General research methodology MCQs With Answer

Introduction

Welcome to this focused collection of General Research Methodology MCQs with answers, tailored for M.Pharm students preparing for exams and competitive assessments. These questions cover essential concepts in research design, sampling, measurement scales, bias, validity, reliability, hypothesis testing, statistical tests, sample size and power, ethical principles, and evidence synthesis. Each MCQ is framed to reflect real-world pharmacological research scenarios and to deepen your conceptual understanding rather than rote memorization. Regular practice with these questions will help sharpen critical thinking, improve interpretation of study results, and reinforce the methodological foundations required to design, conduct, and critically appraise clinical and pharmaceutical research.

Q1. What is the primary objective of a randomized controlled trial (RCT)?

• Estimate prevalence of a disease in a population
• Establish causal relationship between intervention and outcome
• Describe natural history of a disease without intervention
• Generate hypotheses for exploratory research

Correct Answer: Establish causal relationship between intervention and outcome

Q2. Which type of bias occurs when participants are lost to follow-up unequally between study groups?

• Selection bias
• Information bias
• Attrition bias
• Observer bias

Correct Answer: Attrition bias

Q3. Blood pressure measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) is an example of which measurement scale?

• Nominal scale
• Ordinal scale
• Interval scale
• Ratio scale

Correct Answer: Ratio scale

Q4. What is the main purpose of conducting a pilot study before a full clinical trial?

• To produce definitive evidence of efficacy
• To assess feasibility and estimate parameters for sample size
• To replace a phase II trial entirely
• To guarantee external validity of the main study

Correct Answer: To assess feasibility and estimate parameters for sample size

Q5. When should non-parametric statistical tests be preferred over parametric tests?

• When sample sizes are very large and normally distributed
• When data are ordinal or not normally distributed
• When comparing means of two independent normally distributed samples
• When analyzing proportions or binary outcomes only

Correct Answer: When data are ordinal or not normally distributed

Q6. In sample size and hypothesis testing, statistical power is defined as which of the following?

• Probability of committing a Type I error (alpha)
• Probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis (1 − beta)
• Probability that the null hypothesis is true
• Probability of observing the sample statistic

Correct Answer: Probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis (1 − beta)

Q7. What does a Type I error (alpha) represent in hypothesis testing?

• Failing to reject a false null hypothesis
• Rejecting a true null hypothesis
• Choosing the wrong statistical test
• Observing a p-value greater than 0.05

Correct Answer: Rejecting a true null hypothesis

Q8. Which statistical test is most appropriate for comparing the means of two independent groups with normally distributed data and equal variances?

• Paired t-test
• Independent samples t-test (Student’s t-test)
• Mann–Whitney U test
• Chi-square test

Correct Answer: Independent samples t-test (Student’s t-test)

Q9. Which measure summarizes the overall diagnostic accuracy of a continuous-marker test across all possible thresholds?

• Positive predictive value (PPV)
• Negative predictive value (NPV)
• Area under the ROC curve (AUC)
• Likelihood ratio for a positive test (LR+)

Correct Answer: Area under the ROC curve (AUC)

Q10. Which statistic is commonly used to assess test–retest or inter-rater reliability for continuous measurements?

• Cronbach’s alpha
• Kappa statistic
• Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)
• Pearson correlation coefficient

Correct Answer: Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)

Q11. Which study design is best suited for directly estimating the incidence of an outcome over time?

• Cross-sectional study
• Case-control study
• Prospective cohort study
• Ecological study

Correct Answer: Prospective cohort study

Q12. What does an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis involve in randomized trials?

• Analyzing only participants who fully adhered to the protocol
• Analyzing participants according to the treatment they actually received
• Analyzing all randomized participants in their assigned groups regardless of adherence
• Excluding participants with missing outcome data

Correct Answer: Analyzing all randomized participants in their assigned groups regardless of adherence

Q13. What is the primary purpose of random allocation in experimental studies?

• To ensure blinding of outcome assessors
• To balance both known and unknown confounders between groups
• To reduce measurement error in exposure assessment
• To increase the sample size

Correct Answer: To balance both known and unknown confounders between groups

Q14. Which of the following best describes a confounder?

• A variable caused by the exposure that mediates the effect on the outcome
• A variable associated with the exposure and outcome but not on the causal pathway
• An outcome measurement error that is differential
• A random error that reduces precision

Correct Answer: A variable associated with the exposure and outcome but not on the causal pathway

Q15. Which sampling method most effectively minimizes selection bias and allows estimation of sampling error?

• Convenience sampling
• Purposive sampling
• Probability sampling (e.g., simple random sampling)
• Snowball sampling

Correct Answer: Probability sampling (e.g., simple random sampling)

Q16. Patient satisfaction measured as “very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied” is an example of which measurement scale?

• Nominal scale
• Ordinal scale
• Interval scale
• Ratio scale

Correct Answer: Ordinal scale

Q17. Cohen’s kappa statistic is used to evaluate which aspect of categorical data?

• Association between two continuous variables
• Agreement between two raters beyond chance
• Skewness of a distribution
• Difference in proportions between groups

Correct Answer: Agreement between two raters beyond chance

Q18. Which method is commonly used to control the familywise error rate when performing multiple hypothesis tests?

• Imputing missing data
• Bonferroni correction
• Kaplan–Meier adjustment
• Intention-to-treat adjustment

Correct Answer: Bonferroni correction

Q19. In meta-analysis, which statistic quantifies the percentage of variation across studies due to heterogeneity rather than chance?

• Q statistic only
• I-squared (I²) statistic
• Pooled odds ratio
• Egger’s regression intercept

Correct Answer: I-squared (I²) statistic

Q20. Which ethical principle emphasizes fair selection and equitable distribution of research benefits and burdens?

• Beneficence
• Autonomy
• Justice
• Non-maleficence

Correct Answer: Justice

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