Ethnographic Fieldwork Methods – MCQs

1. What is ethnographic fieldwork primarily concerned with?
(A) Laboratory experiments
(B) Direct observation and participation in the daily life of a community
(C) Political campaigning
(D) Data analysis from surveys only

2. Who is often credited with establishing participant observation as a primary ethnographic method?
(A) Franz Boas
(B) Bronislaw Malinowski
(C) Margaret Mead
(D) Claude Lévi-Strauss

3. Which of the following is a key characteristic of ethnographic fieldwork?
(A) Short-term, remote research
(B) Long-term, immersive study within a community
(C) Only reading historical texts
(D) Telephone interviews

4. What does participant observation involve?
(A) Simply watching people
(B) Actively engaging in daily activities while observing
(C) Writing only survey reports
(D) Political propaganda

5. What is an ethnographer’s field notes?
(A) Musical compositions
(B) Detailed written records of observations and experiences in the field
(C) Recorded phone calls
(D) Recipes for local food

6. Which of the following is an essential tool in ethnographic research?
(A) Survey questionnaires
(B) Participant observation
(C) Virtual reality equipment
(D) Randomized control trials

7. Informed consent in ethnographic research means:
(A) Participants have signed financial agreements
(B) Participants understand and agree to being studied
(C) Participants receive salaries
(D) Participants automatically become researchers

8. Gatekeepers in ethnographic research are:
(A) People who build fences
(B) Key individuals who help the researcher gain access to the community
(C) Police officers in the field
(D) People providing funding

9. Which type of interview allows for in-depth exploration of topics?
(A) Structured interview
(B) Unstructured interview
(C) Online survey
(D) Written examination

10. Fieldwork usually requires:
(A) Staying in urban hotels
(B) Living within the community being studied
(C) Long-distance commuting
(D) Conducting telephone interviews only

11. Which of the following is an example of reflexivity in ethnography?
(A) Ignoring personal biases
(B) Acknowledging the researcher’s influence on the research
(C) Using statistical formulas
(D) Hiring translators

12. The “emic” perspective refers to:
(A) The outsider’s view of a culture
(B) The insider’s or native’s point of view
(C) Governmental policy analysis
(D) Tourist guides

13. The “etic” perspective refers to:
(A) The insider’s viewpoint
(B) The researcher’s external, analytical perspective
(C) Traditional religious practice
(D) Caste-based opinions

14. Which of the following is often used to build rapport with research participants?
(A) Legal contracts
(B) Personal interaction and participation
(C) Formal dress code
(D) Political lobbying

15. Bronislaw Malinowski’s famous ethnographic work was conducted among:
(A) The Azande
(B) The Trobriand Islanders
(C) Native Americans
(D) The Maasai

16. What is cultural relativism in ethnographic research?
(A) Judging cultures by your own standards
(B) Understanding cultures within their own context without bias
(C) Promoting Western values
(D) Economic research method

17. Which of the following is a potential ethical issue in ethnographic fieldwork?
(A) Making phone calls
(B) Misrepresenting community beliefs or behaviors
(C) Using translation services
(D) Using notebooks

18. Key informants are:
(A) Villagers who oppose the study
(B) Individuals who provide detailed insights and explanations about their culture
(C) Government officials
(D) Academic journal editors

19. Which is a limitation of participant observation?
(A) Inability to take notes
(B) Difficulty maintaining objectivity
(C) Unavailability of cameras
(D) Requirement of using surveys

20. Which term describes short, descriptive accounts of daily life written by researchers?
(A) Official reports
(B) Field notes
(C) Court documents
(D) Financial summaries

21. Which technique is often used alongside participant observation?
(A) Experimentation
(B) Interviewing
(C) Genetic testing
(D) Software modeling

22. Life histories in ethnographic research are:
(A) Biographical accounts of individuals that provide cultural insight
(B) Maps of the local area
(C) Political campaigns
(D) Advertising materials

23. Which of the following represents covert observation?
(A) Researcher openly identifies themselves
(B) Researcher observes without disclosing their identity as a researcher
(C) Research done in laboratories
(D) Research by historical analysis

24. Which method allows respondents to speak freely, guided only slightly by the researcher?
(A) Structured interview
(B) Unstructured interview
(C) Questionnaire
(D) Experimental survey

25. Fieldwork is typically conducted:
(A) Within laboratories
(B) In the natural setting of the culture being studied
(C) At conferences
(D) Over the phone

26. Rapport in ethnographic research means:
(A) Formal contracts
(B) Trust and mutual understanding between researcher and participants
(C) Collection of documents
(D) Presentation slides

27. Which of the following involves the systematic description of a culture?
(A) Sociology
(B) Ethnography
(C) Archaeology
(D) Forensic anthropology

28. Thick description in ethnography emphasizes:
(A) Writing large volumes
(B) Providing rich, detailed context about observed events
(C) Using statistical data
(D) Listing only family trees

29. Reflexive ethnography acknowledges:
(A) Researcher’s positionality and influence on the data
(B) Weather conditions during fieldwork
(C) Local sports activities
(D) Maps of the research site

30. Who is associated with the concept of “thick description”?
(A) Clifford Geertz
(B) Franz Boas
(C) E. E. Evans-Pritchard
(D) Margaret Mead

31. In ethnographic research, triangulation refers to:
(A) Using multiple methods to study a single topic for accuracy
(B) Measuring geographical coordinates
(C) Drawing family trees
(D) Calculating statistics

32. Which of the following is NOT a method commonly used in ethnographic research?
(A) Participant observation
(B) Laboratory testing
(C) Interviews
(D) Field notes

33. Which research method is used to trace kinship relationships?
(A) Participant observation
(B) Genealogical method
(C) Life history
(D) Survey questionnaire

34. What does longitudinal ethnographic study involve?
(A) Quick observation
(B) Repeated observation of a community over a long period
(C) Studying fossils
(D) Writing dictionaries

35. Informal interviews are:
(A) Formal questionnaires
(B) Casual conversations yielding useful ethnographic data
(C) Academic conferences
(D) Written exams

36. In ethnographic writing, pseudonyms are often used to:
(A) Publish in newspapers
(B) Protect the identity of participants
(C) Create literary stories
(D) Sell books

37. What is the focus of genealogical method?
(A) Religious texts
(B) Social and kinship relationships
(C) Educational qualifications
(D) Technological advances

38. Which method involves mapping relationships between people in a community?
(A) Genealogical method
(B) Survey questionnaires
(C) Statistical analysis
(D) Linguistic translation

39. The primary goal of ethnographic fieldwork is to:
(A) Understand cultures from the insider’s perspective
(B) Translate documents
(C) Conduct experiments
(D) Produce advertising content

40. What does cultural immersion mean?
(A) Using cultural phrases in speech
(B) Fully engaging in the social life of the studied community
(C) Conducting remote interviews
(D) Shopping in local markets

41. Which of the following is true about unstructured interviews?
(A) Follow a strict questionnaire
(B) Allow for free-flowing conversation guided by the participant
(C) Require written scripts
(D) Only occur online

42. “Thick description” emphasizes:
(A) Only listing observed events
(B) Interpreting the meaning of observed behaviors within cultural context
(C) Using only photography
(D) Only statistical summaries

43. Snowball sampling is a technique used to:
(A) Study weather
(B) Find participants by referral from initial informants
(C) Measure snow patterns
(D) Map family trees

44. What is another term for cultural insider’s view in research?
(A) Emic perspective
(B) Etic perspective
(C) Reflexivity
(D) Objectivity

45. Which ethical principle requires that participants’ identities remain private?
(A) Observation
(B) Confidentiality
(C) Genealogical tracing
(D) Political neutrality

46. Fieldwork is often distinguished by its emphasis on:
(A) Naturalistic observation in real-life contexts
(B) Telephone surveys
(C) Reading textbooks
(D) Experiments in laboratories

47. An “informant” is also referred to as:
(A) Spy
(B) Key participant in the research
(C) Tourist
(D) Shopkeeper

48. The genealogical method is useful for understanding:
(A) Political laws
(B) Family structures and relationships
(C) Financial transactions
(D) Legal documentation

49. Which concept emphasizes suspending judgment about other cultures?
(A) Ethnocentrism
(B) Cultural relativism
(C) Reflexivity
(D) Structuralism

50. The central aim of ethnographic research is to:
(A) Describe cultural practices in detail
(B) Promote a political party
(C) Sell cultural products
(D) Teach cooking skills