Information Literacy

Your teacher wants you to write a report about a natural disaster. Choose the correct order of the steps from the choices below.
A. Make a list of questions about your topic that you would like to learn.
B. Decide upon a natural disaster topic.
C. Find information about your topic.
D. List what you already know about your topic.

• A, B, C, D
• B, D, A, C
• D, A, C, B
• B, A, C, D

You need to find out why dumping plastic bags in landfills is a problem for the environment. In the library, you choose a general science book and locate the index. Plastic bags and landfills are not listed in the index. You need a broader term. Which term below should you try next?

• Dumps
• Bags
• Solid waste

You are studying world festivals in class. You are to report on one festival and find out how it started. Which research question will be most useful?

• What are the main festivals in Asia?
• What are the origins of the Chinese New Year celebration?
• What do families do to celebrate Chinese New Year?
• When is Chinese New Year?When is Chinese New Year?

You want to find out about atoms and molecules for a science project. Which resource could you use to find general background information?

• Atlas
• Dictionary
• Encyclopedia
• Book on atomic scientists

You are doing a paper on the current research on climate change in Antarctica. Your database search on “climate change in Antarctica” returns too many results. Which of the following operators or filters is the best way to revise your search?

• Use the DATE filter
• Use the NOT operator
• Use the OR operator

You are studying the environment and the effect of different climates on different regions of the world. Select the group of topics that is organized from broadest to narrowest topic.

• Biomes > ecosystem > forests > rainforest
• Pond > lake > freshwater > aquatic biome
• Rainforest > temperate forest > tundra > desert
• Community > ecosystem > biomes > biosphere

You need to make a diorama of the Egyptian pyramids. Which resource would be the most helpful to learn about the construction of the Egyptian pyramids?

• An online journal of a tourist who spent a month exploring the pyramids
• An Egyptian government website that shows photos and videos of the pyramids
• A poetry database about ancient civilizations

You need to find the time difference in hours between Chicago, Illinois, and Sydney, Australia. What is the best source to use?

• Almanac
• Google
• Dictionary
• Encyclopedia

You want to know more about the decision to build an airport in your city. Which of the following would be a primary source for this information? 

• Position paper by the city planner
• A newspaper article
• The airport’s website

What is the best reason for citing your sources?

• Citing gives credit for the original work or the idea to the author.
• Citing shows your teacher that you did your research.
• Citing identifies sources that your classmates may want to use.
• Citing gives the location of the sources you used.