Search Results - Quiz Explanation

The correct answers are indicated below, along with text that explains the correct answers.
 
1. Which one of the following descriptions best explains the result of using Boolean OR in a search query?
Please select the best answer.
  A. OR excludes unwanted keywords or phrases from the search results.
  B. OR requests that any of multiple keywords or phrases be present in each of the search results.
  C. OR requests that all words or phrases in the query will be present in each of the search results.
  D. OR ensures that the keywords on either side of the OR will be searched for as a phrase.
  The correct answer is B. A Boolean OR is the equivalent of saying "either...or" each time it is used in a search query. A is incorrect because that is the description of an excluded term symbol (-). C is incorrect because that is the description of the Boolean AND. D is incorrect because it is a description of the phrase search symbol ("").

2. Which one of the following queries best represents an example of grouping of terms?
Please select the best answer.
  A. "potato salad" AND baked
  B. +potato +salad +baked
  C. "potato salad" AND NOT (boil* OR grill*)
  D. What is a recipe for baked potato salad?
  The correct answer is C.
Grouping involves the use of parentheses () around terms. A is incorrect because it uses a phrase search and a Boolean AND. B is incorrect because it uses only required term symbols. D is incorrect because it is an example of a natural language search query.

3. Which one of the following queries would be the best at finding information on cooking, cookbooks, and cookware in a single query?
Please select the best answer.
  A. cook*
  B. cook AND (ing OR book OR books OR ware)
  C. +cooking +cookware +cookbook +cookbooks
  D. "cookware OR cookbooks OR cookware"
  The correct answer is A.
This query illustrates the use of a wildcard which returns any result that matches the characters before the wildcard symbol (*). B is incorrect because cook AND ing will not match the word "cooking". C is incorrect because it requires all the words in the query to be present to match. D is incorrect because its phrase matching symbols require that the entire phrase inside the quotation marks. and only the entire phrase, be matched.

4. Which one of the following statements best describes the results that the query "continuing adult education" AND computer will return?
Please select the best answer.
  A. Documents that contain the phrase continuing adult computer education
  B. Documents that contain either the phrase continuing adult education or computer
  C. Documents that contain only the phrase continuing adult education
  D. Documents that contain the phrase continuing adult education and the word computer
  The correct answer is D.
Phrase searching looks for a match with the exact words in the exact order, while the Boolean AND requests that the word computer also be present. A is incorrect because its phrase does not match the phrase in the query. B is incorrect because it would require a Boolean OR, not the AND that is in the query. C is incorrect because that would require a Boolean NOT or an exclusion symbol in front of the word "computer" in the query.

5. Which one of these advanced searching techniques will best help you to find additional references after your initial search?
Please select the best answer.
  A. Searching again while specifying a date range.
  B. Searching the results of the initial search.
  C. Searching for links to a site that is listed in the results of the initial search.
  D. Searching again while specifying a country's domain code.
  The correct answer is C.
Searching for sites linked to a result site should produce more references on a similar topic. A, B, and D are all techniques to limit a search and would have the effect of producing fewer results than the initial search would produce alone.