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Research and Citation: Practice Questions with Answers

Curriculum: Research And CitationGrades: 9–12Questions: 12Mode: Practice

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1. What is a primary source?

  1. A summary of a source written by a student
  2. A firsthand account or original material created at the time of an event, such as a diary or a photograph
  3. A textbook that explains what other people have written about an event
  4. A dictionary definition of a word
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Answer: B. A firsthand account or original material created at the time of an event, such as a diary or a photograph
Primary sources are original materials produced by someone with direct, firsthand involvement, such as letters, diaries, speeches, or photographs.

2. What is a secondary source?

  1. A work that analyzes, interprets, or summarizes primary sources
  2. A photograph taken by the author
  3. A firsthand account written during the event
  4. An original letter written by a historical figure
Show the answer
Answer: A. A work that analyzes, interprets, or summarizes primary sources
Secondary sources, such as textbooks, articles, and documentaries, discuss and interpret primary sources rather than being created firsthand at the time of the event.

3. What is plagiarism?

  1. Quoting a source with quotation marks and a citation
  2. Presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own without giving credit
  3. Citing a source correctly in a bibliography
  4. Listing sources at the end of a paper
Show the answer
Answer: B. Presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own without giving credit
Plagiarism is using another person's words, ideas, or work without acknowledging them, which is a serious violation of academic honesty.

4. What is paraphrasing?

  1. Copying a sentence word for word
  2. Deleting a source from your bibliography
  3. Writing a direct quotation without quotation marks
  4. Restating someone else's idea in your own words while still crediting the source
Show the answer
Answer: D. Restating someone else's idea in your own words while still crediting the source
Paraphrasing means putting another person's idea into your own words and sentence structure, and it still requires a citation because the idea itself came from someone else.

5. When you use someone's exact words in your paper, what must you do?

  1. Nothing extra is needed if the source is popular
  2. Only cite the source if it is longer than one page
  3. Change every third word so it is not an exact copy
  4. Put the words in quotation marks and cite the source
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Answer: D. Put the words in quotation marks and cite the source
Exact wording taken from a source must be enclosed in quotation marks and followed by a citation to show it is a direct quote and to credit the original author.

6. What is the main purpose of a citation?

  1. To replace the need for a thesis statement
  2. To make a paper look longer
  3. To prove the writer read many books
  4. To give credit to original sources and let readers find them
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Answer: D. To give credit to original sources and let readers find them
Citations credit the original creators of ideas or words and give readers a clear path to locate and verify the sources used.

7. What is a Works Cited or References page?

  1. A list of full source details for everything cited in the paper
  2. A page that summarizes the writer's opinion
  3. A rough draft of the essay
  4. A table of contents
Show the answer
Answer: A. A list of full source details for everything cited in the paper
A Works Cited or References page lists complete publication details, such as author, title, and date, for every source cited in the paper.

8. What is an in-text citation?

  1. A short reference within the body of the paper pointing to a source
  2. The title of the essay, placed at the top of the first page
  3. A quote copied into the paper with no author or source listed
  4. A footnote at the bottom of the page explaining a joke or side comment
Show the answer
Answer: A. A short reference within the body of the paper pointing to a source
An in-text citation, such as a parenthetical note with an author's name, appears right in the sentence or paragraph to show exactly where specific information came from.

9. Which of these is generally considered common knowledge and does not need a citation?

  1. A specific statistic from a research study
  2. An expert's personal theory about a topic
  3. The fact that the United States has 50 states
  4. A direct quotation from an interview
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Answer: C. The fact that the United States has 50 states
Common knowledge includes widely known facts, like the number of states in the United States, that appear in many sources and are not attributed to one specific author.

10. What makes a source credible?

  1. It appears first in a search engine's list of results
  2. It agrees with the writer's own opinion about the topic
  3. It is written by a qualified author, is accurate, and can be verified
  4. It has a colorful, modern design and lots of ads that show it is popular
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Answer: C. It is written by a qualified author, is accurate, and can be verified
A credible source is trustworthy because it comes from a qualified author, presents accurate and verifiable information, and is often reviewed or published by a reputable organization.

11. Why should a researcher check an author's credentials?

  1. To find out if the author is famous on social media
  2. To decide how long the paper should be
  3. To find the author's home address
  4. To judge whether the author has the expertise to write knowledgeably about the topic
Show the answer
Answer: D. To judge whether the author has the expertise to write knowledgeably about the topic
Checking credentials, such as education, experience, or professional affiliation, helps a researcher judge whether the author is qualified to speak accurately on the topic.

12. What is an advantage of using a library database over a general web search for research?

  1. Databases mostly contain fictional stories that are fun for students to read
  2. Databases often contain vetted, high-quality sources like academic journals
  3. Databases let you skip citations since sources are already approved
  4. Databases are shorter than websites, so research takes less time
Show the answer
Answer: B. Databases often contain vetted, high-quality sources like academic journals
Library databases collect articles and journals that have often been reviewed or edited, making them more reliable for academic research than an unfiltered general web search.
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