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CA Foundation · Quantitative Aptitude · Statistical Description of Data

Which of the following is an example of secondary data from the point of view of a researcher in a Mumbai-based consulting firm?

Household expenditure figures taken from a published government survey report are secondary data, because they were collected earlier by another agency and are only being reused. Data gathered first-hand through surveys, experiments or interviews by the researcher are primary data.

  1. AResponses gathered by the firm's own staff through a door-to-door survey
  2. BFigures on household expenditure taken from a published government survey reportCorrect
  3. CReadings recorded by the researcher during a field experiment
  4. DAnswers obtained by the researcher through a telephone interview

Explanation

Secondary data are data already collected and published by some other agency and used by the researcher. Figures from a published government report fit this. The other three options are collected first-hand by the researcher, so they are primary data.

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