CAASPP Research Skills 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student finds a .gov website about nutrition guidelines. What does the domain '.gov' indicate about this source?
- The website is designed for gaming and entertainment
- The website belongs to a United States government agency (Correct answer)
- The website is run by a grocery store company
- The website is guaranteed to have no errors
Correct answer: The website belongs to a United States government agency
The .gov domain is reserved for official United States government websites, which are generally considered credible sources.
Question 2: When writing a research report, what is the difference between a direct quote and a paraphrase?
- A direct quote uses the author's exact words; a paraphrase restates the idea in your own words (Correct answer)
- A direct quote is shorter than a paraphrase
- A paraphrase must be longer than the original text
- There is no difference; both require quotation marks
Correct answer: A direct quote uses the author's exact words; a paraphrase restates the idea in your own words
A direct quote reproduces the author's exact wording, while a paraphrase conveys the same idea in the researcher's own words.
Question 3: A student's research question is: 'How does deforestation affect biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest?' Which source is LEAST relevant?
- A scientific journal article on Amazon species loss
- A government report on Brazil's deforestation rates
- A documentary about logging practices in the Amazon
- A recipe book featuring ingredients from tropical plants (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A recipe book featuring ingredients from tropical plants
A recipe book does not address deforestation or biodiversity and is not relevant to the research question.
Question 4: What is an 'abstract' in a research article?
- A detailed analysis of charts and graphs
- A brief summary of the article's purpose, methods, and findings (Correct answer)
- The list of references at the end of the article
- An opinion section written by a different author
Correct answer: A brief summary of the article's purpose, methods, and findings
An abstract is a short summary at the beginning of a research article that describes the study's purpose, methods, and key findings.
Question 5: Which of the following is the BEST example of a focused research question?
- Tell me about animals.
- What are some things about California?
- How has the California condor population changed since the introduction of the captive breeding program in 1987? (Correct answer)
- Why is science important?
Correct answer: How has the California condor population changed since the introduction of the captive breeding program in 1987?
A focused research question is specific, includes a clear subject and scope, and can be answered with evidence.
Question 6: A student reads that 'Studies show chocolate cures headaches' on a health blog. What should the student do to evaluate this claim?
- Accept it as true because it was published online
- Look for peer-reviewed medical studies to see if this claim is supported (Correct answer)
- Share the information on social media right away
- Dismiss the claim entirely because chocolate is not a medicine
Correct answer: Look for peer-reviewed medical studies to see if this claim is supported
Health claims should be verified against peer-reviewed medical research before being accepted as factual.
Question 7: In a research outline, what is the purpose of organizing information into main ideas and supporting details?
- To make the paper look professional with many bullet points
- To plan a logical structure so that writing is clear and organized (Correct answer)
- To avoid needing any sources in the final paper
- To reduce the total number of words needed
Correct answer: To plan a logical structure so that writing is clear and organized
An outline organizes main ideas and supporting details to create a logical structure before writing begins.
CAASPP Research Skills 4
A student finds a .gov website about nutrition guidelines.
What does the domain '.gov' indicate about this source?