Which term denotes the desirable characteristic that response categories cover all possible options?

Which term denotes the desirable characteristic that response categories cover all possible options?

• A. Exhaustive
• B. Exhaustiveness
• C. Validity
• D. Reliability

Answer: (A)

Exhaustive describes a set of response options that includes every possible choice a respondent might have. When the categories are exhaustive, no one is left without a fitting option, which helps capture the full range of responses and prevents data gaps. For example, age categories like under 18, 18–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, and 55+ cover all possible ages. The other terms don’t describe this coverage: validity is about whether the measure actually captures the intended concept, and reliability is about consistent results across measurements. (Exhaustiveness is a related noun form, but the standard descriptor for this property is exhaustive.)

Exhaustive describes a set of response options that includes every possible choice a respondent might have. When the categories are exhaustive, no one is left without a fitting option, which helps capture the full range of responses and prevents data gaps. For example, age categories like under 18, 18–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, and 55+ cover all possible ages. The other terms don’t describe this coverage: validity is about whether the measure actually captures the intended concept, and reliability is about consistent results across measurements. (Exhaustiveness is a related noun form, but the standard descriptor for this property is exhaustive.)