Grade 12 · Reading & language
Compare the limits of research methods practice
Identify the particular inference limited by a study design, sample, measurement or missing data without dismissing all evidence.
Opening your practice adventure…
Try a sample
READ THE PASSAGE
An instrument records temperatures in a controlled room. Its calibration record later shows a consistent +2°C offset during every measurement.
Which limitation should the report address?
- Proof that no temperatures were measured.
- A guarantee that averaging repeats removes the offset.
- A systematic offset in the measured temperatures.
- A claim that the room had no temperature.
See the answer & why
A systematic offset in the measured temperatures.
A shared calibration bias is not removed simply by repeating and averaging the same biased measurements.
A little hint: Match the proposed conclusion to the actual participants, measures and comparisons; a limitation narrows an inference rather than automatically erasing every result.
A teaching tip
Match the proposed conclusion to the actual participants, measures and comparisons; a limitation narrows an inference rather than automatically erasing every result.