Researcher: People who participate

Answer choices

1. A

   Irrelevant Objection16% picked this

   an opinion survey that disguises the surveyor's expectations may be flawed in a number of ways, some of which have nothing to

   If a survey is flawed in a way that doesn't relate to the surveyor's expectations, then that flaw doesn't relate to the conclusion.

   16%
2. B

   Not an Objection7% picked this

   when people who respond to opinion surveys hold strong opinions, their answers are unlikely to be influenced

   This answer is talking about a type of person whose answers to a survey wouldn't be affected by a desire to say what the surveyor expects to hear. The author is trying to conclude that with this special type of survey the data won't be affected by the desire of respondents to meet surveyors' expectations. So this answer choice strengthens the conclusion, if anything.

   7%
3. C

   Not an Objection5% picked this

   many opinion surveyors have no expectations whatsoever regarding the answers of people who

   The idea of what the surveyor expects to hear is totally new and out of scope. The author isn't going to be bothered by us saying, "Many surveyors have no expectations". In this well-constructed survey she's describing, she would expect the surveyors to have no expectations, since the questions are designed to have no expected answer.

   5%
4. D

   Inapplicable Objection8% picked this

   some people who know what answers an opinion surveyor expects to hear will purposefully try to

   This is talking about the behavior of some people who know what answer the surveyor is expecting. So this answer will be irrelevant to our analysis of a well-constructed survey, in which the questions provide no way to know which answer might be expected.

   8%
5. E

   Correct64% picked this

   the answers of opinion-survey respondents can be influenced by beliefs about the surveyor's expectations even if

   Why this is right

   Since the questions in a well-constructed survey provide no indication of which answer the surveyor might expect, any respondent who thinks, "Ah, they expect me to say X" has an unfounded belief. There is no indication, no support for what answer is expected. But if the respondents have an unfounded belief like, "Ah, they expect me to say X", then many respondents will say X out of their desire to meet the surveyors' expectations. And, thus, contrary to the author's conclusion, the desire to meet surveyors' expectations could still have an effect on the survey's results.

   Skill tested: Flaw · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   64%