State some of the weaknesses of the survey method.
The survey method has several weaknesses. First, it offers wide coverage at the cost of depth. Since time spent on each respondent is limited, it is usually not possible to get in-depth information from them as part of a large survey.
Second, with multiple investigators, it becomes difficult to ensure that complicated questions are asked in exactly the same way to all respondents. Differences in how questions are asked or answers recorded could introduce errors into the survey.
Third, the lack of familiarity and trust between investigator and respondent means that personal or sensitive questions cannot be asked effectively. Such questions are likely to be answered 'safely' rather than truthfully. These problems are called non-sampling errors.
Finally, surveys must depend on a tightly structured, inflexible questionnaire, and their success ultimately depends on the goodwill and cooperation of respondents.
Explanation
This answer covers all the major weaknesses of the survey method mentioned in the NCERT textbook: (1) trade-off between breadth and depth of coverage, (2) inconsistency in questioning due to multiple investigators, (3) inability to ask sensitive questions due to lack of trust, (4) non-sampling errors, and (5) dependence on inflexible questionnaires and respondent cooperation. The answer is structured in clear paragraphs with key terms highlighted, suitable for a 3-mark question.