Title: Research
Course: Question Banks

Q: Which of these is the most effective example of a preliminary research strategy?
- Aiden visits his school’s writing center to learn more about academic essay structure.
- Pam creates a list of topics that interest her and then brainstorms ways that they can be more relevant to her interests.
- June re-reads her class notes and selects a few key terms to search for on her school’s database.
A: June re-reads her class notes and selects a few key terms to search for on her school’s database.

Q: Ben has re-read his essay assignment and has found a newspaper article on his topic, the federal budget deficit. He jots down notes on what he already knows about the topic. Ben is
- gathering his research sources.
- personalizing his topic.
- conducting pre-research.
A: conducting pre-research.

Q: Your friend says that there’s no difference between Google and Google Scholar when doing research. What should you tell him to be the most helpful?
- They are pretty much the same, but the school library most likely only has access to Google Scholar.
- Google is actually better because you have to pay for all articles on Google Scholar.
- Google Scholar draws on scholarly databases, and Google generally does not.
A: Google Scholar draws on scholarly databases, and Google generally does not.

Q: Which of the following statements best describes the difference between scholarly and popular sources?
- Scholarly sources are only available online, and popular sources are not.
- Scholarly sources are always appropriate for a research essay and popular sources never are.
- Scholarly sources are generally found in library databases, and popular sources are often found in newsstands.
A: Scholarly sources are generally found in library databases, and popular sources are often found in newsstands.

Q: Your friend Garrett cannot find specific academic sources to support his topic of economic causes of World War II. What could you say to help him?
- “For a topic like that, you may consider looking for popular sources rather than scholarly ones.”
- “While the librarians are a good source of help, they probably can’t do much for you until you’ve narrowed your topic down a bit more.”
- “When you find a potential source, skim through the abstract rather than reading the whole thing to see if it fits your needs.”
A: “When you find a potential source, skim through the abstract rather than reading the whole thing to see if it fits your needs.”

Q: Juan needs to know if a source he’s found is appropriate for his research paper. Which of the following factors will help him decide?
- The length of the source
- How many charts and graphs the source contains
- The source’s target audience
A: The source’s target audience

Q: Based on what you know about evaluating sources for your task, which of the following sources is most likely to be the most useful for a research paper about U.S. state vs federal power?
- A list of reasons called “Why we need to destroy the federal government,” found on a personal blog titled “Neo-Conservative Thought” and published three months ago.
- A story about one man’s struggle to avoid paying federal income tax, published in the popular magazine People.
- The Declaration of Independence.
A: The Declaration of Independence.

Q: George is researching an author’s credentials and checking to see if he is cited by other experts. George is trying to determine
- how widely-read this author is.
- if this author is going to be easy enough for him to read and understand.
- if this author is respected in his field and a good one to cite.
A: if this author is respected in his field and a good one to cite.

Q: Your peer Samantha has written the following body paragraph in her research essay. She’s asked for your feedback on it. What can you say to help her improve the way sources are used in this paragraph?

“The biggest problem with segregating girls and boys in education is that they don’t learn the socialization skills they need,” says Dr. Buchwald (45). But “when girls are taught in single-gender classrooms, their test scores improve dramatically” (Sloane et al 122). “Boys tend to need girls in the classroom with them as a calming influence” (Buckingham Institute 88).
- “You need to ensure that all your sources are scholarly, and I can’t tell here if they are or not.”
- “Your sources speak to both sides of the argument. Your paper should present one side only.”
- “You need to figure out what your own claim is in this paragraph and then use your sources to support that claim.”
A: “You need to figure out what your own claim is in this paragraph and then use your sources to support that claim.”

Q: Katrina noticed that all of her sources on the topic of doping in professional sports draw on the same two doping scandals. She sees that two of her three sources explain why these scandals are important to the conversation, but the other does not. She wonders how she can combine their claims into one section. Katrina is doing the work of
- noting the difference between primary and secondary sources.
- revising for readability.
- synthesizing her sources.
A: synthesizing her sources.

Q: You want to call your mom, a former English professor, and ask her to read through your English essay. Is this an example of academic dishonesty?
- Yes, because all of your work should be your own.
- Yes, because all steps of the writing process should be completed by one person only.
- No, because having someone else provide feedback is an essential step of the writing process.
A: No, because having someone else provide feedback is an essential step of the writing process.

Q: Ed writes a great paper about censorship in public libraries for his humanities class. The next semester, he realizes that he could submit this paper, with a few minor changes, for his English class because it meets that submission’s specifications. Is this an example of academic dishonesty?
- No, as long as Ed writes “duplicate submission” in the header of the paper.
- No, because the paper meets the expectations and specifications of both classes.
- Yes, because Ed should not use the same paper for two different classes.
A: Yes, because Ed should not use the same paper for two different classes.

Q: Dallon finds a good story in an online article that’s not on the same topic as his essay, but that fits well in his introduction. He mentions it in his paper in his own words and doesn’t cite it. Is this an example of plagiarism?
- No, because this story had nothing to do with his own topic.
- No, because he referenced this story in his introduction, so it wasn’t a major piece of support.
- Yes, because he referenced an idea that wasn’t his own and didn’t cite it.
A: Yes, because he referenced an idea that wasn’t his own and didn’t cite it.

Q: Malia finds a good source for her paper. She puts this idea into her own words in her essay and includes an in-text citation. Is this an example of plagiarism?
- Yes, because any ideas from outside sources need to be included within quotation marks.
- No, because all material from other sources should always be put in the author’s own words.
- No, because she properly cited it with an in-text citation.
A: No, because she properly cited it with an in-text citation.

Q: You overhear someone in your freshman economics class say that he paid a senior economics major to take his test for him and got an A. You studied hard and also got an A on the test. Does this example of plagiarism affect you? Why or why not?
- No, because this student’s plagiarism only affects his college career.
- No, because you earned an A as well, and your A is not affected by the actions of another student.
- Yes, because the grades of everyone in the class are now slightly inflated, which does affect your GPA.
A: Yes, because the grades of everyone in the class are now slightly inflated, which does affect your GPA.

Q: A good strategy to help you avoid unintentional plagiarism is
- save your research until you’re almost done with your paper.
- use several different citation styles to help you keep your sources separate.
- use a reference management website or application.
A: use a reference management website or application.

Q: Kylie has a lot of paraphrases in her paper. Which of these tips will best help her avoid plagiarism?
- She should make sure that her paraphrases aren’t longer than one sentence each.
- She needs to put her paraphrases in italics so they are easy to tell apart from the rest of her paper.
- She should make sure that she includes in-text citations for each paraphrase.
A: She should make sure that she includes in-text citations for each paraphrase.

Q: Which of the following is the most important reason to use a standard citation and formatting style such as MLA?
- It lengthens your paper, helping you meet length or word number requirements.
- It gives you the advantage of getting the credit for another expert’s work.
- It helps your readers find the information quickly from the sources you cite.
A: It helps your readers find the information quickly from the sources you cite.

Q: Which of the following page layout features comply with MLA rules?
- The title, author, and submission information on the first page is single-spaced, but the body of the paper is double-spaced.
- The body of the paper is double-spaced, but the Works Cited page is single-spaced.
- The first page, body, and Works Cited page are all double-spaced.
A: The first page, body, and Works Cited page are all double-spaced.

Q: Abdullah has used the same citation format for a book and a website in his MLA citations. He asks you if he’s right. What should you say?
- No, you are wrong. For the book, you do not need to provide any location information, but you need it for the website.
- Yes, you are correct. Both of these kinds of sources follow the same MLA citation pattern.
- No, you are wrong. For the website, you should provide the URL or the DOI for the location.
A: No, you are wrong. For the website, you should provide the URL or the DOI for the location.

Q: Read the following passage from a student research paper draft and choose which piece of advice, below, would most help this author improve it. (The paragraph is shown single-spaced in this example).

The solution is to create a standard guideline that is fair to every athlete, but strict enough to eliminate drug abuse. An expert states “The time has come for agencies to develop a published, standardized policy that clearly and fairly defines which athletes meet criteria for psychiatric disorders and what drugs provide psychoactive properties that enhance performance” (Lardon page 3.) Another professional sports commentator also believes that we need more laws. Then the athletes would no longer be able to claim they did not know they were breaking the rules.
- Your in-text citation is correct, but you need one after every sentence that is paraphrased.
- You cannot have two different experts cited in the same paragraph.
- You have problems with in-text citation format, and one of your sources isn’t cited.
A: You have problems with in-text citation format, and one of your sources isn’t cited.

Q: Your peer included this sentence in the middle of a body paragraph in his research paper. What is the most useful feedback you can give him to help him improve (if improvement is necessary)?

- Early in his career “Buffett started his own investment company, the Buffett Partnership, using $5000 of his own funds and collecting $100,000 from interested friends and family (Executive).”
- The in-text citation does not include a page number, an element which is always necessary.
- This looks great, except the word “Executive” does not need to be capitalized.
- The quotation mark at the end is in the wrong place, and it looks like it’s written by someone with the last name Executive—is that what you meant?
A: The quotation mark at the end is in the wrong place, and it looks like it’s written by someone with the last name Executive—is that what you meant?