Geographical Methods: Practice Questions

Which sampling method involves choosing respondents who are easiest to reach or most available at a specific time and location?

When designing a geographical inquiry, why might a researcher choose stratified random sampling over simple random sampling?

A student observes that recycling bins are almost always located within \(5\) meters of a bus stop in a town center. Which geographical concept describes this tendency of different objects to be located near each other?

During geographical fieldwork data presentation, which type of graph is most suitable for showing trends and relationships between two variables?

A student uses a map with a representative fraction scale of \(1:20\,000\). If the straight-line distance measured between two bus interchanges on the map is \(8.5\text{ cm}\), what is the actual ground distance in kilometres (\(\text{km}\))?

During geographical fieldwork data processing, what is the mode of the following set of temperature readings: \(28^\circ\text{C}\), \(31^\circ\text{C}\), \(29^\circ\text{C}\), \(31^\circ\text{C}\), \(30^\circ\text{C}\), \(31^\circ\text{C}\), and \(28^\circ\text{C}\)?

A student plans to conduct a pedestrian survey across three different times of day: morning, afternoon, and evening.

(a) The student intends to interview a fixed number of 20 pedestrians from each time category by stopping whoever walks past the entrance of a mall until each target is met. Identify this specific non-probability sampling method.
(b) State one limitation of using this sampling method for geographical data collection.

A group of students wants to investigate the relationship between building height and surface temperature in a commercial district.

(a) Formulate a clear, measurable hypothesis for this investigation.
(b) State which primary data collection instrument or tool can be used to measure surface temperature objectively.
(c) Explain why identifying potential limitations and risks is a critical step in the fieldwork design process before data collection begins.

A group of students conducted a traffic count survey at an intersection during fieldwork.
They recorded the number of vehicles passing through the intersection every minute over an eight-minute observation period: \(14, 18, 22, 16, 20, 25, 18, 27\).

(a) State the mode for the number of vehicles per minute.
(b) Calculate the median number of vehicles recorded.
(c) Calculate the mean number of vehicles per minute.

A student team is investigating the relationship between pedestrian footfall and distance from a neighbourhood MRT station.

(a) Formulate a clear, measurable hypothesis for this geographical investigation.
(b) The team collects pedestrian counts at five locations. The total population of shops across two distinct zones (Zone A = \(60\) shops, Zone B = \(40\) shops) is \(100\) shops. If the team decides to survey a sample of \(30\) shop owners using stratified random sampling proportional to the size of each zone, calculate how many shop owners should be sampled from Zone A.
(c) The team also uses a closed-ended questionnaire to measure shopkeepers' perceptions of pedestrian footfall using a \(5\)-point Likert scale. State the five standard response categories for a Likert scale of agreement.
(d) State one advantage of using a Likert scale over an open-ended question during fieldwork data processing.