BCG Quality Assurance & Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In BCG standards, a 'reasonably exhaustive search' is best understood to mean:
- Searching only digitized online databases
- Consulting every record ever created about a subject
- Searching all sources that a reasonable genealogist would consider relevant (Correct answer)
- Limiting research to three record types per generation
Correct answer: Searching all sources that a reasonable genealogist would consider relevant
A reasonably exhaustive search means consulting all sources a competent genealogist would deem relevant, balancing thoroughness with practicality.
Question 2: When citing a microfilmed copy of an original register, which layer of a source citation is MOST often omitted incorrectly?
- The archive holding the original
- The film number and repository of the microfilm (Correct answer)
- The author of the register
- The page number of the entry
Correct answer: The film number and repository of the microfilm
Researchers frequently cite only the original register without documenting the microfilm number and repository where they actually accessed it.
Question 3: A genealogist discovers that a key ancestor's 1880 census household conflicts with an 1879 land deed listing. The GPS-compliant action is to:
- Ignore the land deed as less reliable
- Note only the census since it is federal
- Analyze both sources, weigh their evidence, and explain any conflict (Correct answer)
- Use the document with the clearer handwriting
Correct answer: Analyze both sources, weigh their evidence, and explain any conflict
GPS requires analysis and written resolution of all conflicting evidence regardless of record type or government level.
Question 4: Under BCG's ethical standards, a genealogist who discovers evidence that disproves a client's cherished family legend must:
- Suppress the evidence to protect the client's feelings
- Report findings honestly, including contradictory evidence (Correct answer)
- Resign from the project without explanation
- Submit only favorable evidence and note the rest privately
Correct answer: Report findings honestly, including contradictory evidence
BCG's ethics require honest reporting of all findings, including evidence that contradicts the client's expectations or beliefs.
Question 5: Which of the following would be classified as a 'primary' piece of information within a death certificate?
- The decedent's birthplace as reported by a child informant
- The date and place of death as reported by the attending physician (Correct answer)
- The decedent's parents' names supplied by a sibling
- The cause of death estimated by a neighbor
Correct answer: The date and place of death as reported by the attending physician
The attending physician had firsthand knowledge of the death event, making the date and place of death primary information.
Question 6: BCG portfolio reviewers assess 'analytical skills' primarily by looking for evidence that the applicant:
- Transcribed records verbatim
- Weighed each piece of evidence and explained reasoning in writing (Correct answer)
- Used the most recently digitized sources
- Cited the maximum number of footnotes
Correct answer: Weighed each piece of evidence and explained reasoning in writing
Reviewers evaluate whether the applicant weighs evidence systematically and articulates sound reasoning in the written narrative.
Question 7: A client instructs a BCG-certified genealogist to omit a proven non-paternity event from the final report. The genealogist should:
- Comply because the client controls the research
- Omit it but note it in a private memo
- Explain the ethical obligation to report accurate findings and negotiate a solution (Correct answer)
- Immediately terminate the contract without discussion
Correct answer: Explain the ethical obligation to report accurate findings and negotiate a solution
BCG ethics require honest reporting; the genealogist should explain this obligation to the client and attempt to reach an agreed-upon approach.
BCG Quality Assurance & Compliance 3
In BCG standards, a 'reasonably exhaustive search' is best understood to mean: