Question 1:
Information Literacy is...
A. Knowing how to find information
1 point - This is close, but information literacy is a lot more than just being able to
locate information.
B. Knowing how to read
0 points - Nope. Reading is important, but that's just called literacy, not information literacy.
C. Knowing how to find, evaluate and use information
3 points - That's it. You have to know how to do all these things to be truly information literate.
Question 2:
If I need journal articles, I use...
A. The library's catalog
1 point - Eventually, you may need the catalog to find the journal, but the catalog DOES NOT index individual articles.
B. Databases on the Library's Website
3 points - Yup. Databases are designed to index the journal articles from specific fields. This is your first stop.
C. The Internet
0 points - For the most part, journal articles are not available for free on the web particularly scholarly or academic journals.
Question 3:
Which of these is a good topic for a five page paper?
A. A complete history of horror movies
0 points - This one is too broad. You would need to narrow this down quite a bit
to fit into five pages.
B. A history and critique of the movie Frankenstein
3 points - This sounds pretty good for five pages. A short history along with why the
movie is important and you're good to go.
C. A review of the movie The Matrix: Reloaded
0 points - Reviews are generally pretty short and this movie is too new to have much
written about it. This topic is just too narrow.
Question 4:
If I need statistics on the number of computers in public schools in the United
States in 2002, I use...
A. The library's catalog
1 point - The library owns many books and CD-Roms that may contain these
statistics, but they may be out of date.
B. ERIC (an education database)
1 point - There is certainly a possibility of finding an article that
contains these statistics, but there is probably a better source.
C. The Department of Education's Website
3 points - The web is a great place to find up to date statistics,
particularly those published by government agencies. This is a great first stop.
Question 5:
If I'm doing research on the relationship between gender and achievement in math,
the best search would be...
A. gender and math and achievement
3 points - That looks like an excellent search. All of the keyword to describe your topic are
connected with the word AND.
B. relationship and gender and math achievement
1 point - This search might work, but the word "relationship is a little too
common and the phrase "math achievement" may be hard to find.
C. The relationship between gender and math
0 points - Databases don't understand words like "the and "between."
You need to break down your topic into keywords and connect them with AND.
Question 6:
Which of these would be a concern when using the American Dairy Association as a
source about whether or not cheese is a nutritious food?
A. Bias
3 points - That's it. The ADA isn't going to want to tell you anything
that might make you think cheese isn't good for you.
B. Authority
0 points - The ADA should be a fairly trustworthy source of information about
cheese, so authority shouldn't be a problem.
C. Currency
0 points - As long as you check the date on any information you receive,
currency shouldn't be an issue with the ADA's information.
Question 7:
When writing a persuasive speech, which type of information is most useful?
A. Statistics
1 point - Yes, statistics can be very persuasive, but often they don't
tell the whole story. You may need more information.
B. News Articles
1 point - News articles are great for factual accounts of events,
but sometimes you need more evidence to prove your point.
C. Both
3 points - A really persuasive and well-researched speech will
include statistics as well as information from news accounts.
Question 8:
You do not need to cite a source in your paper as long as...
A. You change the wording
0 points - Nope. It's still not your idea so you need to cite
the original source to give credit to the original author.
B. It's your own thoughts and not from another source
3 points - Yes, This is how you differentiate between your ideas and the ideas you
found in your research.
C. You use quotation marks
0 points - Nope. Even if you use quotes you still need to cite the source you are quoting.
Question 9:
How can I recognize a scholarly source?
A. The word "journal" is in the title
1 point - This can sometimes be a good clue, but it's not a sure thing.
B. The article is in a database
0 points - No. Both popular and scholarly articles are included in databases
so this is not a good clue.
C. There are no advertisements in the journal
3 points - This is an excellent clue. If you don't see ads or glossy
pictures, there is a good chance that the journal is of a scholarly nature.
Question 10:
Which of the following would you NOT use to find articles by topic?
A. A bibliography
0 points - No way. Bibliographies are great at giving you lots of books
and articles on a specific topic.
B. A database
0 points - Nope. Databases are the perfect place to go to
find articles on a specific topic.
C. The library's catalog
3 points - Correct. The catalog does not include records for individual
articles, but it can help you find journals by topic.
