ELAR Inquiry and Research Skills 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In an MLA Works Cited entry for a book, which element appears FIRST?
- Title of the book
- Publisher name
- Author's last name (Correct answer)
- Year of publication
Correct answer: Author's last name
MLA format requires entries to begin with the author's last name, followed by a comma and first name.
Question 2: Which question helps a researcher evaluate the AUTHORITY of a source?
- When was this source published?
- Who is the author, and what are their credentials? (Correct answer)
- How many people have read this source?
- Does the source use colorful visuals?
Correct answer: Who is the author, and what are their credentials?
Evaluating authority involves examining who created the source and whether they have relevant expertise or credentials.
Question 3: What is 'synthesis' in the context of research writing?
- Copying sentences from multiple sources into one paragraph
- Combining ideas from several sources to support an original argument (Correct answer)
- Translating a source into simpler language
- Summarizing only one source at a time
Correct answer: Combining ideas from several sources to support an original argument
Synthesis involves integrating ideas from multiple sources to build and support the writer's own argument.
Question 4: A student needs current statistics on U.S. unemployment rates. Which source is MOST appropriate?
- A textbook published in 2010
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website (Correct answer)
- A blog post from a financial advisor
- An encyclopedia entry from 2015
Correct answer: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a government agency that provides current and authoritative employment data.
Question 5: Why should a researcher avoid using Wikipedia as a final source in an academic paper?
- Wikipedia articles are always too short to be useful
- Wikipedia content can be edited by anyone and may not be reliable (Correct answer)
- Wikipedia does not contain citations or references
- Wikipedia articles are never written by subject experts
Correct answer: Wikipedia content can be edited by anyone and may not be reliable
Wikipedia allows public editing, which means content accuracy cannot be fully guaranteed for academic use.
Question 6: When a source's information cannot be verified by any other source, a researcher should:
- Include it since one source is sufficient for any claim
- Use it only as a starting point and seek corroborating evidence (Correct answer)
- Accept it if it was published recently
- Reject it only if it contains statistics
Correct answer: Use it only as a starting point and seek corroborating evidence
Unverifiable information should prompt further investigation; a single uncorroborated source is insufficient for academic claims.
Question 7: A student inserts a direct quotation that is longer than four lines into their paper. According to MLA format, this should be formatted as:
- A footnote at the bottom of the page
- A block quotation, indented one inch from the left margin (Correct answer)
- Text enclosed in double quotation marks within the paragraph
- A separate appendix at the end of the paper
Correct answer: A block quotation, indented one inch from the left margin
MLA requires quotations of more than four lines to be formatted as block quotations, indented one inch from the left margin without quotation marks.
ELAR Inquiry and Research Skills 4
In an MLA Works Cited entry for a book, which element appears FIRST?