on specific events that occurred in history.

Question 17

The final step in a content analysis is to ______.

Accepted Answer

The final step in a content analysis is to perform statistical analysis, which involves the examination and interpretation of the data collected during the analysis process. This allows researchers to draw conclusions and make inferences about the messages or content being analyzed.

Question 18

What is the first stage in a systematic,qualitative,comparative historical study?

Accepted Answer

The first stage in a systematic, qualitative, comparative historical study is to specify a theoretical framework and identify key concepts or events that should be examined to explain a phenomenon. This helps to establish the scope and parameters of the study and provides a framework for analyzing the cases that will be selected later.

Question 19

Research that involves studying multiple cases (usually nations)throughout a long period of time is known as ______.

Accepted Answer

Comparative historical research involves studying multiple cases (usually nations) throughout a long period of time. This approach is often used in political science, sociology, and history to understand the causes and effects of social and political phenomena over time. Cross-sectional comparative research, on the other hand, involves comparing different groups or populations at a single point in time, while demography focuses specifically on the study of population characteristics and dynamics. Historical events research, meanwhile, may involve a deep dive into a specific historical event or period rather than a comparison of multiple cases.

Question 20

To understand historical events that occurred within the lifetime of living individuals,social researchers use which of the following methods?

Accepted Answer

Oral history is the best choice for understanding historical events that occurred within the lifetime of living individuals. This method involves interviewing individuals who have experienced or witnessed the events being studied in order to collect firsthand accounts and personal perspectives. This allows researchers to gain a deeper understanding of how individuals experienced and interpreted these events and how they may have influenced social and cultural changes. Event history analysis and event structure analysis are more quantitative methods used to analyze trends and patterns in large datasets over time. Narrative historical evaluation involves analyzing historical documents and accounts to construct a narrative of the events being studied. These methods may be useful for understanding broader social and cultural contexts but are less effective for studying individual experiences and perspectives.

Quiz 15: Research Using Historical and Comparative Data and Content Analysis