Encyclopedias, Glossaries, and Reference Materials Usage

Match each research task to the most suitable reference material.

• Glossary

• Find the meaning of a bolded word in a textbook.

• Dictionary

• Find a detailed history of the Roman Empire.

• Encyclopedia

• Find the definition and pronunciation of a word.

Answer explanation

An encyclopedia provides in-depth articles on subjects like history. A dictionary's main purpose is to define words and provide pronunciations. A glossary defines specific terms for a particular book.

Sort these encyclopedia entries into two groups: those that come BEFORE 'Mars' and those that come AFTER 'Mars'.

Groups:

(a) Before 'Mars'

,

(b) After 'Mars'

• Marrow

• Marine Biology

• Market

• Marsupial

Answer explanation

When alphabetizing, you compare letter by letter. 'Marine' and 'Market' come before 'Mars' because their fourth letters ('i' and 'k') come before 's'. 'Marsupial' and 'Marrow' come after 'Mars' because they have additional letters after 'Mar'.

A dictionary page has the guide words 'planet' and 'plateau.' Which word could be found on this page?

• plantain

• plastic

• plankton

• play

Answer explanation

Guide words show the first and last entries on a page. 'Plastic' comes alphabetically between 'planet' and 'plateau.' 'Plankton' comes before 'planet,' while 'plantain' and 'play' come after 'plateau.'

Your teacher assigns a five-page research paper on the causes of the American Revolution. Which resource would be most helpful for gathering detailed information?

• A dictionary

• The glossary of your history book

• An encyclopedia

• A thesaurus

Answer explanation

An encyclopedia provides comprehensive articles on a wide range of subjects, making it ideal for in-depth research. The other resources serve more specific, limited purposes.

Match the research topic to the correct encyclopedia volume.

• Volume 18: T-U

• The life of Leonardo da Vinci

• Volume 12: L-M

• The geography of Brazil

• Volume 2: B-C

• The history of the telephone

Answer explanation

You would look for 'Leonardo da Vinci' under 'L', 'telephone' under 'T', and 'Brazil' under 'B'. Each topic is matched to the volume that contains the correct starting letter for the keyword.

Which of these names would appear FIRST in an encyclopedia's index?

• Saint Louis

• Saint, Eva Marie

• Saint-Saëns, Camille

• Sainthood

Answer explanation

In most indexes, names are alphabetized by last name first. 'Saint, Eva Marie' would be alphabetized under 'Saint' and come before entries like 'Saint Louis' or 'Sainthood'.

You are researching ancient Egypt. Sort these research goals by whether they require a broad or specific keyword.

Groups:

(a) Broad Keyword

,

(b) Specific Keyword

• Finding the population of modern-day Cairo

• Learning about daily life in ancient Egypt

• Researching different types of pyramids

• Finding the name of King Tut's father

Answer explanation

Broad topics like 'ancient Egypt' or 'pyramids' are good starting points for general research. Specific facts, like the population of 'Cairo' or a specific person's name, require more precise keywords.

You are looking for the entry 'hibernate.' Which pair of guide words would be on the correct encyclopedia page?

• HERON / HIDE

• HIDE / HIEROGLYPHICS

• HIEROGLYPHICS / HIGHWAY

• HIGHWAY / HIMALAYAS

Answer explanation

The word 'hibernate' comes alphabetically between 'heron' and 'hide'. It would appear before the pages indicated by the other guide word pairs.

Match each word to its position if you were to alphabetize the list: Galaxy, Game, Garden, Gas.

• First

• Galaxy

• Fourth

• Garden

• Third

• Gas

• Second

• Game

Answer explanation

The words are alphabetized by comparing each letter in order. 'Galaxy' is first. 'Game' comes before 'Garden' because 'm' is before 'r'. 'Garden' comes before 'Gas' because 'r' is before 's'.

Sort the following information-seeking goals into the correct reference source category: Encyclopedia, Dictionary, or Glossary.

Groups:

(a) Encyclopedia

,

(b) Dictionary

,

(c) Glossary

• Read a biography of a famous scientist

• Check the spelling of 'onomatopoeia'

• Learn about the history of flight

• Understand a term from Chapter 3 of your science book

Answer explanation

Encyclopedias are for broad, detailed topics like history and biographies. Dictionaries are for word definitions and spellings. Glossaries are for specific terms within a single book.