Micaela Lombard
62453084
HMPYC80
Assignment 1
MCQ Questions and Answers
, Question 1
How researchers see social reality is rooted in basic ontological perceptions. For example,
interpretivism states that -----.
a. there is an external reality that can be studied objectively and free of values. The ability to know
things as they really are is possible if specific, controlled methods are employed because pursuing
these methods will place a necessary check on subjectivity and restrain personal judgement and
emotions.
b. social reality should be viewed and interpreted by the individual according to their ideological
position. The “knower” and “known” are interdependent and the social sciences are essentially
subjective. Reality is seen as multi-layered and complex; and any single phenomenon will have
multiple interpretations.
c. knowledge and its provisional truths are best understood through a complex interplay between
objective and subjective (or interpretivist) ways of knowing. As such, knowledge is viewed and
experienced as truly multifaceted and ever-changing. This represents a middle path that synthesises
the benefits offered by the single-approach methods associated with the positivist and constructivist
paradigms
d. knowledge, reality and our existence as human beings evoke questions about who we are, what
we know and how we experience the world around us.
Question 2
Which one of the following does NOT apply to epistemological frameworks?
a. Axiology is the science of human values that enables us to identify the internal valuing systems
that influence our perceptions, decisions, and actions to clearly understand why we do what we do.
b. Post-positivists argue that reality can never really be fully understood, only approximated, and
therefore relies on multiple methods to capture as much of reality as possible. As with positivism, it
places an emphasis on the discovery and verification of theories, but holds the notion that a variety
of variables cannot always be controlled, and that positivist research is often difficult and
impractical for many forms of social science research.
c. Constructivists see reality as the result of a series of constructive processes and hold that only a
narrative truth exists. As such, reality can only be known by those who experience it personally.
62453084
HMPYC80
Assignment 1
MCQ Questions and Answers
, Question 1
How researchers see social reality is rooted in basic ontological perceptions. For example,
interpretivism states that -----.
a. there is an external reality that can be studied objectively and free of values. The ability to know
things as they really are is possible if specific, controlled methods are employed because pursuing
these methods will place a necessary check on subjectivity and restrain personal judgement and
emotions.
b. social reality should be viewed and interpreted by the individual according to their ideological
position. The “knower” and “known” are interdependent and the social sciences are essentially
subjective. Reality is seen as multi-layered and complex; and any single phenomenon will have
multiple interpretations.
c. knowledge and its provisional truths are best understood through a complex interplay between
objective and subjective (or interpretivist) ways of knowing. As such, knowledge is viewed and
experienced as truly multifaceted and ever-changing. This represents a middle path that synthesises
the benefits offered by the single-approach methods associated with the positivist and constructivist
paradigms
d. knowledge, reality and our existence as human beings evoke questions about who we are, what
we know and how we experience the world around us.
Question 2
Which one of the following does NOT apply to epistemological frameworks?
a. Axiology is the science of human values that enables us to identify the internal valuing systems
that influence our perceptions, decisions, and actions to clearly understand why we do what we do.
b. Post-positivists argue that reality can never really be fully understood, only approximated, and
therefore relies on multiple methods to capture as much of reality as possible. As with positivism, it
places an emphasis on the discovery and verification of theories, but holds the notion that a variety
of variables cannot always be controlled, and that positivist research is often difficult and
impractical for many forms of social science research.
c. Constructivists see reality as the result of a series of constructive processes and hold that only a
narrative truth exists. As such, reality can only be known by those who experience it personally.
