HP Communication & Documentation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In academic writing, 'hedging language' (e.g., 'suggests,' 'may indicate') is used to:
- Make the writing sound uncertain and weak
- Accurately reflect the limitations and probability of claims (Correct answer)
- Avoid taking any position on the topic
- Replace statistical evidence
Correct answer: Accurately reflect the limitations and probability of claims
Hedging conveys appropriate epistemic humility, signaling the degree of certainty supported by the evidence.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes plagiarism in an Honors Program context?
- Using a direct quote with proper citation
- Paraphrasing with attribution
- Presenting someone else's ideas as your own without acknowledgment (Correct answer)
- Summarizing a source while citing it
Correct answer: Presenting someone else's ideas as your own without acknowledgment
Plagiarism is the use of another's ideas, words, or work without proper attribution, regardless of whether copying is direct or paraphrased.
Question 3: When documenting qualitative research findings, thick description refers to:
- Using large fonts and wide margins for clarity
- Providing rich, detailed contextual accounts that make findings transferable (Correct answer)
- Summarizing data in a single paragraph
- Including as many numerical statistics as possible
Correct answer: Providing rich, detailed contextual accounts that make findings transferable
Thick description (Geertz) captures context, meaning, and nuance so readers can judge whether findings apply to their own settings.
Question 4: An IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval document is required when Honors research involves:
- Analyzing published historical texts
- Collecting data from human subjects (Correct answer)
- Reviewing existing government statistics
- Studying animal fossils
Correct answer: Collecting data from human subjects
IRB approval is mandatory for any research involving human participants to ensure ethical treatment and informed consent.
Question 5: Which revision strategy is most effective for improving academic writing clarity?
- Adding more adjectives and adverbs to enrich prose
- Reading the draft aloud to identify awkward phrasing (Correct answer)
- Immediately submitting a first draft to the advisor
- Increasing the word count to fill page requirements
Correct answer: Reading the draft aloud to identify awkward phrasing
Reading aloud activates the auditory system, making it easier to catch run-on sentences, awkward transitions, and unclear phrasing.
Question 6: In MLA format, the list of sources at the end of a paper is titled:
- References
- Bibliography
- Works Cited (Correct answer)
- Endnotes
Correct answer: Works Cited
MLA style uses 'Works Cited' for the final source list, while APA uses 'References' and Chicago may use 'Bibliography.'
Question 7: A research proposal submitted to an Honors Program advisor should include all of the following EXCEPT:
- Research question or hypothesis
- Preliminary literature review
- Final conclusions of the study (Correct answer)
- Proposed methodology
Correct answer: Final conclusions of the study
A proposal outlines what will be studied and how, but cannot include final conclusions because the research has not yet been conducted.
HP Communication & Documentation 3
In academic writing, 'hedging language' (e.g., 'suggests,' 'may indicate') is used to: