ELA Research Skills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which part of a research article should a student read FIRST to quickly determine if it is relevant to their topic?
- The bibliography
- The abstract (Correct answer)
- The appendix
- The acknowledgments
Correct answer: The abstract
The abstract provides a brief summary of the article's purpose, methods, and findings.
Question 2: A student is writing about the effects of social media on teenagers. Which source would be LEAST credible?
- A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health
- An anonymous blog post with no date (Correct answer)
- A report from the American Psychological Association
- A government health agency's website
Correct answer: An anonymous blog post with no date
Anonymous, undated blog posts lack author credentials and editorial oversight, making them unreliable.
Question 3: What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography?
- To list sources alphabetically without additional information
- To provide a brief summary and evaluation of each source (Correct answer)
- To copy quotations from each source
- To replace in-text citations in a paper
Correct answer: To provide a brief summary and evaluation of each source
An annotated bibliography includes a citation plus a short description and assessment of each source.
Question 4: Which search strategy would BEST help a student find sources about electric cars but NOT hybrid cars?
- electric cars AND hybrid cars
- electric cars OR hybrid cars
- electric cars NOT hybrid cars (Correct answer)
- electric cars NEAR hybrid cars
Correct answer: electric cars NOT hybrid cars
The NOT operator excludes results containing the unwanted term, refining the search.
Question 5: In MLA format, which element comes FIRST in a works cited entry for a book?
- The title of the book
- The publisher's name
- The author's last name (Correct answer)
- The year of publication
Correct answer: The author's last name
MLA works cited entries begin with the author's last name, followed by first name.
Question 6: A student synthesizes information from multiple sources. This means they are:
- Copying text from each source into their paper
- Combining ideas from several sources to form a new understanding (Correct answer)
- Using only one source per paragraph
- Summarizing each source in separate paragraphs
Correct answer: Combining ideas from several sources to form a new understanding
Synthesis involves combining and integrating information from multiple sources to build a unified argument.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes a secondary source?
- A photograph taken at a historical event
- A letter written by Abraham Lincoln
- A biography about Abraham Lincoln written in 2010 (Correct answer)
- A census record from 1860
Correct answer: A biography about Abraham Lincoln written in 2010
A secondary source interprets or analyzes primary sources, such as a biography written after the fact.
ELA Research Skills 3
Which part of a research article should a student read FIRST to quickly determine if it is relevant to their topic?