Descriptive Study Designs
- Previous year questions on Descriptive Study Designs for NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Postgraduate), from the Community Medicine section of the exam.
- Most questions here come from previous-year papers of Indian postgraduate medical entrance and licensing exams; where a paper and year are recorded the question carries them. The image-based questions are original vignettes written around an openly licensed figure, and were never asked in any exam.
- 15 live questions in Descriptive Study Designs.
- 2 of 15 questions carry a verified exam year: 2018, 2020.
- Community Medicine is worth about 25 of 300 questions on the exam. See every subject’s weightage.
- Question set last updated 3 Sept 2026.
Q1.A study was undertaken to find the relation between COPD and smoking. Patient's data was collected through records from government hospital and record of cigarettes sale from finance and taxation departments. Study design?
- ACross sectional
- BPesological study
- CEcological study✓ Correct answer
- DOperational study
Q2.Study unit Ecological study is:-
- APopulation✓ Correct answer
- BPatient
- CCommunity
- DCase
Q3.Study unit of ecological study is:
- APopulation✓ Correct answer
- BPatient
- CCommunity
- DCase
Q4.A study is to be conducted with regards to the fat content in the expressed breast milk of pre-term infants as compared to term infants. Which study design is best suited?
- ACase control✓ Correct answer
- BProspective cohort
- CLongitudinal study
- DAmbispective
Q5.'There has been a gradual increase in number of non-communicable disease cases as compared to previous years. This trend is called:
- ASeasonal
- BCyclical
- CPeriodical
- DSecular✓ Correct answer
Q6.. A disease whose etiology is not known, the first step in the formation of hypothesis will be -
- ACross sectional study
- BDescriptive epidemiology✓ Correct answer
- CCase control study
- DCohort study
Q7.A person found some correlation between dietary factors and a disease; he did this by collecting data from the food manufacturers and hospitals respectively, such a study is?
- AEcological✓ Correct answer
- BCross sectional
- CPsephological study
- DExperimental study
Q8.In Longitudinal studies, which of the following is true-
- AEasy to conduct
- BDetects only one risk factor
- CDetermines incidences of disease✓ Correct answer
- DHave increased bias
Q9.An epidemiological hypothesis should specify the following except ?
- APopulation
- BTime response relationship
- CGeographical trends✓ Correct answer
- DExpected outcome
Q10.Hypothesis is not tested by?
- ADescriptive studies✓ Correct answer
- BAnalytical studies
- CCase control studies
- DCohort studies
Answer key
Q1: C. Ecological study; Q2: A. Population; Q3: A. Population; Q4: A. Case control; Q5: D. Secular; Q6: B. Descriptive epidemiology; Q7: A. Ecological; Q8: C. Determines incidences of disease; Q9: C. Geographical trends; Q10: A. Descriptive studies.
Other topics in Community Medicine
- Evolution of Medicine
- Determinants and Indicators of Health
- Disease Concepts and Levels of Prevention
- Epidemiological Principles
- Analytical Study Designs: Case-Control and Cohort
- Experimental and Trial Designs
- Core Terminology in Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Disease Transmission Dynamics
- Immunization and Vaccination Principles
- Vaccine Manufacture and Cold Chain Storage
- Disinfection and Sterilization Methods
- Screening
- Respiratory Infections of Viral Origin
- Respiratory Infections of Bacterial Origin
- Enteric and Intestinal Infections
- Arthropod-Transmitted Infections
- Viral Zoonoses
- Bacterial and Parasitic Zoonoses
- Sexually Transmitted and Surface Infections
- Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Cancer, Obesity and Blindness
- National Health Programmes: NVBDCP
- National Health Programmes: NLEP, NTEP and NACO
- National Health Programmes: NIS, JSY, RBSK and Others
- Demographic Cycle, Growth Rate and Age Pyramid
- Demographic Indicators
- Family Planning
- Preventive Care in Pregnancy, Childhood and Old Age
- Macronutrients and Energy Requirements
- Vitamins, Minerals and Water
- Food Processing, Safety and Quality
- Sociological and Psychological Concepts
- Social Structure and Health Economics
- Water Sources and Purification
- Water Disinfection
- Water Quality Standards
- Climate and Environmental Meteorology
- Housing Standards and Ventilation
- Lighting, Noise and Radiation
- Refuse and Sewage Disposal
- Mosquitoes and Flies as Disease Vectors
- Ticks, Fleas and Mites as Disease Vectors
- Pest and Vector Control Measures
- Handling and Disposal of Biomedical Waste
- Disaster Preparedness and Response
- Occupational Diseases and Hazards
- ESI Scheme and the Factories Act
- Health Education and Communication Methods
- Planning and Management of Health Services
- Health Service Delivery in India
- Global Health and International Agencies
- Probability and Types of Data
- Measures of Central Tendency
- Measures of Variability and Dispersion
- Measures of Position: Percentiles and Z-Scores
- Principles of Inferential Statistics
- Hypothesis Testing Concepts
- Significance Testing Methods
- Correlation and Regression Techniques
- Clinical Research Design and Applied Biostatistics
- Community Mental Health
- Genetics in Public Health