Inquiry and Research Skills Flashcards

A student begins a research project with the topic 'the internet.' The teacher guides the student to narrow the topic into a more effective research question. Which of the following questions is the most effective for a high school research paper?

Answer: How has the proliferation of high-speed internet in rural American households affected their access to educational resources?

An effective research question is focused, complex, and researchable. Choice B is specific (high-speed internet, rural households, educational resources), requires analysis of multiple sources rather than a simple fact or a 'yes/no' answer, and is complex enough for a research paper.

A student is writing a research paper on the D-Day invasion during World War II. Which of the following sources would be considered a primary source?

Answer: A letter from a soldier written on June 7, 1944, describing his experiences during the landing on Omaha Beach.

A primary source is a firsthand account or original material created at the time of an event. The soldier's letter is a direct, personal account from the period being studied, making it a primary source. The other options are secondary sources because they analyze, summarize, or interpret events after they have occurred.

When guiding students to evaluate the credibility of an online article for a research project, which of the following questions is the MOST critical for them to ask?

Answer: Who is the author, and what are their credentials and affiliations?

Evaluating the author's expertise, credentials, and potential biases (indicated by their affiliations) is the most critical step in determining a source's credibility. While other factors can be considered, the authority of the author is paramount to trusting the information presented.

A student finds three different articles about the causes of the American Revolution. One article emphasizes economic factors, another focuses on political philosophy, and a third highlights social tensions. Which of the following actions best demonstrates that the student is synthesizing the information from these sources?

Answer: Creating a paper that argues the American Revolution had multiple, interconnected causes, using evidence from all three articles to support this new thesis.

Synthesis involves combining information and ideas from multiple sources to create a new, more complex understanding or argument. Simply summarizing or listing points does not constitute synthesis; the key is to integrate the ideas to form a new, cohesive whole.

A student reads a passage from a book and, in their research paper, rephrases a key argument from that passage entirely in their own words and sentence structure. To avoid plagiarism, what must the student do?

Answer: Include an in-text citation and a full citation in the works cited list.

Plagiarism includes using someone else's ideas, not just their exact words, without giving proper credit. Even when a concept is thoroughly paraphrased, the original source of the idea must be fully acknowledged with both an in-text citation and a works cited entry to avoid plagiarism.

A teacher presents students with the following statement from an editorial: 'Based on the city's own traffic studies showing increased congestion and accident rates, the proposal to build a new highway is the only logical solution to ensure public safety and economic growth.' How should this statement be classified?

Answer: A reasoned judgment.

A reasoned judgment is a conclusion based on facts and logical thinking. The statement uses factual premises (traffic studies) to reach a conclusion or claim ('the only logical solution'). It is more than a simple opinion because it is supported by evidence, but it is not a pure fact because the conclusion itself is arguable.