Writing practice exam questions

Please use lecture to make up the questions

As part of your class participation marks you are required to write two multiple
choice and one short answer exam question, along with answers.
You will be allocated to a particular lecture/topic from which you will derive your
exam questions.
You will be required to type your questions and email them to your tutor by
Thursday 19th
January. When you do this, please leave the questions
UNFORMATTED, i.e., do not number your questions and do not put letters in front of
your multiple choice responses (we will assume that they go a, b, c, d). See the
example exam questions below for examples of content and formatting. Note that
your multiple choice questions should offer 4 alternative answers.
You do not need to specify the number of marks allocated to your question!
PLEASE do not forget to provide answers!
Your questions will be compiled into a quiz for this final tutorial and to assist you in
your exam revision.

Example exam questions
Multiple choice
1. Compared to other senses, deterioration of ___________ is the most frequently
experienced in older adults:
(a) Touch
(b) Hearing
(c) Vision
(d) Taste
2. What kind of research design may have the potential problem of having limited
generalisability to other cohorts?
(a) Longitudinal
(b) Cross-sectional
(c) Sequential
(d) Both a and b
3. There is a time in which it is considered developmentally appropriate to try out
many different types of jobs, in order to both learn new skills and find a career that
matches one s personality and life goals. Which of the following statements is the
most accurate about this time?
(a) This should occur before age 30. It can be thought to correspond to Super s
Exploration stage.
(b) This should occur before age 30. It can be thought to correspond to Havighurst s
Becoming a productive person phase.
(c) This should occur at around age 30, and can be thought to correspond to
Levinson s Age 30 transition.
(d) This should occur at around age 30, and can be thought to correspond to Super s
Establishment stage.
Short answer
1. Compare and contrast normal ageing with the signs/symptoms of early
Alzheimer s disease, listing 3 key factors. (3 marks)
2. Describe the cohort-sequential research design. (3 marks)
3. Compare and contrast the following three groups of mid-life individuals in terms
of career satisfaction and identity development: 1) those who decide to persist in
their career, 2) those who are considering a career change, and 3) those who have
made a radical career change.
(3 marks)
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Answers
Multiple choice
1. b
2. d (longitudinal designs tend to follow one cohort of individuals over time, and
therefore, the results may not be generalisable to other cohorts. A cross-sectional
study assesses one cohort per age group that is studied, and therefore, again, the
results may not be generalisable to other cohorts. Only a sequential study can
effectively test effects of aging or time of measurement across multiple cohorts)
3. a
Short answer
1. Should include comment on memory decline:
A normally ageing adult may be experiencing some declines in memory
compared to earlier in their life, however these declines are not likely to
have a major impact on daily functioning. A person in the early stages of
dementia experiences memory problems that are more severe, and likely
to impact on the person s daily functioning.
Plus, any 2 of the following:
(Same kind of answer as a. above, except for spatial problems rather than
memory problems)
A person with dementia is likely to experience language difficulties that
impact on daily life and which indicate a marked decline from previous
functioning, e.g., difficulty naming words, difficulty following conversation.
A person with normal signs of ageing is unlikely to have any major changes
to language skills.
A person with dementia is likely to have noticeable mood changes present,
for example, increased agitation, or increased apathy, which are unusual
compared to prior functioning. A person who is typically ageing is not likely
to experience any unusual mood changes as a result of ageing.
People with dementia, when presenting to a professional with their
complaints, are unlikely to be particularly distressed with their decline in
functioning, whereas, people who are ageing typically may express concern
about the declines that they have noticed.
2. In a cohort sequential design, both age and cohort are controlled as independent
variables. That is, the researcher decides which age groups are of interest (e.g., 60
and 70 year olds) and which cohorts are of interest (e.g., 1920 cohort and 1930
cohort). Having established the age groups and cohorts, the researcher has no
option as to the time of measurement for assessing scores on the dependent
variable (e.g., with the two cohorts and age groups described earlier, the researcher
would have to test the 1930 cohort in 1990 and then again in 2000, while the
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1920 cohort would be assessed in 1980 and 1990).
3. In terms of career satisfaction, research has indicated that the individuals who
choose to persist in their career at mid life are likely to experience high levels of
satisfaction, though the individuals who choose to change careers are similarly high
on satisfaction. Those who consider change but have not yet changed, however, are
lowest in career satisfaction. In terms of identity development, research suggests
that the individuals who change careers seem to be highest in identity development,
those considering change next highest, and those who persist in their careers have
the lowest level of identity development.

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