High School Information Literacy Pretest

Information Literacy Skills Test: High School

Record your choice for the best answer on a sheet of paper.

   1. A SEARCH ENGINE is best described as
         1. a device that allows the computer to be connected to a phone line
         2. a Web site or software that offers searching capabilities
         3. the brains of a personal computer
         4. an electronic "booster" you can install for quicker searchers

   2. When using information from a Web site for school projects, a good question to ask yourself is
         1. "Can I order products from this site?"
         2. "Are these pictures/graphs/charts colorful enough?"
         3. "Is all the spelling and grammar correct in this text?"
         4. "Who is the author of this information and is it accurate?"

   3. When searching the Internet, each underlined word or phrase is
         1. a standard command
         2. a keyword search
         3. a subject search
         4. a link to another file or site

   4. Information that you find on the Internet
         1. is far more reliable than books and magazines
         2. is factual because the Internet is constantly monitored by world educational organizations
         3. is required by law to be accurate, timely, and appropriate
         4. comes from many varied sources such as business, the government, or private citizens

   5. A good Internet research project begins by
         1. asking yourself interesting questions about your topic and using those questions as a basis for your search
         2. taking 20 or 30 minutes to surf the Web and get comfortable with lots of particular Web sites
         3. checking out as many sites as possible and jotting down the addresses for future reference
         4. locating a chat room that is using your topic as the subject of the discussion

   6. If you decide to use information from a Web site for your research project
         1. it is too hard to find the source of the information
         2. you may use the text word-for-word in your report because most Web site authors are not known
         3. you must properly cite your source
         4. you may assume that all of your data or text is factual

   7. An example of a biased Web site would be
         1. a drug company promoting a particular drug
         2. a national news site giving weather reports
         3. a college library allowing access to its reference material
         4. an airline listing future flights for advance reservations

   8. An effective way to search the Web is to
         1. refer to "Bookmarks" for pre-tagged sites
         2. use the pre-selected links on our school home page or the OSLIS Web site to go to good sites
         3. use a directory or search engine like Yahoo, Alta Vista, or Lycos
         4. all of the above

   9. A KEYWORD search will
         1. search only titles
         2. work even if you spell a word wrong
         3. search title, contents, and subject areas
         4. search reference material only

  10. When searching a periodical index, you may wish to see the abstract of an article. An ABSTRACT is defined as
         1. a complete, full-text reading of an article
         2. a short, objective summary of an article
         3. a list of information needed to locate a magazine, such as publication date, volume, and author
         4. a printout containing critical reviews of the article

  11. A magazine CITATION will usually show you
         1. summaries of current non-fiction books
         2. choice of subject or keyword search
         3. information to help you retrieve magazine articles
         4. full-text listing of a magazine article

  12. When entering words or phrases in the computer to search for articles or books, the most important rule to remember is
         1. use correct spelling. It does affect the searches
         2. use capital letters only
         3. always use a person's first name first, and last name last
         4. never use any punctuatioN

  13. If you are unable to locate information on your topic, you may be using the wrong subject heading. A good way to proceed would be to
         1. give up and change your whole topic, then try again
         2. use synonyms, or words that mean the same thing as your topic
         3. stick with very broad terms and ideas
         4. try another computer

  14. If you don't know anything about your topic, the best way to get started is to find background information in
         1. any current biography
         2. a print or electronic encyclopedia article
         3. the fiction book section
         4. the vertical file

  15. NAVIGATIONAL TOOLS on the Web usually include all of these features EXCEPT
         1. header bar with menu options
         2. underlined words (often of a different color)
         3. menu choices on buttons of different shapes
         4. words typed in all caps
         5. footer menu options

  16. A SUBJECT SEARCH approach is a good choice when
         1. you're not sure how to spell the topic
         2. you're not sure what specific part of the topic you want to focus on
         3. your teacher has assigned a general subject as a topic and wants each student to narrow it down
         4. all of the above

  17. BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION usually includes all of the following EXCEPT
         1. summary
         2. title
         3. author
         4. date
         5. pages

  18. All of the following are good tips for KEYWORD searching EXCEPT
         1. limit your keyword search entry to just a few words
         2. use very broad, general terms (i.e. animals)
         3. check your search words for mistyped or misspelled words
         4. use wildcard symbols to find both singular and plural

  19. All of the following can be used to locate more subjects and more citations on your research topic EXCEPT
         1. choosing a SEE reference to a similar subject with citations when there are none listed under the original search term
         2. choosing a SEE ALSO cross reference to similar subjects
         3. subdivisions of a broad topic
         4. the LIMIT button or choice

  20. All of the following are true of LINKS on the Web EXCEPT
         1. links are used to move from area to area within a database
         2. links can be text-based or graphics-based screen icons
         3. when your mouse is placed on a link the pointer turns into a pointing hand symbol
         4. links are a series of choices you make to move to different areas knowing you can't go backward
         5. links are ways to find related information at new sites on the Web

  21. ARTICLE RETRIEVAL could include all of the following choices EXCEPT
         1. full text
         2. abstract only
         3. hard copy of the original magazine available in your library
         4. e-mailing the article to you
         5. mailing the article to you at your house

  22. Which is potentially the most current or up-to-date source of information on any topic?
         1. an article from a CD-ROM database
         2. an article on microfiche
         3. a reference book
         4. a hard copy of a magazine
         5. an article or information from a World Wide Web site

  23. The results of an electronic periodical search are usually displayed
         1. in reverse chronological order (newest articles at the top of the list)
         2. in chronological order (oldest articles are at the top of the list)
         3. in alphabetical order by title of magazine or newspaper
         4. in alphabetical order by authors of the articles in the results list
         5. in no particular order

  24. LOGICAL OPERATORS usually include all of the following terms EXCEPT
         1. and
         2. maybe
         3. or
         4. not

  25. Which of the following should you do if you cannot find materials on your topic?
         1. give up
         2. get depressed
         3. ask the librarian for help
         4. complain and whine to your teacher

  26. A DATABASE is superior to a search engine because
         1. The authority and sources have gone through some evaluation process.
         2. It is organized by both human and electronic brain power.
         3. The text comes from verifiable and reputable sources.
         4. All of the above.

How did you do? Check your answers here.

Test questions created by Gail Withers and Mary McClintock, Douglas County, Oregon. March, 1998.
OSLIS EVALUATION FORM: Baseline for Outcome #3