36 exam-style questions on Market research — topic 4.4 of Marketing in the IB Business Management syllabus — with answers and explanations. Samples below; the full set is free with an account.
A business hires a specialist agency to run a focus group with 10 target customers to test reactions to a new logo. This is best classified as:
Answer: Qualitative primary research
A focus group gathers first-hand (primary) opinions and feelings rather than numerical data, making it qualitative primary research.
Which sampling method divides a population into subgroups (e.g. age bands) and then randomly selects from each in proportion to its size?
Answer: Stratified sampling
Stratified sampling splits the population into strata and randomly samples each in proportion to its share, improving representativeness. Quota sampling may use the same proportions, but the researcher chooses respondents non-randomly until each quota is filled.
A firm surveys 200 customers for ratings out of 10. The ratings are closely clustered apart from two very high scores from loyal fans. Which measure of central tendency is most distorted by these two outliers?
Answer: The mean
The mean uses every value, so extreme outliers pull it away from the bulk of the data; the median and mode are far more resistant to outliers.
Which of the following is the clearest example of desk (secondary) research?
Answer: Reading a government census report
Secondary research uses data already collected by others; a published government census fits this, whereas the other options are first-hand primary methods.
A market researcher wants to reduce interviewer bias and reach a large, geographically spread sample cheaply. Which method best meets these aims?
Answer: An online questionnaire
Online questionnaires are low-cost, reach dispersed respondents, and remove the interviewer's influence, reducing interviewer bias.
In a survey of 50 customers, spending (in $) has these values summarised: mean = 42, median = 38, mode = 35. What does the fact that the mean exceeds the median suggest about the distribution?
Answer: It is positively skewed
When the mean is pulled above the median, higher-value outliers stretch the right tail, indicating positive (right) skew.
That was 6 of 36 Market research questions.
Practise all 36 freeCompleteAO4 · 2–4 marks
Fill in what is missing in the table, diagram or calculation — check every blank.
DistinguishAO2 · 4–6 marks
Make the difference clear for BOTH terms — a definition of one of them is only half an answer.
OutlineAO1 · 2 marks
A brief account or summary: the main points in two or three sentences, no evaluation.
36 Market research questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.
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