Deck 7: Take Effective Notes

Question 1

If you are preparing to take notes during a lecture, you should:

A) review the course syllabus before class.
B) read the chapters related to the lecture as soon as possible after class.
C) try out a new note-taking app for the first time.
D) leave your previous class early to give yourself plenty of time to set up for the lecture.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Kevin has a geography class this afternoon. He knows that his instructor will be delivering a lecture on the material in the textbook chapters he read last night, and he is planning to take handwritten notes. What should Kevin do when he goes to his geography class?

A) arrive early and get a seat in the back corner of the room so that he can see everyone
B) set up a tape recorder or digital recorder to record the audio of the instructor's lecture
C) arrive a few minutes early and review his notes from the previous class
D) open his notebook and take notes on the same page where he left off during the last class

Answer 2

C

Question 3

To engage with the key information while taking notes in class, you should:

A) actively listen and participate.
B) record the instructor's words verbatim.
C) avoid using abbreviations and symbols.
D) take notes without focusing on what is being said.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When taking notes while reading, you should:

A) sit with a group of friends.
B) write the information from the textbook verbatim.
C) disregard section headings.
D) turn your phone off.

Question 5

Where should you sit when taking notes in class?

A) at the back of the room so that you can see everyone
B) at the front of the room so that you can hear the instructor
C) near a window so that you get lots of natural light
D) near a friend so that you can ask him or her questions about the material

Question 6

Adaya's sociology instructor assigned the class to read Chapters 8 and 9 in the textbook before the next class. She is a commuter student who lives at home, and she plans to study after having dinner with her family tonight. Where would be a good place for Adaya to read her textbook and take notes?

A) in the living room, as her father and brother watch television
B) at the kitchen table, as her mother talks on the phone with her aunt
C) at a picnic table in the backyard, where she can hear the sounds of the neighborhood
D) at a desk in her bedroom, with the door closed

Question 7

Which of these phrases is an instructor MOST likely to use during a lecture to indicate that they are about to provide particularly important information that you should include in your notes?

A) "Do you agree or disagree?"
B) "What we can conclude from this . . . ?"
C) "Does anyone have any questions?"
D) "That reminds me of something that happened to me . . . ?"

Question 8

When labeling your notes, you do NOT need to include the:

A) title of the course.
B) date.
C) section number of the course.
D) topic of the lecture.

Question 9

Which type of information should you record verbatim?

A) mathematical formulas
B) descriptions of literary characters
C) causes of historical events
D) explanations of philosophical ideals

Question 10

When you paraphrase, you:

A) participate in a class discussion.
B) restate information in your own words.
C) develop an argument to answer a question.
D) record information without processing it.

Question 11

Which of these people should paraphrase as they take notes?

A) Lynne, who is writing the names of Greek gods for her mythology class
B) Devin, who is writing down a scientific definition in his biology class
C) Marta, who is copying a diagram drawn by her chemistry instructor
D) Abe, who is recording key ideas from a PowerPoint slide in his communications class

Question 12

When you are sitting in class and realize that you don't understand what your instructor is lecturing about, you are using:

A) metacognition.
B) paraphrasing.
C) accommodation.
D) transformation.

Question 13

A student should consider using accommodations for note taking if he or she:

A) is a first-year student.
B) has an exam coming up in the class.
C) has a disability.
D) wants to spend more time studying.

Question 14

It is a good idea to review your notes after you take them to fill in missing information. This review should take place within:

A) one day.
B) three days.
C) one week.
D) two weeks.

Question 15

Why should you compare your notes with your classmates' notes?

A) so that you can participate in the class discussion rather than take notes
B) so that you can spend less time doing the assigned reading
C) to clarify any concepts you found confusing
D) to find ways to expand your vocabulary

Question 16

When using the outline format to take notes, which symbols should you use to represent the main ideas on the first level?

A) Arabic numerals
B) uppercase Roman numerals
C) uppercase letters
D) lowercase Roman numerals

Question 17

Usagi is writing her notes in the outline format and has just written a second-level key point to support a first-level point. Now she needs to add an example on the third level to support the second-level key point. Which notation should she use to indicate that the example is a third-level point?

A) I
B) i
C) A
D) 1

Question 18

Which type of note taking organizes each page of your notes into three sections: initial notes, key points, and summary?

A) outlining
B) mapping
C) Cornell system
D) charting

Question 19

When using the Cornell system, where should you write your initial notes?

A) on the right side of the page
B) on the left side of the page
C) at the top of the page
D) at the bottom of the page

Question 20

When using the Cornell system, where should you put the summary section?

A) at the top of the page
B) at the bottom of the page
C) on the right side of the page
D) on the left side of the page

Question 21

A graphical depiction of course material that includes nodes and branches is called a(n):

A) chart.
B) outline.
C) hybrid.
D) map.

Question 22

Which note-taking technique would you employ if you'd like to show the connections between concepts or ideas?

A) outlining
B) Cornell system
C) mapping
D) charting

Question 23

Nodes on a map represent:

A) mathematical or scientific formulas.
B) examples of concepts.
C) main topics and key ideas.
D) important dates.

Question 24

Branches on a map represent:

A) supporting details.
B) main topics.
C) key ideas.
D) primary arguments.

Question 25

An effective way to emphasize important concepts on a map is to use:

A) charts.
B) formulas.
C) abbreviations.
D) symbols.

Question 26

Which method of note taking involves organizing main ideas, key concepts, and supporting details into a series of rows and columns?

A) Cornell system
B) outlining
C) charting
D) mapping

Question 27

When taking notes in a science class, you should:

A) stop writing if you get off track.
B) leave enough room to draw diagrams.
C) refrain from using symbols and abbreviations.
D) paraphrase as much as possible.

Question 28

While writing down a formula that his math instructor was writing on the chalkboard, Nyack accidentally wrote the wrong number. What should he do?

A) Erase the whole formula completely.
B) Scratch the wrong number out completely.
C) Draw one or two lines through the wrong number.
D) Draw a circle around the whole formula.

Question 29

Which approach should you use when you fall behind when writing notes during a lecture?

A) Stop writing and go back to where you fell behind.
B) Immediately ask the instructor to repeat the section.
C) Make a mark beside the section you missed and keep writing.
D) Skip the section you missed and concentrate on what you can.

Question 30

Restating technical information in a way that others can understand is known as:

A) transforming.
B) outlining.
C) mapping.
D) charting.

Question 31

The right method for taking notes is the Cornell system.

Question 32

When taking handwritten notes, you should use both sides of the page.

Question 33

When taking notes during a lecture, you should write down everything the instructor says.

Question 34

Paraphrasing while taking notes helps you to understand the ideas being discussed more fully.

Question 35

You can use your own symbols and abbreviations in your notes as long as they have meaning to you.

Question 36

If you are taking notes and you get confused about what you are writing, you should write down your questions and get clarification later.

Question 37

The Cornell system of note taking organizes each page of your notes into sections that allow you to expand your notes after a lecture.

Question 38

If your math instructor presents different possible solutions to a problem, you should choose the one you like best and only put it in your notes.

Question 39

You should use the same note-taking strategies for online classes that you use for traditional classes.

Question 40

The skills that make people good note takers are just as important in the workplace as they are in college.

Question 41

Why should you take your own notes instead of relying solely on the instructor's slides?

Question 42

List three benefits of participating in class.

Question 43

Select a class you would like to take in the next term, and describe how you would prepare to take notes for that class. Discuss the actions you would take before taking notes, and explain why you would take those actions.

Question 44

Prepare an outline based on this chapter of your textbook.

Question 45

Describe the Cornell system.

Question 46

Prepare a map based on the Experiment with Note-Taking Methods section of this chapter.

Question 47

Describe the methods you have used for note taking in the past. After reading this chapter, do you plan to change the way you take notes? Explain how and why, or why not.

Question 48

List four strategies for taking good notes in a math or science class.

Question 49

Give an example of a career that you are considering pursuing, and explain how the note-taking strategies discussed in this chapter might help you to perform and succeed in it.