CFS Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 2

Question 1

Which type of study design is most appropriate when a floodplain surveyor needs to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a levee setback project over 20 years?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal cohort study

Answer

A longitudinal cohort study tracks the same subject (the levee area) over time, making it ideal for evaluating long-term infrastructure outcomes.

Question 2

A floodplain manager wants to determine if a community's NFIP participation rate is correlated with flood insurance claim frequency. Which statistical measure is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Pearson correlation coefficient

Answer

The Pearson correlation coefficient measures the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two continuous variables.

Question 3

When conducting a literature review for evidence-based floodplain management, which source hierarchy is generally considered most reliable?

Accepted Answer

Peer-reviewed journals, then government technical reports, then gray literature

Answer

Peer-reviewed journals undergo rigorous expert evaluation, followed by government technical reports, then gray literature in terms of reliability.

Question 4

A CFS professional is using LiDAR-derived elevation data to assess flood risk but discovers the dataset is 8 years old. Which research principle is most relevant?

Accepted Answer

Data currency and temporal relevance

Answer

Data currency refers to how current the data is; outdated elevation data may not reflect changes from development, subsidence, or channel migration.

Question 5

In floodplain research, what is the primary purpose of a sensitivity analysis?

Accepted Answer

To assess how model outputs change when input parameters are varied

Answer

Sensitivity analysis tests how much the model output (e.g., flood extent) changes when individual input variables are adjusted, revealing which parameters most influence results.

(CFS) Certified Floodplain Surveyor Practice Test

(CFS) Certified Floodplain Surveyor Practice Test

CFS Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 2