Social Research Methods

Tips on Interpreting Essay

and Exam Questions
Contributors: Nicholas Walliman
Print Pub. Date: 2006
Print ISBN: 9781412910620
Online ISBN: 9781849209939
DOI: 10.4135/9781849209939
Print pages: 175-177
This PDF has been generated from SAGE Research Methods. Please note that the
pagination of the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.
SRM - Faculty
Copyright 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
Page 2 of 5 Social Research Methods: Tips on Interpreting
Essay and Exam Questions
Sage Research Methods
Tips on Interpreting Essay and Exam
Questions
Although examiners do not deliberately design questions to trick you or trip you up,
they cannot always prevent you from seeing things that were not designed to be there.
When one student was asked what the four seasons are, the response given was salt,
pepper, mustard and vinegar. This was not quite what the examiner had in mind
If you write down the question you have chosen to address, and perhaps quietly
articulate it with your lips, you are more likely to process fully its true meaning and
intent. Think how easy it is to misunderstand a question that has been put to you
verbally because you have misinterpreted the tone or emphasis.
Be well prepared when you go into the exam room, or address the course work essay,
but be flexible enough to structure your learned material around the slant of the
question.
If you are asked to discuss
Students often ask how much of their own opinion they should include in an essay. In
a discussion, when you raise one issue, another one can arise out of it. One tutor used
to introduce his lectures by saying that he was going to unpack the arguments. When
you unpack an object (such as a new desk that has to be assembled), you first remove
the overall packaging, such as a large box, and then proceed to remove the covers from
all the component parts. After that you attempt to assemble all the parts, according to
the given design, so that they hold together in the intended manner. In a discussion
SRM - Faculty
Copyright 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
Page 3 of 5 Social Research Methods: Tips on Interpreting
Essay and Exam Questions
Sage Research Methods
your aim should be not just to identify and define all the parts that contribute, but also to
show where they fit (or don't fit) into the overall picture.
Although the word discuss implies some allowance for your opinion, remember that
this should be informed opinion rather than groundless speculation. Also, there must be
direction, order, structure and an end project.
Checklist: Responses to a discuss question
# Responses should contain a chain of issues that lead into each other in
sequence.
# Clear shape and direction are unfolded in the progression of the argument.
# Answers should be underpinned by reference to findings and certainties.
# Issues where doubt remains should be identified.
# The tone of argument may be tentative but should not be vague.
If you are asked to critique
One example that might help clarify what is involved in a critique is the hotly debated
topic of the physical punishment of children. It is important, in the interest of balance
and fairness, to present all sides and shades of the argument. Therefore, you would
look at whether there is available evidence to support each argument, and you might
introduce issues that have been coloured by prejudice, tradition, religion and legislation.
You would aim to identify emotional arguments, arguments based on intuition and to get
down to those arguments that really have solid, evidence-based support. Finally, you
would want to flag up where the strongest evidence appears to lie, and you should also
identify issues that appear to be inconclusive. It would be expected that you should, if
possible, arrive at some certainties.
SRM - Faculty
Copyright 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
Page 4 of 5 Social Research Methods: Tips on Interpreting
Essay and Exam Questions
Sage Research Methods
If you are asked to compare and contrast
When asked to compare and contrast, you should be thinking in terms of similarities and
differences. You should ask what the two issues share in common, and what features of
each are distinct. Your preferred strategy for tackling this might be to work first through
all the similarities and then through all the contrasts (or vice versa). On the other hand,
you could discuss the similarities and differences of each point in turn.
When you compare and contrast you should aim to paint a true picture of the full
landscape.
If you are asked to evaluate
Some summary questions are presented below to guide you on the best approach to
a question that asks you to evaluate a theory or concept in your own academic field of
study.
Has the theory/concept stood the test of time?
Is there a supportive evidence base that would not easily be overturned?
Are there questionable elements that have been or should be challenged?
Does more recent evidence point to a need for modification?
Is the theory/concept robust and likely to be around for the foreseeable
future?
Could it be strengthened through being merged with other theories/concepts?
It should be noted that the words presented in the above examples might not always
be the exact words that will appear on your exam script. For example, you might find
analyse or outline or investigate, etc. The best advice is to check over your past
exam papers and familiarize yourself with the words that are most recurrent.
10.4135/9781849209939.n17
SRM - Faculty
Copyright 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc.
Page 5 of 5 Social Research Methods: Tips on Interpreting
Essay and Exam Questions
Sage Research Methods