Rise Placement Test Analysis and Use of Sources 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student's essay argues that social media harms teenagers. Which source would MOST strengthen this argument?
- A tweet by a teenager saying social media is addictive
- A peer-reviewed longitudinal study linking social media use to depression in adolescents (Correct answer)
- A tech company's press release on their platform's safety features
- A parent's blog post about limiting screen time
Correct answer: A peer-reviewed longitudinal study linking social media use to depression in adolescents
A peer-reviewed longitudinal study provides empirical data and expert vetting, making it the strongest type of evidence for the claim.
Question 2: When is it appropriate to use a block quotation (indented long quote)?
- Whenever a quote is more interesting than a paraphrase
- When a direct quote exceeds roughly four lines and its exact wording is essential (Correct answer)
- For all quotes by famous people
- When you cannot find a way to paraphrase the source
Correct answer: When a direct quote exceeds roughly four lines and its exact wording is essential
Block quotations are reserved for longer passages (typically 4+ lines in MLA or 40+ words in APA) where the original wording is critical.
Question 3: Which element is NOT typically evaluated using the CRAAP framework?
- Currency (timeliness)
- Relevance (applicability to your topic)
- Reading level of the source (Correct answer)
- Authority (author's credentials)
Correct answer: Reading level of the source
The CRAAP test evaluates Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose — reading level is not one of its criteria.
Question 4: A student cites a study that found no significant results, using it to argue that 'research confirms' their claim. This is an example of:
- Effective use of counterevidence
- Misrepresenting source findings (Correct answer)
- Proper synthesis of conflicting studies
- Correct use of a null result
Correct answer: Misrepresenting source findings
Using a null (no-significant-result) study to claim positive confirmation distorts the source's actual findings, which is a form of misrepresentation.
Question 5: Why is it important to consider an author's credentials when evaluating a source?
- Credentials guarantee that a source is free of bias
- An author's expertise in the relevant field makes their claims more trustworthy (Correct answer)
- Only authors with PhDs can be cited in academic papers
- Credentials determine the source's citation format
Correct answer: An author's expertise in the relevant field makes their claims more trustworthy
While credentials don't eliminate bias, relevant expertise increases the likelihood that an author's claims rest on solid knowledge and methodology.
Question 6: Which practice best demonstrates critical engagement with sources?
- Repeating the source's conclusions without comment
- Questioning the source's methodology and connecting its findings to your own argument (Correct answer)
- Using the source only in the introduction
- Selecting sources that all agree with each other
Correct answer: Questioning the source's methodology and connecting its findings to your own argument
Critical engagement means actively analyzing a source's methods, assumptions, and conclusions rather than simply accepting and repeating them.
Question 7: A works-cited or references page serves which primary function?
- To add extra pages and meet minimum length requirements
- To give readers full bibliographic information so they can locate every source cited (Correct answer)
- To show the instructor how many books were read
- To rank sources from most to least important
Correct answer: To give readers full bibliographic information so they can locate every source cited
The works-cited page provides complete citation details for every in-text reference, enabling readers to verify and locate the original sources.
Rise Placement Test Analysis and Use of Sources 5
A student's essay argues that social media harms teenagers.
Which source would MOST strengthen this argument?