ELAR Inquiry and Research Skills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which component is NOT typically found in a formal research thesis statement?
- A debatable claim
- A list of all sources used (Correct answer)
- The writer's position on the topic
- A preview of supporting points
Correct answer: A list of all sources used
A thesis statement presents the writer's argument and preview of support; a list of sources belongs in a Works Cited or bibliography.
Question 2: A student is researching the health effects of caffeine and finds two studies with conflicting conclusions. The best next step is to:
- Choose the study that supports their hypothesis
- Discard both studies as unreliable
- Seek additional sources to determine which finding has broader support (Correct answer)
- Use only the most recently published study
Correct answer: Seek additional sources to determine which finding has broader support
When sources conflict, seeking additional evidence helps determine which conclusion has greater scholarly support.
Question 3: What is the difference between a primary and a secondary source?
- Primary sources are more recent; secondary sources are older
- Primary sources are original records; secondary sources interpret primary sources (Correct answer)
- Primary sources are longer; secondary sources are shorter
- Primary sources are online; secondary sources are in print
Correct answer: Primary sources are original records; secondary sources interpret primary sources
Primary sources are original materials (diaries, data, speeches), while secondary sources analyze or interpret primary sources.
Question 4: When paraphrasing a source, a student must:
- Keep the original sentence structure but change a few words
- Restate the idea entirely in their own words and cite the source (Correct answer)
- Use quotation marks around all restated content
- Avoid citing the source since the wording is different
Correct answer: Restate the idea entirely in their own words and cite the source
A true paraphrase uses entirely new wording and sentence structure, and still requires a citation for the original idea.
Question 5: Which type of source would be MOST reliable for historical facts about the American Civil War?
- A personal blog post by a history enthusiast
- A peer-reviewed article in a history journal (Correct answer)
- A social media post by a museum account
- A novel set during the Civil War
Correct answer: A peer-reviewed article in a history journal
Peer-reviewed history journals are vetted by experts and are the most reliable sources for historical facts.
Question 6: What is the function of a research question in the inquiry process?
- To summarize the findings of a completed study
- To guide the direction and focus of the research (Correct answer)
- To serve as the conclusion of a research paper
- To list all the keywords used in database searches
Correct answer: To guide the direction and focus of the research
A research question provides focus and direction, helping the researcher determine what information to seek.
Question 7: A student uses information from a source but puts the ideas in their own words without citing the source. This is:
- Acceptable as long as quotation marks are not used
- Plagiarism, because the idea still belongs to the original author (Correct answer)
- Summarizing, which never requires a citation
- Synthesizing, which replaces the need for attribution
Correct answer: Plagiarism, because the idea still belongs to the original author
Paraphrasing or summarizing someone else's ideas without citation is still plagiarism because the original idea is not your own.
ELAR Inquiry and Research Skills 3
Which component is NOT typically found in a formal research thesis statement?