Tommy Cole Was Reviewing a New Employee's Work at MAXIM

question 56

Multiple Choice

Tommy Cole was reviewing a new employee's work at MAXIM Research. Tommy had several years of experience in research and was regarded as the company expert in designing questionnaires. As Tommy read the questionnaire proposed by the new employee, he found the following question, which had been drafted to measure the occupational status of respondents: "Check one of the following categories which describes your occupational status?"
___ Full-time employment
___ Full-time student
___ Part-time student
___ Unemployed
___ Retired
Which of the following best describes the appropriate action Tommy should take regarding this question?

• A) approve it; this is a perfectly good question
• B) approve it; but break "retired" into categories such as "retired military," "retired government employee," and so on
• C) disapprove it; the question is "leading" in that it assumes all occupations are either full-time or part-time
• D) disapprove it; the question is "loaded" in that it assumes everyone should either be employed or a student
• E) disapprove it; the question is "double-barreled" in that someone could be retired and a full-time student

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Definitions:

Frictional Unemployment

A form of unemployment that occurs when people are between jobs or within the workforce for a short period, often due to transitions or searching for a job that better matches their skills.

Structural Unemployment

A form of unemployment caused by a mismatch between the skills held by the unemployed population and the skills demanded by the prevailing job market.

Cyclical Unemployment

Unemployment that rises during economic downturns and falls when the economy improves, linked to business cycles.

Frictional Unemployment

Unemployment that occurs when people are between jobs or are entering the labor market for the first time.