Deck 11: Gathering Information and Supporting Materials

Question 1

Which item below is NOT a good tip for gathering information?

A) Redefine your problem as you learn more about your topic.
B) Use your library's online catalog and search engines.
C) Organize and present information in a way that stresses particular points.
D) Try to use everything discussed in a source or research study.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The purpose of a concept map is to

A) identify areas where your knowledge of a topic is lacking.
B) outline the main points and supporting materials for your presentation.
C) help you select a topic.
D) serve as a guide for how to deliver the speech to a specific audience.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Your Internet search about electronic cigarettes has generated hundreds of articles, opinions, studies, and statistics about the topic, and you panic that you will not be able to organize it all into a 10-minute presentation before next week. The term to describe this feeling is

A) data overload.
B) information anxiety.
C) opinion overload.
D) stage anxiety.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

If you need help doing research for your speech, reference librarians can be helpful because they are trained to find and evaluate information.

Question 5

If you have a choice between using a primary source or a secondary source, you should generally use the secondary source because it consists of information that is more tried-and-true than that of primary sources.

Question 6

You have a biology professor who has done a great deal of research on inherited diseases. You want to speak on one of these diseases. Interviewing your professor would be a good way to collect expert testimony.

Question 7

Information anxiety is the opposite of information overload.

Question 8

Google Scholar is considered too sophisticated a tool for undergraduates to use in gathering information.

Question 9

You should cite your sources in a reference list at the end of your speech manuscript or outline in either APA or MLA style.

Question 10

Many libraries have staff who are specially trained in finding and evaluating information and who are available to help patrons perform those tasks. These staff members are typically referred to as ________ librarians.

A) reference
B) research
C) senior
D) professional

Question 11

You know that some sources of information are better than others. For example, you know that a research study published in a professional journal is better than one discussed in a popular magazine. Being able to make this distinction is an illustration of information literacy.

Question 12

During your research, you find two surveys about whether people feel safe in your community. One is sponsored by the Security Industry Alarm Association (SIAA). The other is sponsored by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). The one done by the SIAA is likely to be less biased because they are experts in the field.

Question 13

The ability to locate, evaluate, and incorporate important information into your own knowledge base is called

A) intelligence.
B) data analysis.
C) knowledge synthesis.
D) information literacy.

Question 14

If you are interested in learning about the relative proportion of students in given majors in your college, you can get information from the registrar. These numbers are known as data.

Question 15

Which of the following is the best description of an annotated bibliography?

A) a list of sources accompanied by your summary of insights from that source
B) a list of sources about your topic
C) a summary of useful information from an important source
D) an article you will use for your presentation that features your notes in the margin

Question 16

In doing research for a presentation, you need to collect data, which the chapter defines as

A) statistics about the subject of your presentation.
B) facts collected from a particular source.
C) opinions from experts.
D) any information from any source.

Question 17

Data triangulation refers to the idea that you need at least three sources of information that state the same conclusion before you can safely believe the information.

Question 18

Which of the following options best exemplifies the term information?

A) the number of murders that occurred in Murray County in 2014
B) a summary of the federal crime statistics for Murray County covering the years 2000 through 2010
C) a newspaper article with details about a murder that occurred in Murray County
D) an expert's opinion about murders in Murray County

Question 19

A woman who works at a beauty salon tells you more than you ever wanted to know about hair care products. This is an example of

A) information overload.
B) data literacy.
C) knowledge stress.
D) communication anxiety.

Question 20

Which of the following options best exemplifies the term knowledge?

A) a farmer's understanding of which areas of his canola fields provide the largest yields
B) a family's record of their expenditures for food and entertainment
C) a table that shows how many cases of cheating are reported each semester
D) FBI records on the number of crimes that occur in each state

Question 21

Which of the following options is likely to be the best source of information on current trends?

A) a book
B) a magazine article
C) a scholarly journal article
D) an almanac

Question 22

A website that is used specifically to search for information is called a

A) search engine.
B) virtual library.
C) boolean operator.
D) seminal source.

Question 23

A website that provides links to other sites that it has reviewed and confirmed as relevant and credible sources of information is known as a(n)

A) virtual library.
B) online library catalog system.
C) seminal source.
D) search engine.

Question 24

Which of the following options is a good place to get ideas for speech topics but cannot be credibly cited as source information for a speech?

A) Internet research
B) user-generated content
C) scholarly journals
D) survey research

Question 25

You are conducting an online search about campus crime, but you are having trouble finding relevant information because so many of your results discuss crime or campus, but not both together. To get better results, you should

A) use word stemming by placing a single quote mark after campus and crime.
B) place campus crime in quotation marks.
C) place campus crime in parentheses.
D) place a dash between the words campus and crime.

Question 26

Suppose that you are conducting online research on injuries among professional football players. You are interested in U.S. football players, but your results have included many athletes who play the sport known as soccer in the United States, as it is called football in many other parts of the world. Which of the following sets of search terms should provide you with the most relevant set of results?

A) (professional football) AND (United States) AND (injuries)
B) "professional football injuries" BUT NOT soccer
C) professional football injuries United States NOT soccer
D) (football AND professional AND injuries AND "United States") NOT soccer

Question 27

Which of the following is a legitimate primary source?

A) a newspaper column whose author is summarizing information from a number of sources
B) a professor on campus discussing her study
C) a rumor about a campus event that you hear from a number of fellow students
D) your synthesis of data from a dozen sources

Question 28

Springfield Public Library has a program that allows patrons to search the library's entire collection over the Internet. This type of program is known as a(n)

A) virtual library.
B) online library catalog system.
C) bibliographic reference.
D) external reference system.

Question 29

Which of the following is a "soft" statement about the results of a research study?

A) The study proves that regular flossing has health benefits.
B) Regular flossing has been shown to be good for your health.
C) Scientists have determined that flossing regularly is good for your health.
D) The study offers an indication that flossing regularly has health benefits.

Question 30

Which source listed below is a secondary source?

A) a magazine's interpretation of a survey by an expert on the subject
B) a journal article by a professor who is an expert on the subject
C) a survey by a nationally known and respected polling organization
D) a study by an expert researcher

Question 31

Which source below is LEAST LIKELY to be a trustworthy source for numbers and surveys?

A) the U.S. Census Bureau
B) cable news outlets like MSNBC and Fox News
C) the Congressional Budget Office
D) the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Question 32

What are seminal sources?

A) heavily cited scholarly studies
B) Internet sources requiring passwords for access
C) information publicized via seminars
D) sources of questionable value

Question 33

What source is recommended for finding seminal sources?

A) Wikipedia
B) Google Scholar
C) Encyclopedia Britannica Internet Guide
D) Dogpile

Question 34

Wendy is preparing to give a speech on the lifetime impact of attending preschool. She found an article called "Benefits of Preschool: a Longitudinal Study" to be very helpful, but she needs more information. Which of the following methods would be most likely to help her find additional sources that are relevant to her topic?

A) Perform a phrase search for kindergarten benefits using a general search engine.
B) Search Google Scholar using the terms benefits, preschool, and "longitudinal study."
C) Conduct a boolean search using a meta-search engine with the terms kindergarten AND benefits.
D) Search the Internet for the terms lifetime impact preschool.

Question 35

Tenzin is conducting research for a speech about coffee's importance in U.S. culture. He has found a survey on coffee consumption that he is considering using as a source. It was conducted by a major coffee company, which asked its customers to answer a series of questions about their coffee consumption. More than 10,000 people from across the United States sent in their responses. The respondents were from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Tenzin ultimately decided that the survey was likely to be biased and decided not to use it. What factor most likely motivated Tenzin's decision?

A) who was included in the survey
B) the trustworthiness of the survey's source
C) the representativeness of the survey sample
D) the broadness of the survey sample

Question 36

Nathan is conducting research for a speech about laser eye surgery. Which of the following sources is most likely to contain errors?

A) a newspaper interview with a laser eye surgeon in which the surgeon describes some common procedures
B) a hospital website that describes the procedures and equipment used in laser eye surgery
C) a magazine article that summarizes several recent studies on the risks and benefits of laser eye surgery
D) a journal article in which a researcher describes the results of her study on the health effects of laser eye surgery

Question 37

Julio is a university student who spent last summer volunteering at a shelter for homeless youth. He is preparing a speech about homelessness for one of his classes, during which he plans to use some of his own observations to illustrate and support his points. In doing so, Julio is using

A) experimental results.
B) personal experience.
C) expert testimony.
D) a secondary source.

Question 38

Which study or survey described below would be the most reliable source for your presentation?

A) the Democratic National Committee's survey that indicates most Americans want roads and bridges maintained even if that requires higher taxes
B) a study of ten dentists that shows most of them recommend Colgate toothpaste
C) a women's magazine report on how satisfying the romantic relationships of their readers are compared with the general population
D) an independent polling firm's national survey showing an increasingly old and white Republican Party

Question 39

Marjorie is conducting research for a speech about the threat that poaching poses to endangered species. She finds a newspaper article that summarizes a study Professor Moon of Temple University published in the magazine Nature. Professor Moon and his team's research showed that the population of gorillas in a wildlife sanctuary was declining at a rate of 20% per year during the 1990s, but that after strict new anti-poaching measures were enacted in 2000, the population began to increase at a rate of 5% a year. Before using this information in her speech, Marjorie should

A) triangulate the data by checking for similar results in other studies.
B) confirm that the newspaper has correctly cited the original article's publication information.
C) locate and read the original article in Nature.
D) check if Professor Moon is still connected with Temple University.

Question 40

Which source is NOT regarded as part of the popular press?

A) magazine articles
B) newspaper articles
C) journal articles
D) newspaper opinion pieces

Question 41

Cite sources accurately and often to avoid serious charges of

A) information overload.
B) slander.
C) libel.
D) plagiarism.

Question 42

Which item below is NOT a criterion for testing source credibility?

A) examining the credentials of the source to see if they are relevant to the topic
B) determining if the source is objective about the topic, not a lobbyist for some cause
C) discovering how current the source's information on the topic is
D) making sure the source graduated from an Ivy League university

Question 43

Suppose that you are preparing a speech on the need for better public transportation in your neighborhood. Which of the following options is an example of independent research supporting this topic?

A) observations you made at a local bus stop of how long the average passenger had to wait before their bus arrived
B) a survey in the local paper showing levels of support for various changes to the public transit system
C) statistics from the city's transit system detailing ridership numbers for the last several years
D) a television interview with a city planner describing how the community's needs have changed since the transit system was originally designed

Question 44

Which item below would be an example of data triangulation?

A) The speaker used an anecdote from a single source in her presentation.
B) The presenter discussed a survey he conducted in his class.
C) The speaker used information from one source to verify information he found in another source.
D) The speaker reported a rumor he heard from dozens of students.

Question 45

Whenever you present specific evidence in your speech outline, you should support that evidence with

A) oral citations.
B) internal references.
C) bibliographic references.
D) personal experiences.

Question 46

Adelaide is conducting research into how Broadway musicals are staged. As part of her research, she interviews Ethel, who has spent the last 40 years designing sets for Broadway shows. The interview with Ethel is an example of

A) oral citation.
B) personal experience.
C) expert testimony.
D) anecdotal evidence.

Question 47

What three pieces of information need to be stated to make an effective oral citation?

A) author(s), date of publication (or access), publication name
B) article title, author(s), publication name
C) article title, author(s), date of publication (or access)
D) article title, date of publication (or access), publication name

Question 48

According to research in the Journal of Information Science, students are NOT good at

A) accessing information on the Internet.
B) evaluating information from the Internet.
C) selecting the most pertinent sources available to them on the Internet.
D) discovering novel information on the Internet.

Question 49

Which item below shows an INCORRECTLY written reference for a personal interview cited in a speech or outline?

A) Hanson, M. (2013, September 10), Personal Communication.
B) Hanson, Mary. Personal Interview. 10 September 2013.
C) Mary Hanson. (2013, September 10), Personal Communication.
D) Johnson, Jason. Personal Interview. 10 August 2014.