MRA Report Writing & Presentation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When presenting research findings to a non-technical executive audience, which approach is most effective?
- Lead with methodology details to establish credibility
- Lead with key insights and business implications, then support with data (Correct answer)
- Present all raw data tables first, then summarize
- Focus exclusively on statistical significance levels
Correct answer: Lead with key insights and business implications, then support with data
Executives need actionable insights first; supporting data and methodology can follow for those who want deeper context.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of an executive summary in a market research report?
- To list all data sources and sample sizes
- To provide a condensed overview of objectives, methodology, and key findings for decision-makers (Correct answer)
- To describe the research team's qualifications
- To present the complete statistical analysis
Correct answer: To provide a condensed overview of objectives, methodology, and key findings for decision-makers
An executive summary distills the most critical information so busy stakeholders can grasp conclusions without reading the full report.
Question 3: Which chart type is best suited for showing the composition of a whole across a single time period?
- Line chart
- Scatter plot
- Pie or donut chart (Correct answer)
- Box-and-whisker plot
Correct answer: Pie or donut chart
Pie and donut charts are designed to display part-to-whole relationships at a single point in time.
Question 4: A researcher is reporting a statistically significant finding with p=0.03 but a very small effect size (d=0.05). What should the report communicate?
- The finding is highly important because it is statistically significant
- Statistical significance does not indicate practical importance; the effect size suggests minimal real-world impact (Correct answer)
- The finding should be omitted because the effect size is small
- The p-value should be recalculated to match the effect size
Correct answer: Statistical significance does not indicate practical importance; the effect size suggests minimal real-world impact
Statistical significance can occur with large samples even for trivially small effects; reporting effect size alongside p-values provides a complete picture.
Question 5: Which element should appear first in a well-structured quantitative research report?
- Appendices with raw data
- Conclusions and recommendations
- Title page, table of contents, and executive summary (Correct answer)
- Detailed crosstabulation tables
Correct answer: Title page, table of contents, and executive summary
Standard report structure begins with navigational and summary elements before presenting detailed findings.
Question 6: When displaying survey data, error bars on a bar chart most commonly represent:
- The range of all raw responses
- Confidence intervals or standard error around the mean (Correct answer)
- The number of respondents per category
- Outliers excluded from the analysis
Correct answer: Confidence intervals or standard error around the mean
Error bars typically show confidence intervals or standard error, helping readers assess the precision of estimates.
Question 7: A researcher must present conflicting findings from two data sources in a report. The best practice is to:
- Report only the source that supports the client's hypothesis
- Acknowledge the discrepancy, explore potential reasons, and recommend further investigation if needed (Correct answer)
- Average the results from both sources and report the midpoint
- Omit both findings to avoid confusing the audience
Correct answer: Acknowledge the discrepancy, explore potential reasons, and recommend further investigation if needed
Transparent reporting requires acknowledging contradictions and providing context rather than selectively presenting data.
MRA Report Writing & Presentation 2
When presenting research findings to a non-technical executive audience, which approach is most effective?