Question 1: What is a secondary source in sociology? Give one example.

Answer: A secondary source is information that has been collected and recorded by someone else. An example is a government report or a newspaper article.

Question 2: Why do sociologists use secondary sources in their research? List two reasons.

Answer: Sociologists use secondary sources to save time and resources, and to gain a broader understanding of society from existing information.

Question 3: Name one advantage of using secondary data in sociological research.

Answer: It is often quicker and cheaper than collecting new data.

Question 4: Name one disadvantage of relying on secondary sources.

Answer: Secondary data may not be completely accurate or relevant to the specific research question.

Question 5: Imagine a sociologist studying teenage behavior. They find a recent government report on youth crime rates. How might this report be useful for their research?

Answer: The report provides official statistics that can help the sociologist understand trends and patterns in youth crime, saving them time from collecting their own data.

Question 6: Identify two types of secondary sources that sociologists might use.

Answer: Sociologists might use government reports and newspaper articles as secondary sources.

Question 7: Explain how a sociologist might critically evaluate a secondary source before using it.

Answer: They might check the source’s credibility, consider when it was published, and see if the information is biased or reliable.

Question 8: Draw a simple diagram showing how secondary data is collected, stored, and used by sociologists. Label each part of the diagram.

Answer: A correct sketch would include three sections: Data Collection (e.g., existing reports or articles), Data Storage (e.g., library, online database), and Data Analysis (sociologist studying the data). Labels should clearly identify each part.

Question 9: Describe a scenario where a sociologist might decide not to use secondary data and instead collect their own primary data.

Answer: If the existing secondary sources are outdated or do not provide information specific enough for their research, the sociologist might conduct interviews or surveys instead.

Question 10: What is the main difference between primary and secondary sources?

Answer: Primary sources are original data collected directly by the researcher, while secondary sources are existing information collected by others.