CGL Quality Control and Assurance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When reviewing a compiled genealogy report, which element most directly indicates a researcher has confused two individuals with identical names?
- Contradictory birth dates for the same person across multiple sources (Correct answer)
- Use of primary sources instead of secondary sources
- Inclusion of collateral relatives in the pedigree
- Citing the same document multiple times
Correct answer: Contradictory birth dates for the same person across multiple sources
Contradictory birth dates across sources for the same individual is a classic indicator of an identity conflict caused by merging two different people.
Question 2: In genealogical quality standards, what is meant by 'reasonably exhaustive search'?
- Consulting all sources that might have relevant information about the research question (Correct answer)
- Searching only online databases and digitized records
- Limiting research to three independent sources per conclusion
- Reviewing only courthouse records and vital records
Correct answer: Consulting all sources that might have relevant information about the research question
A reasonably exhaustive search requires consulting all sources that could potentially bear on the research question, not just convenient or digitized ones.
Question 3: A researcher discovers that a transcription they relied upon contains an error in a key date. What is the appropriate quality-control response?
- Return to the original document to verify the correct information and update citations and conclusions accordingly (Correct answer)
- Discard the transcription and all conclusions derived from it
- Flag the error in a footnote but retain the original conclusion
- Report the error to the database owner and cease further research
Correct answer: Return to the original document to verify the correct information and update citations and conclusions accordingly
Quality control requires verifying against the original source and correcting all affected citations and conclusions rather than simply discarding or ignoring the error.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'proof summarization' as part of genealogical quality assurance?
- A concise narrative explaining how the evidence supports a conclusion when a single document suffices (Correct answer)
- A multi-page analysis resolving conflicting evidence
- A table listing all sources consulted during research
- An abstract of every document found in the research
Correct answer: A concise narrative explaining how the evidence supports a conclusion when a single document suffices
Proof summarization is appropriate when a single well-documented source directly answers the research question, providing a brief explanation of how that source proves the conclusion.
Question 5: Why is it important for a genealogical lecturer to distinguish between 'original' and 'derivative' sources during a quality-control presentation?
- Because derivative sources carry a higher risk of transcription or abstraction errors that can propagate into research conclusions (Correct answer)
- Because original sources are always more recent and therefore more reliable
- Because derivative sources are inadmissible in legal proceedings
- Because original sources are freely available online while derivative sources require purchase
Correct answer: Because derivative sources carry a higher risk of transcription or abstraction errors that can propagate into research conclusions
Derivative sources introduce additional layers of human handling that increase error risk, making source-type awareness critical to evaluating reliability.
Question 6: A genealogist presents a lineage society application. The reviewing committee finds that two pieces of evidence for a parent-child relationship conflict directly. Under the GPS, what must the applicant provide?
- A written proof argument that resolves the conflict by analyzing and weighing all relevant evidence (Correct answer)
- A third document that corroborates one of the two conflicting sources
- An affidavit from a credentialed genealogist stating which source is correct
- A request to waive the conflicting evidence based on overall research quality
Correct answer: A written proof argument that resolves the conflict by analyzing and weighing all relevant evidence
When conflicting evidence exists, the GPS requires a proof argument that systematically weighs all evidence and explains why one interpretation is more soundly supported.
Question 7: What quality-control principle is violated when a researcher accepts an online family tree's conclusion without independently verifying the cited sources?
- Reasonably exhaustive search, because the researcher did not evaluate primary sources directly (Correct answer)
- Skilled analysis, because the tree owner may not be credentialed
- Soundly written conclusion, because the conclusion was not written by the researcher
- Accurate citations, because the tree may have incomplete source information
Correct answer: Reasonably exhaustive search, because the researcher did not evaluate primary sources directly
Accepting a tree's conclusion without verifying its sources bypasses the reasonably exhaustive search requirement of the GPS.
CGL Quality Control and Assurance 2
When reviewing a compiled genealogy report, which element most directly indicates a researcher has confused two individuals with identical names?