Question

 

Make sure the respondent has enough information

Remember your survey’s purpose

Keep your questions simple

Include only one topic per question

If in doubt, throw it out

Avoid leading questions

Write more effective survey questions

Naturally, no question is “good” in all situations, but there are some general rules to follow. Using these rules and examples will help you write useful questions.

1.________________

All other rules and guidelines are based on this one. There was a reason you decided to spend your time and money to do your survey, and you should ensure that every question you ask supports that reason. If you start to get lost while writing your questions, refer back to this rule.

2.________________

This is another way of stating the first rule, but it is important enough to repeat. A question should never be included in a survey because you can’t think of a good reason to discard it. If you cannot come up with a concrete benefit that will result from the question, don’t use it.

3._________________

Compound sentences force respondents to keep a lot of information in their heads, and are likely to produce unpredictable results. Example: “Imagine a situation where the production supervisor is away from the line, a series of defective parts is being manufactured, and you just heard that a new client requires ten thousand of these parts in order to make their production schedule. How empowered do you feel by your organization to stop the line and make the repairs to the manufacturing equipment?” This question is too complex for a clear, usable answer. Try breaking it down into components parts.

4.________________

How would you interpret the responses to “Please rate your satisfaction with the amount and kind of care you received while in the hospital.” or, a question asking about speed and accuracy? If you want to be able to come up with specific recommended actions, you need specific questions.

5.________________

Asking respondents “How effective has this company’s new distribution program been?” may not be as effective as “Recently, we used a new distribution system. Did you know this?” Followed by “Have you seen any positive benefits resulting from this change?” It can be beneficial to break down questions that require background information into two parts: a screening item describing the situation which asks if the respondent knows about it, and a follow-up question addressing attitudes the respondent has about the topic.

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.E

3.C

4.D

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：写更有效的调查问题。

1.B考查段落大意。该段讲得是写出有效的调查问题的最基础的原则，即所有其他的方法原则都基于此点，也是你决定花钱费时间地去做调查的原因，且你要让你设计的调查问题都围绕该点，当你茫然时也应再参考一下的基本点。故该题正确答案为B.即“要记住你调查的目的。”

2.E考查段落大意。根据该段中的“should never be included in a survey”和“don’t use it”可知，本段讲得是要弃用一些无用无益的问题。故该题正确答案为E.

3.C考查段落大意。该句所给的例子说明的是“This question is too complex for a clear, usable answer. Try breaking it down into components parts.”问题问得太复杂了。故该题的正确答案为C.“要让你的调查问题简洁。”

4.D考查段落大意。根据该段最后一句“If you want to be able to come up with specific recommended actions, you need specific questions.”可知，如果你想能提出一个明确的有建设性的行动，你需要明确的问题。即问题要明确，不要各方面都裹到一个问题里。故正确答案为D.

5.A考查段落大意。根据该段所举的例子及其总结“It can be beneficial to break down questions that require background information into two parts:…”可知，一些需要背景信息的问题，首先得通过询问了解被调查者是否知道。然后在询问态度。即要确保被调查者对相关信息有足够的了解，故该题正确答案为A.

考点：段落大意的总结和文章结构的把握