🧩 30 Objective Questions – Document Analysis in Qualitative Research

Section A: Basic Concepts

1. What is the main purpose of document analysis in qualitative research?
   A) To count the number of respondents
   B) To understand the meaning and context of a phenomenon
   C) To test statistical reliability
   D) To determine sample size
   
   

2. What type of data is collected through document analysis?
   A) Numerical data
   B) Quantitative data
   C) Qualitative textual data
   D) Experimental data
   
   

3. In qualitative research, documents are considered as:
   A) Secondary evidence
   B) The main research instrument
   C) Independent variables
   D) Research hypotheses
   
   

4. What is the main role of the researcher in document analysis?
   A) To count frequencies
   B) To interpret and understand meanings
   C) To verify data statistically
   D) To record participant time
   
   

5. What is meant by “official documents”?
   A) Produced by individuals informally
   B) Issued formally by institutions or agencies
   C) Having no formal value
   D) Available only in digital form
   
   

Section B: Types of Documents

6. Which of the following is an example of an official document?
   A) Personal blog
   B) Research diary
   C) Meeting minutes
   D) WhatsApp notes
   
   

7. Documents such as annual reports and government policies are categorized as:
   A) Informal
   B) Official
   C) Personal
   D) Commercial
   
   

8. Personal or informal documents usually reflect:
   A) Organizational structure
   B) Individual views and experiences
   C) Administrative processes
   D) Institutional guidelines
   
   

9. Which of the following is a digital document?
   A) Textbook
   B) Emails and websites
   C) Printed file
   D) Paper form
   
   

10. Which of the following is considered a promotional material in document analysis?
    A) Audit report
    B) Brochure or leaflet
    C) Official letter
    D) Student handbook
    
    

Section C: Analysis Process

11. What is the first step in document analysis?
    A) Theme generation
    B) Interpretation
    C) Selection of documents
    D) Triangulation
    
    

12. What does “skimming” mean in document analysis?
    A) Deep reading
    B) Quick reading for general understanding
    C) Coding text
    D) Ignoring irrelevant data
    
    

13. What is the main purpose of the coding process?
    A) To convert text into numbers
    B) To group information into themes
    C) To check statistical reliability
    D) To write the final report
    
    

14. The process of merging related codes into broader categories is called:
    A) Transcription
    B) Theme generation
    C) Triangulation
    D) Observation
    
    

15. When a researcher interprets hidden meanings within documents, the process is called:
    A) Translation
    B) Interpretation
    C) Measurement
    D) Data collection
    
    

Section D: Credibility and Trustworthiness

16. Why is document authenticity important?
    A) To ensure the information is valid and reliable
    B) To count words
    C) To compare with quantitative data
    D) To reduce analysis time
    
    

17. What is the purpose of triangulation in document analysis?
    A) To test hypotheses
    B) To combine multiple data sources for credibility
    C) To reduce sample size
    D) To eliminate irrelevant data
    
    

18. Document analysis credibility can be improved by:
    A) Using only one data source
    B) Cross-checking with interviews and observations
    C) Ignoring contradictory data
    D) Using quantitative analysis
    
    

19. What is the main ethical issue in analysing personal documents?
    A) Lack of data
    B) Privacy and confidentiality
    C) Typographical errors
    D) Absence of theory
    
    

20. Why is document analysis considered secondary data?
    A) Because the researcher does not collect the data directly
    B) Because it is the main data
    C) Because it is numerical
    D) Because it is used for experiments
    
    

Section E: Applications and Examples

21. In a study on school culture, which document is most suitable to analyse?
    A) Mathematics textbook
    B) Teacher meeting reports and school circulars
    C) Survey questionnaire
    D) Exam timetable
    
    

22. To study corporate communication, a researcher may analyse:
    A) Student diary
    B) Organizational memos and letters
    C) Textbooks
    D) Video transcripts
    
    

23. When documents are used with interviews and observations, they help:
    A) Replace other methods
    B) Strengthen findings through triangulation
    C) Reduce the need for data
    D) Shorten the report
    
    

24. Blogs and social media can be used to understand:
    A) Personal and social perspectives
    B) Quantitative data
    C) Official statistics
    D) Experimental outcomes
    
    

25. An audit report in an organizational study represents:
    A) Individual perception
    B) Institutional values and performance
    C) Social activities
    D) Informal communication
    
    

Section F: Writing and Reflection

26. What is the final outcome of document analysis?
    A) A list of meaningful codes and themes
    B) Statistical counts
    C) Bar charts
    D) Mean and standard deviation values
    
    

27. When writing a document analysis report, researchers should:
    A) Hide data sources
    B) Link findings to research objectives
    C) Ignore minor themes
    D) Avoid theoretical discussion
    
    

28. A researcher’s reflection notes are considered:
    A) Official documents
    B) Informal documents
    C) Experimental instruments
    D) Quantitative materials
    
    

29. Why should researchers read documents more than once?
    A) To ensure deep and accurate understanding
    B) To save time
    C) To increase the number of documents
    D) To adjust theory
    
    

30. What is the main advantage of document analysis compared to interviews?
    A) Data are readily available and can be re-analysed anytime
    B) It is cheaper but unreliable
    C) It needs no interpretation
    D) It suits experiments only