A question worded to lead a respondent to give a desired answer.

A question worded to lead a respondent to give a desired answer.

• A. Margin of error
• B. Overt content
• C. Leading question
• D. Political elite

Answer: (C)

Leading questions bias responses by steering respondents toward a particular answer through the way they’re worded or the assumptions they embed. The prompt describes a question crafted to push the respondent toward a desired response, which is exactly what a leading question does in surveys and public opinion work. This technique can distort results because it nudges people to agree or pick a certain option rather than expressing a neutral view. To see why the other ideas don’t fit: margin of error is about the range of possible values in a sample and concerns precision, not how questions are phrased. Overt content refers to explicit material in a message, not the tactic of guiding a respondent’s answer. Political elite describes a group of influential individuals, not a type of survey question.

Leading questions bias responses by steering respondents toward a particular answer through the way they’re worded or the assumptions they embed. The prompt describes a question crafted to push the respondent toward a desired response, which is exactly what a leading question does in surveys and public opinion work. This technique can distort results because it nudges people to agree or pick a certain option rather than expressing a neutral view.

To see why the other ideas don’t fit: margin of error is about the range of possible values in a sample and concerns precision, not how questions are phrased. Overt content refers to explicit material in a message, not the tactic of guiding a respondent’s answer. Political elite describes a group of influential individuals, not a type of survey question.