Exercises

• Data collection exercise
• Questionnaire exercise

Data collection exercise

1. The first census to take place after Confederation was held in 1871. Which of the four original Canadian provinces were enumerated?
   1. Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba
   2. New Brunswick, Quebec, Manitoba and Newfoundland
   3. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario
   4. None of the above
   Answer 1
2. When collecting data, why is it sometimes better to conduct a sample survey than a census? Answer 2
3. Suggest reasons why data would be collected on the following topics:
   1. burglaries
   2. causes of death
   3. climate
   4. forests
   5. immigration
   6. schools
4. List some of the things you would need to consider when choosing a data collection method. Answer 4
   
5. Given some of your answers to Question 4, decide as a class which method of data collection you would employ to gather data on the following topics:
   1. the music tastes of your class
   2. the average height of your class
   3. the time your parents spend each week doing housework
   4. the attitude of Canadian students toward the environment
6. Are there some topics for which data should not be collected? For example, data on people’s health or political beliefs? Discuss as a class where you would 'draw the line' in deciding if issues are too sensitive to ask about.
   
   What factors would help researchers decide? For example, is the information to be collected of national importance?

Questionnaire exercise

The following questionnaire has been designed to collect information about the users of Greenwood’s Public Library. There are some problems with this questionnaire. Read through and see how many you can explain.