Notre Dame Libraries Information Literacy Pot of Gold

Test Yourself!

1. Which of the following would make the best research question to guide an 8 page analytical research paper?

   • Is fast food bad for children?
   • Do fast food companies focus their advertisements on children?
   • How do fast food companies create effective advertisements aimed at children?

    
    
    

   Questions that can be answered with a "yes" or "no" generally do not make the best research question. It is preferable to start your question with "How", "What", or "Why".

2. Which type of assignment requires you to explore multiple aspects of your topic and present your research findings without attempting to persuade the reader to take a position?

   • basic report
   • analytical paper
   • argumentative paper

    
    
    
    
    
    
    

     
    

3. Your professor has assigned a 6-page report about an environmental issue. Which of the following would make the best topic (not too narrow or too broad)?

   • Air pollution in urban areas
   • Respiratory diseases in children in high density areas.
   • Environmental consequences of California's October 2007 forest fire.
   • Renewable energy in the United States.

    
    
    

   "Respiratory diseases in children in high density areas" is a good topic that you can continue to refine as you learn more about it.

4. Which is the first step in investigating your research topic?

   • Citing your sources
   • Searching a database
   • Reading a scholarly article about the topic
   • Analyzing the assignment

    
    
    

   The type of assignment will determine what kind of research you need to do so you should begin by first analyzing the assignment.

5. Put the following questions in order from most general to most specific (1 being most general and 4 being most specific).

   1. Do video games cause violent behavior in adolescent males?
   2. Are pesticides bad?
   3. Are agricultural workers in Mexico at a higher risk of health problems due to pesticide exposure because of lax government safety standards?
   4. Is there a relationship between fast food consumption and obesity?
   • 1 - 3 - 4 - 2
   • 2 - 4 - 1 - 3
   • 2 - 3 - 4 - 1
   • 1 - 4 - 3 - 2

    
    
    

6. Which of the following statements about thesis statements is NOT correct?

   • A good thesis statement saves you time and keeps you focused.
   • Every thesis statement can be supported by research.
   • A thesis statement helps you concentrate on what you want and ignore information that is irrelevant.
   • A good thesis statement can often be converted into a question.

    
    
    

   A good thesis statement will save you time and keep you focused and will help you concentrate on the information you need; A good thesis statement can often be converted into a question. However, not every thesis statement can be supported by research because the topic may be too current or too obscure.