Research and Citation Skills Quiz

Grade 8 · English · Quiz

Test your knowledge of source evaluation, citation formats, and research best practices.

Questions

What does the 'C' in CRAAP stand for?
1. Credibility
2. Currency
3. Content
4. Context
Show answer
Answer: Currency
Currency evaluates how recent the source is. For rapidly evolving fields like medicine or technology, a 10-year-old source may be dangerously outdated.
A secondary source directly reports firsthand events or original data.
Show answer
Answer: False
Secondary sources analyze or interpret primary sources — they are one step removed from original events or data. A history textbook is secondary; a soldier's diary is primary.
The MLA citation style is published by the Modern Language ___.
Show answer
Answer: Association
MLA stands for Modern Language Association, a professional organization for language and literature scholars that publishes the MLA Handbook.
Which type of source would a scientist's original published research paper be?
1. Secondary source
2. Tertiary source
3. Primary source
4. Opinion source
Show answer
Answer: Primary source
Original research published by the scientist who conducted the study is a primary source — it reports firsthand findings, not someone else's interpretation of them.
Paraphrasing someone's idea in your own words still requires a citation.
Show answer
Answer: True
You must cite even paraphrased ideas. The words may be yours, but the original thought belongs to someone else — not crediting them is plagiarism.
Which is the BEST way to evaluate a website's authority?
1. Check if it has lots of colorful graphics
2. See how many ads it has
3. Check the author's credentials and the organization publishing it
4. Count how many pages the site has
Show answer
Answer: Check the author's credentials and the organization publishing it
Authority is about who is behind the content. An article by a board-certified doctor on a university medical center site carries far more weight than an anonymous blog post.
The 'P' in CRAAP asks about the ___ of the source — whether it is meant to inform, sell, or persuade.
Show answer
Answer: purpose
Purpose is critical — content created to sell something or advocate for a cause will frame information very differently than content created purely to inform.
In MLA format, what does an in-text citation typically include?
1. The full URL of the source
2. The author's last name and page number
3. The publication date only
4. The source's full title
Show answer
Answer: The author's last name and page number
MLA in-text citations follow the format (Smith 42) — last name and page number, pointing the reader to the full entry in the Works Cited page.
The Works Cited page is placed at the beginning of an MLA-formatted paper.
Show answer
Answer: False
The Works Cited page always appears at the end of an MLA paper, after the body of the essay, in alphabetical order by authors' last names.
Why is it important to cite your sources in a research paper?
1. To make the paper look longer
2. To give credit to original thinkers and allow readers to verify information
3. Because it is required by law
4. To show you found the most expensive sources
Show answer
Answer: To give credit to original thinkers and allow readers to verify information
Citations serve both ethical and practical purposes: they acknowledge intellectual debt and give readers a trail to follow to evaluate your evidence themselves.

Get a personalized course on Research and Citation Skills built around your child.