Originally Posted by Tupac Shakur

There are a lot of factors that determine the appropriate length of a quality answer. What constitutes a good answer depends on the type of subject, the requirements of a particular question, the candidates verbosity (or the lack thereof), as well as the scope and depth of one's approach.

Time is the only constant and so I believe that the length of your answer should primarily be dictated be the amount of time that you have. For CSS, you'll have about 40 minutes for each 20 mark question. After brainstorming and writing an outline (which I highly recommend) you'll be left with about 30 minutes for each question. Now, you'll be expected to answer the question directly, keeping in mind that you'll also have to incorporate the answers to subsidiary questions that follow the main question. CSS examiners divide questions into 2 or 3 parts but they do not mention how these parts are weighed in terms of marking therefore you're expected to make a judgement call and present a balanced answer to all parts within the given time. If you spend 10 minutes for brainstorming and organizing your thoughts, your only job in the remaining time would be to expand on those ideas. You won't have to pause and come up with new thoughts midway through your answer. Every person has a unique writing style and speed; on average, I was able to write 500-550 words in 30 minutes. 7 words per line and 18 lines per page, my answers were mostly 4 pages long.

You have to keep in mind that some answers will include diagrams, flowcharts and tables. Your answers to such questions will vary in length considerably, depending on what information you chose to include.

During the exam you'll find that 30 minutes are not enough to give a comprehensive answer to any question posed by the examiner. You'll be judged not only by the quality of your answer but also by how you manage to fit in your answer(s) within the given time.

Your example: Define social research and steps taken in carrying it out?

The scope of this question is so broad that you can write for hours on end on this one question alone (if you've done your homework).

You begin by defining "Social Research" which should take no more than 3-4 lines. Then you differentiate between quantitative and qualitative social research. Mention reliability and validity. Then you go on and list various techniques that are employed in carrying out social research, such as surveys, questionnaires, interviews, regressions, case studies and experiments etc. You can have a paragraph for each method listing its definition as well as its merits and demerits. This should take a page and a half or so. Then you move on to specify steps in each one. There are several types of surveys and they all have different steps. Same is the case for interviews and experiments. Simply explaining steps for conducting experiments in 30 minutes will be a daunting task. From forming a hypothesis, to identifying dependent and independent variables, to choosing sample, to assigning control and experiment groups, to minipulating independent variable, to measuring changes, to analyzing results. You'll also be expected to identify and explain relevant concepts along the way (such as double-blind procedures, longitudinal studies) and their usefulness in conducting social research. In the end you're expected to ties up loose ends and go back to the bigger picture of social research.

The way I see it, it's not about how much you should write, it's about how much relevant stuff you can fit in within the given time.

Originally Posted by Cogito Ergo Sum

"Fall of East Pakistan was a negation of Two-Nation theory." Argue.

Consider the above question. And tell me honestly, can anyone do justice with it while confining himself within two pages? Yes, there are some questions whose answers can be summed up in two or so pages. But mostly what you get in CSS is the type of questions whose answers can potentially be expanded even to the length of a full 100-marks essay. My opinion is the same as kingfalcon: do justice with each question according to its demand.

Originally Posted by Toru

It's good to finally hear from you.

I did mention at the outset I was referring to ''Straightforward Questions with fairly straight forward answers''

Originally Posted by Toru

Thank you for such an elaborate response.

I appreciate your efforts. But might I also point out that from what you have indicated is essentially the ENTIRE scope of the chapter.

The way I see it, and its simple, is that the question asked to (i) Define Social Research and (ii) Stating and Explaining the steps that a sociologist needs to carry it out ( the 7,8 steps that you mentioned towards the end)

Evaluation of ''types/modes of research'' such as interviews, questionnaires, regressions, case studies, experiments is not even part of the question. These, at most can be included in the introduction when defining social research and mentioning the ways it can be conducted. Period.

Yes, you're absolutely right. We will be having a small paragraph for each point. But not for evaluation of the different modes of research (that isn't part of the question) but for explaining the different steps such as defining your problem/objective, reviewing past literature, developing a thesis and so on and so forth.

Now that I've made my point, how ''relevant'' to you find it in relation to the question? Or even generally, drawing from your experience of CSS (If any) ?

Originally Posted by Tupac Shakur

I took CSS in 2015 and I opted sociology as well. For the most part we agree on what relevant stuff is, for this question at least. I still believe that identifying various social research methods and how they differ is within he ambit of this question. How else, then, is this question different from 'what are the steps to conduct an experiment'? By addressing merits and demerits of various social research methods, you can show depth of your knowledge and also explain how one method is better than the other for any given situation. What if you have to conduct social research on sex roles? You certainly cannot design an experiment for that. Deciding which method is suitable in which situation is part of getting good sociological research done.

I guess it depends on how in depth one chooses to be. Had I been asked to answer this question, I would not have been satisfied with a un-idimensional response. I do realize that by doing this I run the risk of running out of time but time management is part of the game.

Originally Posted by Cogito Ergo Sum

For the straightforward questions (which are only a minority in any question paper of CSS), 2-3 pages are enough if you can squeeze all the content which the examiner has demanded. Tupac's opinion about TIME being the biggest determinant of the length of your answers is not just an opinion, it is a fact!

In a couple of optionals, some mismanagement took place on my part and I was left with just 20 or so minutes for the last question. It necessitated some tough decisions! I used to write 1,2,3,4 beside the question numbers on the paper, to indicate my own order of attempting them. And in those two optional papers, I had to replace my "number 4" with a question that I thought demanded a shorter answer than the one I had originally chosen. That's how it is in CSS. If you can manage time, you're a winner!

Originally Posted by Toru

....And hence, the uni-dimensional response for the most part of the answer and evaluation (if at all) in a paragraph at most explaining which research topic can best be used in a particular condition for example the problem of sex roles....which again is covered under determining the research-design step of the systematic/scientific research methods. Linking it this way can make an answer look multi-dimensional than just uni and can be fit in the given time....no?

Originally Posted by Tupac Shakur

Yes, indeed! The difference between your approach and mine is that you want to present one generalized set of steps for all sociological research methods and I want to differentiate between them and list unique steps for each. Both approaches are fine as long as the answer is completed with the given time. Personally I would not have opted this question precisely because my preferred answer would not fit in the given time, which is why choosing which questions to attempt becomes crucial.

Originally Posted by Toru

Well, so long as it works! I wish you the very best of luck for the result...for whenever it's due haha. Are you planning to take the exams in Feb?

Originally Posted by Toru

What optionals do/did you have? And do you intend taking the exams in Feb?

Originally Posted by Tupac Shakur

Thanks. And yes, I'll be appearing in 2016 for sure. Good luck to you too. If you don't mind me asking, which school did you go to? I'm only asking because I know a few Torus myself and was wondering.

Originally Posted by Cogito Ergo Sum

European History (200)
Psychology (200)
Punjabi (100)
Agriculture (100)

And 2015 is probably going to be the end of my CSS endeavour. I have still an attempt left, but I don't intend to use it.