Response choices do not overlap; participants can only fit into one option. This property is called what?

Response choices do not overlap; participants can only fit into one option. This property is called what?

• A. Mutually exclusive
• B. Exhaustive
• C. Open-ended questions
• D. Indicator

Answer: (A)

Mutually exclusive means each response option is distinct and no single respondent can fit into more than one category. When the choices don’t overlap, you can assign someone to exactly one option, keeping the data clean and unambiguous. The statement isn’t claiming that all possible responses are listed—that would be about exhaustiveness. Open-ended questions aren’t about fixed categories, and an indicator is something that signals a value rather than describes how response options relate to each other.

Mutually exclusive means each response option is distinct and no single respondent can fit into more than one category. When the choices don’t overlap, you can assign someone to exactly one option, keeping the data clean and unambiguous. The statement isn’t claiming that all possible responses are listed—that would be about exhaustiveness. Open-ended questions aren’t about fixed categories, and an indicator is something that signals a value rather than describes how response options relate to each other.