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Reference Questions | Set # 1

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For each of these questions determine which type of fact book is needed to answer the question. Identify the specific title from the list. If there is an electronic version give the title and the URL for the title. For the electronic formats you will need to search the ONLINE databases first, and the Internet if Consuls does not subscribe to the titles. You can search ICONN or other digital resources. Consuls provides access to Reference Sources on the Internet.

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Question 1


State the Question: Which U.S. place has the most bridges?

Analyze the Question: This appears to be a statistical question that could be answered using a fast fact best answered by an almanac.

Search Strategy: For this answer, I would search Information Please Almanac for bridges and U.S. cities.

Answer: What I found is that Pittsburgh has the most bridges of any city in the United States with a total of 446.
Citation: Information please almanac. (n.d.). New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Question 2


State the question: When was daylight savings time introduced in the U.S.?
Analyze the question: This question is one that is asking for information on the first time an event occurred in the United States.

Search Strategy: I selected Famous First Facts and looked the term ‘daylight saving’ up in the first section of facts listed alphabetically.

Answers: Sponsored by the National Daylight Saving Association, it was put into effect on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1918 when the clocks were set one hour ahead

Citation: Kane, J. N. (1981). Famous first facts: A record of first happenings, discoveries, and inventions in American history. New York: H.W. Wilson.

Question 3


State the question: Which team won the Ryder Cup in 2003?

Analyze the question: This is a general knowledge question that might be answered by an encyclopedia.

Search Strategy: I chose to use Encyclopedia Britannica, searching under ‘Ryder Cup.’

Answer: The Ryder Cup is a biennial professional team golf event first held in 1927. It was played between teams of golfers from the United States and Great Britain until the 1970s, when the British team was expanded to include players from Ireland (1973) and from all of Europe (1979). Held every other odd year until 2001 when it was postponed until 2002. There was no Ryder Cup winner in 2003.

Citation: Encyclopedia Britannica. (2008). Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica.

Question 4


State the question: Can you help me find some guidelines on amounts to tip people who help me when I travel?

Analyze the question: This is a question specific to travel and requires a handbook written for that purpose. I located a tipping handbook through a Google search.

Search Strategy: I Googled the term ‘how to tip’ and located a handbook on the subject.

Answer: The answer will be found in Traveler's Handbook on Tipping

Citation: Traveler's handbook on tipping. (1990). Bloomington, IN: 1stBooks.

Question 5


State the question: Who won the Beta Phi Mu Award from the American Library Association in 2007?

Analyze the question: This information is specific to the field of library science.

Search Strategy: I searched in Bowker annual library and book trade almanac.
Answer: Barbara Immroth, professor, School of Information, University of Texas – Austin, has been named the 2007 winner of the American Library Association / Beta Phi Mu Award. This annual award, consisting of $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation of achievement, is given to a library school facility member or to an individual for distinguished service to education for librarianship, and is sponsored by the Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honorary Society
Citation
Bowker annual library and book trade almanac: facts, figures, and reports. (45th ed.). (2006). Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc.

Question 6


State the question: Could you help me find how letters are represented in the Braille alphabet?
Analyze the question: Although it seems very specific, this is still a general knowledge question, able to be answered by consulting a dictionary.

Search Strategy: I decided to refer to Microsoft Encarta online encyclopedia. I searched using the term Braille.

Answers: Braille System, method of providing text for use by blind persons, consisting of a system of raised dots read by touch with tips of fingers. Each letter, number, and punctuation mark is indicated by the number and arrangement of one to six dots in a cell, or letter space, two dots wide and three dots high. The basic system was developed by 19th-century French educator Louis Braille, who himself was blind. Musical notation also can be transcribed into Braille.In printed form, the characters are embossed from the back of stiff paper, working in reverse direction, and are read from the face of the paper in normal reading direction. A single regular printed page of text corresponds to two or three pages in Braille form.
Citation: "Braille System," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Question 7


State the question: When is Freedom of Information Day?

Analyze the question: Freedom of Information strikes me as a librarianship question or topic. I decided to go to the source of information on libraries, The American Library Association.
Search Strategy: I used the search term: Freedom of information.
Answers: Freedom of Information (FOI) Day is an annual event on or near March 16, the birthday of James Madison, who is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and as the foremost advocate for openness in government.

Citation: Freedom of Information Day. (2009). Retrieved May 28, 2009, from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/wo/washevents/freedomofinfo/freedominformation.cfm

Question 8


State the question: Where can I find a description of the structure of the National Health Service in the U.K.?

Analyze the question: This is a question asking to locate information on a governmental agency in the United Kingdom.
Search Strategy: In reviewing my reference sources, I locate The Macmillan Encyclopedia, which is a database on Credo.

Answers: A comprehensive medical service in the UK, financed primarily by national government and local taxation. The National Health Service Act (1946), implemented in 1948, covered all aspects of health care except that of the school child, which was primarily the responsibility of the local education authorities, and that of the worker, which was covered by a series of Factory Acts.

Citation: National Health Service (NHS). (2003). In The Macmillan Encyclopedia. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Retrieved May 01, 2009, from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/3306278/.

Question 9


State the question: How do cataracts affect vision and what are common treatments?

Analyze the question: This is a medical question which requires a scientific / medical reference tool.

Search Strategy: I chose to search the references on medicine through Credo. I chose Credo as it has numerous databases on a myriad of topics. It is easily accessible and easy to use.

Answers: Cataracts are the blurring or clouding of the lens of the eye, a structure behind the pupil, which helps focus light onto the retina. Thought to result from chemical changes within the lens, cataracts interfere with the transmission of light and—because they often develop in both eyes—result in the gradual loss of vision. Indeed, cataracts are one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. Although attempts have been made to stabilize cataracts with drops, ointments, and drugs (including aspirin), the only known effective treatment is surgical removal of the defective lens and replacement with an artificial plastic lens.

Citation: Cataracts. (2004). In New Harvard Guide to Women's Health, The. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Retrieved May 02, 2009, from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/7878353/.

Question 10


State the Question: Can you help me find voting statistics for Illinois in U.S. presidential elections from 1948-1996? Did a majority of Illinois voters always favor the winning candidate?

Analyze the Question: This is a statistical question with two steps. First the election statistics need to be found and then analyzed.

Search Strategy: The source for this question needs to list state election results and provide a breakdown of votes. I used the State Master website which provides up-to-the minute accurate state-by-state voting results.

Answers:
1948 > Electoral Votes for Harry Truman 28 [1st of 47]
1948 > Electoral Votes for Thomas Dewey 0 [33rd of 48]
1948 > Popular Votes for Claude Watson 11,959 [4th of 14]
1948 > Popular Votes for Claude Watson (% of total) 0.3 % [10th of 14]
1948 > Popular Votes for Harry Truman 1,994,715 [2nd of 47]
1948 > Popular Votes for Harry Truman (% of total) 50.07 % [22nd of 47]
1948 > Popular Votes for Norman Thomas 11,522 [3rd of 19]
1948 > Popular Votes for Norman Thomas (% of total) 0.29 % [17th of 19]
1948 > Popular Votes for Thomas Dewey 1,961,103 [2nd of 48]
1948 > Popular Votes for Thomas Dewey (% of total) 49.22 % [17th of 48]
1948 > Total Electoral Votes 28 [3rd of 48]
1952 > Electoral Votes for Adlai Stevenson 0 [13th of 48]
1952 > Electoral Votes for Dwight Eisenhower 27 [4th of 48]
1952 > Popular Votes for Adlai Stevenson 2,013,920 [4th of 48]
1952 > Popular Votes for Adlai Stevenson (% of total) 44.94 % [19th of 48]
1952 > Popular Votes for Dwight Eisenhower 2,457,327 [3rd of 48]
1952 > Popular Votes for Dwight Eisenhower (% of total) 54.84 % [30th of 48]
1952 > Total Electoral Votes 27 [4th of 48]
1956 > Electoral Votes for Adlai Stevenson 0 [14th of 48]
1956 > Electoral Votes for Dwight Eisenhower 27 [4th of 48]
1956 > Popular Votes for Adlai Stevenson 1,775,682 [4th of 48]
1956 > Popular Votes for Adlai Stevenson (% of total) 40.29 % [28th of 48]
1956 > Popular Votes for Dwight Eisenhower 2,623,327 [3rd of 48]
1956 > Popular Votes for Dwight Eisenhower (% of total) 59.52 % [18th of 48]
1956 > Total Electoral Votes 27 [4th of 48]
1960 > Electoral Votes for John Kennedy 27 [3rd of 50]
1960 > Electoral Votes for Richard Nixon 0 [33rd of 50]
1960 > Popular Votes for John Kennedy 2,377,846 [4th of 50]
1960 > Popular Votes for John Kennedy (% of total) 49.98 % [22nd of 50]
1960 > Popular Votes for Richard Nixon 2,368,988 [4th of 50]
1960 > Popular Votes for Richard Nixon (% of total) 49.8 % [28th of 50]
1960 > Total Electoral Votes 27 [4th of 50]
1964 > Electoral Votes for Barry Goldwater 0 [20th of 51]
1964 > Electoral Votes for Lyndon Johnson 26 [5th of 50]
1964 > Popular Votes for Barry Goldwater 1,905,946 [3rd of 51]
1964 > Popular Votes for Barry Goldwater (% of total) 40.53 % [24th of 51]
1964 > Popular Votes for Lyndon Johnson 2,796,833 [4th of 50]
1964 > Popular Votes for Lyndon Johnson (% of total) 59.47 % [27th of 50]
1964 > Total Electoral Votes 26 [5th of 51]
1968 > Electoral Votes for George Wallace 0 [21st of 50]
1968 > Electoral Votes for Hubert Humphrey 0 [24th of 51]
1968 > Electoral Votes for Richard Nixon 26 [3rd of 51]
1968 > Popular Votes for George Wallace 390,958 [11th of 50]
1968 > Popular Votes for George Wallace (% of total) 8.46 % [28th of 50]
1968 > Popular Votes for Henning Blomen 13,878 [1st of 5]
1968 > Popular Votes for Henning Blomen (% of total) 0.3 % [3rd of 5]
1968 > Popular Votes for Hubert Humphrey 2,039,814 [4th of 51]
1968 > Popular Votes for Hubert Humphrey (% of total) 44.15 % [15th of 51]
1968 > Popular Votes for Richard Nixon 2,174,774 [3rd of 51]
1968 > Popular Votes for Richard Nixon (% of total) 47.08 % [21st of 51]
1968 > Total Electoral Votes 26 [5th of 51]
1972 > Electoral Votes for George McGovern 0 [26th of 51]
1972 > Electoral Votes for Richard Nixon 26 [5th of 51]
1972 > Popular Votes for George McGovern 1,913,472 [3rd of 51]
1972 > Popular Votes for George McGovern (% of total) 40.51 % [11th of 51]
1972 > Popular Votes for Louis Fisher 12,344 [1st of 3]
1972 > Popular Votes for Louis Fisher (% of total) 0.26 % [3rd of 3]
1972 > Popular Votes for Richard Nixon 2,788,179 [3rd of 51]
1972 > Popular Votes for Richard Nixon (% of total) 59.03 % [36th of 51]
1972 > Total Electoral Votes 26 [5th of 51]
1976 > Electoral Votes for Gerald Ford 26 [2nd of 51]
1976 > Electoral Votes for James Carter 0 [33rd of 51]
1976 > Popular Votes for Eugene McCarthy 55,939 [3rd of 18]
1976 > Popular Votes for Eugene McCarthy (% of total) 1.19 % [12th of 18]
1976 > Popular Votes for Gerald Ford 2,364,269 [3rd of 51]
1976 > Popular Votes for Gerald Ford (% of total) 50.1 % [19th of 51]
1976 > Popular Votes for James Carter 2,271,295 [4th of 51]
1976 > Popular Votes for James Carter (% of total) 48.13 % [29th of 51]
1976 > Total Electoral Votes 26 [5th of 51]
1980 > Electoral Votes for James Carter 0 [22nd of 51]
1980 > Electoral Votes for Ronald Reagan 26 [4th of 51]
1980 > Popular Votes for Edward Clark 38,939 [5th of 51]
1980 > Popular Votes for Edward Clark (% of total) 0.82 % [36th of 51]
1980 > Popular Votes for James Carter 1,981,413 [3rd of 51]
1980 > Popular Votes for James Carter (% of total) 41.72 % [24th of 51]
1980 > Popular Votes for John Anderson 346,754 [4th of 49]
1980 > Popular Votes for John Anderson (% of total) 7.3 % [21st of 49]
1980 > Popular Votes for Ronald Reagan 2,358,049 [4th of 51]
1980 > Popular Votes for Ronald Reagan (% of total) 49.65 % [27th of 51]
1980 > Total Electoral Votes 26 [5th of 51]
1984 > Electoral Votes for Ronald Reagan 24 [5th of 51]
1984 > Electoral Votes for Walter Mondale 0 [26th of 51]
1984 > Popular Votes for Ronald Reagan 2,707,103 [5th of 51]
1984 > Popular Votes for Ronald Reagan (% of total) 56.17 % [38th of 51]
1984 > Popular Votes for Walter Mondale 2,086,499 [4th of 51]
1984 > Popular Votes for Walter Mondale (% of total) 43.3 % [13th of 51]
1984 > Total Electoral Votes 24 [5th of 51]
1988 > Electoral Votes for George Bush 24 [4th of 51]
1988 > Electoral Votes for Michael Dukakis 0 [18th of 51]
1988 > Popular Votes for George Bush 2,310,939 [6th of 51]
1988 > Popular Votes for George Bush (% of total) 50.69 % [40th of 51]
1988 > Popular Votes for Michael Dukakis 2,215,940 [4th of 51]
1988 > Popular Votes for Michael Dukakis (% of total) 48.6 % [12th of 51]
1988 > Popular Votes for Ron Paul 14,944 [8th of 41]
1988 > Popular Votes for Ron Paul (% of total) 0.33 % [35th of 41]
1988 > Total Electoral Votes 24 [5th of 51]
1992 > Electoral Votes for George Bush 0 [42nd of 51]
1992 > Electoral Votes for William Clinton 22 [4th of 51]
1992 > Popular Votes for George Bush 1,734,096 [7th of 51]
1992 > Popular Votes for George Bush (% of total) 34.34 % [40th of 51]
1992 > Popular Votes for H. Ross Perot 840,515 [7th of 51]
1992 > Popular Votes for H. Ross Perot (% of total) 16.64 % [34th of 51]
1992 > Popular Votes for William Clinton 2,453,350 [3rd of 51]
1992 > Popular Votes for William Clinton (% of total) 48.58 % [5th of 51]
1992 > Total Electoral Votes 22 [6th of 51]
1996 > Electoral Votes for Robert Dole 0 [42nd of 51]
1996 > Electoral Votes for William Clinton 22 [5th of 51]
1996 > Popular Votes for H. Ross Perot 346,408 [7th of 51]
1996 > Popular Votes for H. Ross Perot (% of total) 8.03 % [33rd of 51]
1996 > Popular Votes for Harry Browne 22,548 [5th of 49]
1996 > Popular Votes for Harry Browne (% of total) 0.52 % [21st of 49]
1996 > Popular Votes for Robert Dole 1,587,021 [7th of 51]
1996 > Popular Votes for Robert Dole (% of total) 36.81 % [38th of 51]
1996 > Popular Votes for William Clinton 2,341,744 [5th of 51]
1996 > Popular Votes for William Clinton (% of total) 54.32 % [6th of 51]
1996 > Total Electoral Votes 22 [6th of 51]
Citation : StateMaster - illinoisan presidential elections statistics. (2009). Retrieved May 1, 2009, from http://www.statemaster.com/red/state/IL-illinois/pre-presidential-elections&all=1

Question 11


State the question: I am trying to find an explanation of the Richter scale.

Analyze the question: This is a scientific question that would best be answered by a subject specific dictionary or encyclopedia.

Search Strategy: I searched the science resources on Credo using the search term: Richter Scale.

Answer: The Richter scale is a measure of earthquake magnitude. The scale was introduced in 1935 by Charles Richter based on the amplitude of the largest wave form as recorded on a seismogram.

Citation: Richter scale. (2000). In The Dictionary of Physical Geography. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. Retrieved May 01, 2009, from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/758254/.

Question 12


State the question: What were the seven wonders of the ancient world? Are any still standing?
Analyze the question: This is a general knowledge question that can be answered by referring to an encyclopedia.

Search Strategy: Used the search term ‘seven wonders of the world’.

Answers: Preeminent architectural and sculptural achievements of antiquity, as listed by various Greco-Roman observers. Included on the best known list were the Pyramids of Giza (the oldest of the wonders and the only one substantially in existence today), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (a series of landscaped rooftop terraces on a ziggurat, ascribed to either Nebuchadnezzar II or the semilegendary Queen Sammu-ramat), the Statue of Zeus at Olympia (a large gold-and-ivory figure of the god on his throne by Phidias), the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (a temple, built in 356 BC, famous for its imposing size and the works of art that adorned it), the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Pharos of Alexandria (a lighthouse built c. 280 BC on the island of Pharos off Alexandria, said to have been more than 350 ft, or 110 m, high).

Citation: Seven Wonders of the World. (2006). In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Chicago, IL: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved May 01, 2009, from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/6700167/.