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Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. Julie is a student giving a speech about tornados. Which resource would be the MOST appropriate for her to
use?
a.
National Geographic
b.
Wikipedia
c.
the Wall Street Journal
d.
her own common knowledge
2. Professor Baxter is teaching her ethics class about misinformation. Which student statement indicates that
more teaching is needed?
a.
Misinformation is persuasive information.
b.
Misinformation is false information.
c.
Misinformation is inaccurate information.
d.
Misinformation is misleading information.
3. In which scenario would a speaker need to complete in-depth research before giving a speech?
a.
when presenting information that is debatable
b.
when giving a toast at a wedding
c.
when accepting an award
d.
when speaking to a large group
4. It is possible to cover a broader topic with more research into a speech than one can deliver in a written
paper.
a.
True
b.
False
5. When speakers move out of the preliminary research phase into in-depth research, they should take detailed
notes about their sources that include:
a.
where and how they will use the source in their speech.
b.
other sources that cite that source in their bibliographies.
c.
bibliographic information and relevant direct quotes.
d.
when and where the source was accessed.
6. Using a librarian as a resource is similar to using Google, although Google is better able to filter the results.
a.
True
b.
False
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7. If a speech calls for research, the speaker should avoid consulting resources found through online search
engines such as Google.
a.
True
b.
False
8. Speakers should always research commonly known statements of fact to verify their truth.
a.
True
b.
False
9. Which source would be the MOST appropriate to use for a speech about how the works of the philosopher
Socrates have affected life today?
a.
the Socrates page on Wikipedia
b.
an interview with a professor of philosophy
c.
the printed book Plato’s Biography of Socrates, published in 1917
d.
an online “Socrates fact sheet” posted by the Biography channel
10. Myah, a sociology professor, is asked to read and critically evaluate an academic sociology paper submitted
for publication. What process has Myah been asked to participate in?
a.
preliminary research
b.
peer review
c.
indexing
d.
credentialing
11. Google or Wikipedia can be appropriate tools to use in what situation?
a.
when fact-checking
b.
if preparation time is limited
c.
when doing preliminary research
d.
if the speaker already knows a lot about the topic
12. During preliminary research on a topic, Keith runs across one source that states that about 115,000
Americans are on the waiting list for organ transplantation. This information is included on a website titled 150
Obscure Facts. What is Keith’s BEST next step?
a.
Research this statistic on other trusted sites, such as a government health site.
b.
Use the information, but do not include a citation because the site doesn’t include one.
c.
Disregard the information because a source was not cited on the website.
d.
Use the information, and cite the 150 Obscure Facts website.
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13. Jim overlooked important complexities and details about a topic when preparing his speech. It is likely that
he relied too heavily on:
a.
truth relativism.
b.
critical investigation.
c.
digital resources.
d.
common knowledge.
14. It is recommended that which person conduct research on their speech topic?
a.
Marlee, who is giving a speech about her personal rise to CEO at her company
b.
Will, who is giving a speech honoring the company’s top salesperson of the year
c.
Carlos, who is giving the best man’s toast at his friend’s wedding
d.
Sonia, who is giving a speech to educate the community about the importance of recycling
15. Which statement will Gabriella likely need to cite because it was necessary to look up the fact?
a.
Paris is the capital of France.
b.
In 2015, about 9 percent of Americans had diabetes.
c.
Babies cannot talk.
d.
The United States is part of North America.
16. There is a cultural expectation that speeches have been researched.
a.
True
b.
False
17. Trusting unreliable Internet sources is one way in which misinformation is spread in speeches.
a.
True
b.
False
18. When reviewing articles on a topic during preliminary research, an efficient way to identify other related
sources is to review and note the article’s reference citations.
a.
True
b.
False
19. Which speech is MOST likely to be perceived as balanced and reliable?
a.
one that includes professional interviews
b.
one that includes statistics
c.
one that cites many sources
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d.
one that relies on common knowledge
20. Nelson is preparing a speech about the importance of sleep. Which statement from his speech is considered
common knowledge and therefore does not require that a source be cited?
a.
More than 50 million Americans are estimated to have a sleep disorder.
b.
Sleep is a required physiological process in humans.
c.
Insufficient sleep is associated with increased risk for heart disease.
d.
Sleep is linked to learning and memory formation.
21. A journalist wants to research the claims made by the senate majority leader to determine whether they are
true or false. The BEST resource in this case is:
a.
Snopes.com.
b.
Google.
c.
FactCheck.org.
d.
Wikipedia.
22. Which research resource is often more trustworthy than general Internet searches because they primarily
index articles that have gone through some kind of editing process?
a.
librarians
b.
blogs
c.
databases
d.
newspapers
23. In general, the three basic ways speakers research speeches are going to the library, conducting interviews,
and researching on the Internet.
a.
True
b.
False
24. The constant availability of information makes humans prone to accept information at face value.
a.
True
b.
False
25. Speeches often make claims beyond the reach of common knowledge. What could a speaker do to make
such a speech more credible to the audience?
a.
Repeat the new information.
b.
Research the topic and cite sources.
c.
Include phrases such as “You may not know this, but . . . .”
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d.
Ensure that the speech is free of grammatical errors.
26. When doing research for a speech, a speaker can avoid passing on incorrect or false information by:
a.
having an impartial attitude.
b.
critically evaluating resources.
c.
taking a strong for or against stance.
d.
using at least three different resources.
27. Consider these statements as being part of a speech. Which statement should be supported with additional
research and supporting information?
a.
A fever is common with influenza.
b.
Safety is important for children playing sports.
c.
More censorship is needed on the Internet.
d.
Netflix is a well-known video streaming service.
28. Fatima is researching gender discrimination in politics for her public speaking course. Which online
resource would be the LEAST helpful?
a.
an essay from EBSCO Academic Search Complete
b.
a clinical research study from ClinicalTrials.gov
c.
an academic article from Gale Academic OneFile
d.
an academic essay from LexisNexis Academic
29. Which source would be the MOST appropriate to use for a speech about best practices for managing
asthma?
a.
an online report posted by an asthma drug manufacturer
b.
an interview with a teenager who has asthma
c.
a clinical research study from the Mayo Clinic
d.
an article from an American women’s magazine   
30. Which online resource would likely be the MOST reliable?
a.
a public forum
b.
a Reddit discussion
c.
a newspaper article
d.
a Wikipedia page
31. When evaluating an online resource, it is important to ask who paid for it because it speaks to
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a.
the relevancy of the information.
b.
whether the content is supported by research.
c.
the currency of the content.
d.
potential bias in the information.
32. Which is a sign that an online resource may be unreliable?
a.
The author does not have a PhD.
b.
An author photo is not included.
c.
A group is listed as the author.
d.
No author is listed.
33. Entries on Wikipedia are vetted by scholars in the field.
a.
True
b.
False
34. Consider these statements as being part of a speech. Which statement warrants further investigation?
a.
Maya Angelou was a famous American poet.
b.
The U.S. president can veto a bill passed by Congress.
c.
The minimum voting age in the United States is eighteen years of age.
d.
Gun control would prevent gun deaths.
35. Which source would be the MOST appropriate to use for a speech about the Civil War?
a.
the Mayo Clinic website
b.
the Library of Congress
c.
the journal Environmental Research
d.
transcripts from a show on the History Channel
36. When someone gives a bad speech, it is often the result of:
a.
speaker inexperience.
b.
too narrow of a topic.
c.
procrastination.
d.
uninformed audience members.
37. Which statement, if included in a speech, should the speaker anticipate the audience to view as
controversial?
a.
People with a mental health disorder are generally nonviolent.
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b.
Clinical depression is one example of a mental health disorder.
c.
Federal law requires that insurance companies cover mental health.
d.
Millions of Americans are affected by mental health disorders.
38. Which statement requires that a source be cited?
a.
The moon revolves around Earth.
b.
The golden retriever is a breed of dog.
c.
The freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
d.
President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830.
39. Speakers should consider their general speech purpose and the speaking situation when determining whether
they need to include research in their speech.
a.
True
b.
False
40. In order to not waste an interviewee’s time, there should be a limit to the number of questions an interviewer
asks.
a.
True
b.
False
41. Mason is researching renewable energy for his speech class and finds the following sources. Which resource
would be the MOST reliable?
a.
a forum discussion on a web page dedicated to renewable energy
b.
an essay written by an undergraduate student studying public policy
c.
a web page on the U.S. Energy Information Administration site (eia.gov)
d.
a blog post by an unnamed author on a commercial website
42. The spreading of misinformation in speeches is typically:
a.
malicious.
b.
unintentional.
c.
deliberate.
d.
rare.
43. Online search results are driven by powerful:
a.
social incentives.
b.
political incentives.
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c.
economic incentives.
d.
cultural incentives.
44. Speeches that provide information or include factual claims that can be proven or disproven require:
a.
an informed audience.
b.
citation of opposing views.
c.
inclusion of common knowledge.
d.
basic research to confirm information.
45. Common knowledge is BEST defined as information that:
a.
is factual.
b.
is widely known.
c.
requires critical investigation.
d.
is related to humanities.
46. Taylor is researching teen drug and alcohol abuse for an antidrug campaign at school. Which online
resource is the MOST likely to produce relevant information?
a.
a clinical research study from ClinicalTrials.gov
b.
a historical document from loc.gov (Library of Congress)
c.
an article from Snopes.com
d.
a student-run podcast
47. Silas is trying to determine whether he should add a citation in his speech to support the statement “Sloths
sleep up to twenty hours each day”. What factor suggests he should?
a.
Most of his friends already knew this information.
b.
He had to check online sources to locate this data.
c.
He was unable to find this information online.
d.
This information was shared on a popular TV program.
48. Which student is MOST likely to find sources of questionable reliability?
a.
Brayden, who is researching on the Internet
b.
Gabriel, who is researching in the library
c.
Kaylee, who is researching in academic journals
d.
Bella, who is researching in scientific magazine articles
49. Halim is researching the benefits of a vegan diet for a speech in his nutrition class. Which online resource is
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likely to contain the MOST reliable information on this topic?
a.
a health survey completed by college students who report being vegan
b.
a recent article found on JSTOR titled “Veganism: A New Model for Health”
c.
a BuzzFeed list about the top benefits of eating vegan
d.
a blog written by a woman who converted to a vegan diet
50. Emma is researching Internet censorship for a speech in her public policy course. Which online resource
would be the MOST helpful?
a.
a historical document from loc.gov (Library of Congress)
b.
a blog post found via a Google search
c.
an academic essay from JSTOR
d.
a dataset from data.gov
51. Which of the following is the BEST example of common knowledge?
a.
There are 365 days in a year.
b.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
c.
Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns.
d.
People with an internal locus of control are less likely to be overweight.
52. The greatest challenge when researching a speech is picking a topic that is:
a.
a manageable size.
b.
uncontroversial.
c.
straightforward.
d.
uncommon.
53. What does the term “search bias” describe?
a.
how researchers start by looking for the answers they want to find
b.
how general searches may return a variety of source types
c.
how search engines alter the way user searches are conducted
d.
how researchers seek information with a listed author and publication date and no commercial
sponsor
54. When conducting an interview, the interviewer should ask questions that:
a.
can be found online.
b.
cannot be answered by other means.
c.
they already know the answer to.
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d.
are controversial.
55. Hoaxes often work because they sound logical on the surface.
a.
True
b.
False
56. Misinformation in speeches is more likely if the speaker rushes through the writing process.
a.
True
b.
False
57. Nowadays, with their expertise concerning where to look for information, librarians are thought of as:
a.
human search engines.
b.
bibliographies.
c.
help desks.
d.
information scientists.
58. Libraries, which are great places to gather information, have remained relatively unchanged in the past ten
years.
a.
True
b.
False
59. When listing bibliographic information for a source, it is unnecessary to note the:
a.
article title.
b.
database searched.
c.
author names.
d.
date of publication.
60. The three dominant citation styles used in North America are MLA, APA, and Chicago.
a.
True
b.
False
61. University libraries provide access to a number of databases, many of which can be accessed from outside
the library.
a.
True
b.
False
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62. Sabrina’s speech includes a number of statements of fact, many of which are commonly known. Which of
those facts likely warrant further research?
a.
those that are about people who are currently alive
b.
those that may not be known by very young children
c.
those that report positive information
d.
those that the audience may consider controversial
63. One means of verifying whether a source is reliable is to ask a librarian for help.
a.
True
b.
False
64. Which statement should be supported by research?
a.
Over eight million people live in New York City.
b.
Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States.
c.
Drivers in the United States drive on the right side of the road.
d.
The Amazon River is located in South America.
65. If there is uncertainty as to whether a claim needs to be researched or not, the safe bet is to remove the
statement.
a.
True
b.
False
66. Common knowledge refers to indisputable facts.
a.
True
b.
False
67. What has contributed to the increased risk of people becoming unintentionally misinformed today?
a.
reduction in the number of libraries
b.
increased reliance on research interviewing
c.
decrease in the number of printed newspapers
d.
expansion of digital researching
68. Eighteenth-century philosopher Thomas Reid argued that people are gullible due to which human trait?
a.
inherent deceitfulness
b.
a trusting nature
c.
a desire for social interaction   
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d.
lack of critical thinking
69. What is one process that complicates how search engines filter information?
a.
fact-checking
b.
source citations
c.
search bias
d.
vetting
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