WSU Libraries - Information Literacy PretestIn the questions below, choose the letter of the best answer(s). This test is not graded, it is designed to orient you to issues related to information literacy.

WSU Libraries - Information Literacy Pretest

In the questions below, choose the letter of the best answer(s). This test is not graded, it is designed to orient you to issues related to information literacy.

Multiple-choice exercise

Choose the correct answer for each question.

Which of the following information is NOT included in the record for an item in Griffin?
1. the appropriate audience
2. the building location
3. the status (whether the item is available)
4. the subject headings
The best resource for locating AUTHORITATIVE AND CURRENT information for a research paper about the War on Terrorism is
1. An encyclopedia
2. A library book
3. The World Wide Web
4. An article (periodical) index
You are writing a paper for a history class. You are asked to include information from a primary source. Which ONE of the following is most likely a primary source?
1. An encyclopedia entry
2. A scholarly journal article
3. A collection of letters
4. A chapter from your text book
Which of the following is a TRUE statement concerning copyright law?
1. It is important to place the copyright symbol on any works one wants copyrighted
2. Email is an example of copyrighted material
3. Copyright for most materials lasts for 20 years
4. U.S. law states that one must be an adult to be a copyright holder
Which of the following is NOT an appropriate step in writing a research paper?
1. Narrowing the topic of the paper
2. Evaluating each resource obtained to check for relevance
3. Citing each source used at the end of the paper
4. Basing the paper on the first sources that appear in a database search
Which of the following Internet search tools is a subject directory?
1. Alta Vista
2. Lycos
3. DogPile
4. Yahoo
What information can be learned from this call number? (select all that apply)
PS3515 .E37 0525 1952
1. The subject area of the book
2. The book's shelf location
3. The date of publication
4. The libraries that own the book
5. The number of pages in the book
Which of the following is TRUE concerning white and grey literature?
1. Grey literature refers to information published before 1900 while white literature refers to literature published after 1900
2. White literature is officially published while grey literature is not
3. Grey literature is written by academics while white literature is written by novelists
4. The difference between white and grey literature is the color and quality of the paper on which the text is printed
Which one of the following material types is NOT listed in the WSU Libraries Catalog, Griffin?
1. reference books
2. microfilm
3. journal articles
4. VHS video cassettes
Which of the following is FALSE concerning the difference between popular and scholarly sources of information?
1. Scholarly sources generally include descriptions of original research while popular sources do not
2. Popular sources generally include articles containing glossy photographs while scholarly sources do not
3. Scholarly sources generally include bibliographies of supporting or related research while popular sources do not
4. Popular sources generally include peer reviewed articles while scholarly sources do not
Which of the following are clues that a Web site is a quality site to use for research? Check all that apply.
1. The site has a ~NAME ending to the URL
2. The site lists the date it was last updated
3. The site clearly states its purpose and mission
4. The name of the author of the site is given
5. The site provides a bibliography
If you do a keyword search for "AIDS and United States" and receives 856 items, what would be the next best step?
1. Add more terms to the original query and search again
2. Try searching under "United States and AIDS"
3. Locate and check out the first few books on the list
4. Take either "AIDS" or "United States" out of your search query
Which of the following is TRUE?
1. A citation is a short paragraph describing the scope and focus of a written work
2. An abstract provides a summary of the contents of a scholarly article
3. A footnote is an article without an index
4. A biography is a list of books, articles, Web pages, and/or other materials that have some relationship to each other
Which of the following is TRUE?
1. Controlled Language Searching is similar to Subject Searching
2. Keyword Searching is similar to Subject Searching
3. Natural Language Searching is similar to Subject Searching
4. Keyword Searching is similar to Controlled Language Searching
The best way to broaden a search in an electronic database would be to use which of the following Boolean operators?
1. OR
2. AND
3. NOT
4. NEAR
Which of the following is TRUE concerning the policies and services of the WSU Libraries?
1. Each student can have a maximum of five books checked out at one time
2. Each library at WSU has computers available for checking email and surfing the Web
3. Journals cannot be checked out at WSU
4. Food is allowed in designated parts of each library at WSU
This type of reference work provides concise factual information about geographic locations and features.
1. Yearbook
2. Gazetteer
3. Dictionary
4. Handbook
A common truncation symbol used in many databases is
1. #
2. *
3. @
4. %
Which ONE of the following kinds of information is widely available for free on the Web?
1. Addresses and phone numbers
2. Periodical Indexes
3. Financial information about companies
4. Academic journal articles
As an event unfolds, information is organized and distributed. Which of the following sources of information would begin to appear the furthest in time from the original event?
1. reference sources
2. magazine articles
3. transcripts of news media coverage
4. newspaper articles
The "Invisible Web"
1. Is made up of the contents of searchable databases
2. Is another name for Web pages that people do not register
3. Can best be searched by meta-search engines
4. Can best be searched by computer robots or spiders
Which of the following is NOT an example of plagiarism?
1. Cutting and pasting graphics from another's web page and using them on your own web page
2. Directly copying lines from another's article and not putting quotes around the copied lines
3. Making up data to fill a chart in your paper
4. Handing in a term paper one purchased off the World Wide Web
PS3551 .L44 A6 1987 is an example of a call number under what classification system?
1. Universal Decimal Classification
2. The Superintendent of Documents System
3. The Dewey Decimal System
4. The Library of Congress (LC) System
Question Analysis
1. Is a process for refining a research topic and preparing for searching
2. Is a popular technique reference librarians use to learn about patron satisfaction
3. Is a method used by instructors to detect plagiarism
4. Is a common theory used to drive most Web search engines
The best way to find books by Ernest Hemingway in the WSU Libraries would be to
1. Perform a Subject Search in Griffin
2. Search by Author in Griffin, the WSU Libraries catalog
3. Ask friends if/where they found books by Hemingway
4. Determine the Library of Congress Subject Heading for American Literature and browse this area of the library until a Hemingway book is found
"Explain the effects of expanding global warming on the environment."
What are the key concepts of the statement above?
1. Effects, environment
2. Environment, global warming
3. Explain, warming
4. Expanding, effects