Question

Which of the following statements is correct about implicit alternatives?

• A. Making an implied alternative explicit may increase the percentage of people selecting that alternative.
• B. When alternatives are close in preference or large in number, the alternatives at the end of the list have a greater chance of being selected.
• C. The split ballot technique should be used to rotate the order in which a list of alternatives appear.
• D. All of these are correct.

Hint:

Order and presence of alternatives can bias responses — use rotation and explicit listing to minimize.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Meaning of implicit alternatives.
- An implicit alternative is a possible answer that is not stated directly but understood by the respondent.
- Making it explicit can change the response distribution.
Step 2: Analysis of given statements.
- (a) Correct — Explicit alternatives may increase selection rate.
- (b) Correct — Known as “position bias” or “recency effect” in long lists.
- (c) Correct — Split ballot method helps control order bias by rotating alternative positions.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Since all three are correct, option (d) is the right choice. \[ \boxed{(d)} \]