Comprehensive topicwise question bank for
ENG 102 – English Composition II, designed to
be exhaustive. It contains over 250 questions
with correct Answers, organized by the core
units typically covered in a second-semester
composition course: Research, Argumentation,
Rhetoric, Documentation, and Analysis.
UNIT 1: THE RESEARCH PROCESS & INQUIRY
1. What is the primary difference between ENG 101 (Composition I) and ENG 102 (Composition II)?
Answer: ENG 101 focuses on personal and expository writing, while ENG 102 focuses on research-based
argumentation and incorporating external sources.
2. Define "research question."
Answer: A focused, open-ended question that guides your inquiry and argument, which is not
Answerable by a simple "yes" or "no."
3. Why is a preliminary thesis necessary?
Answer: It acts as a working hypothesis to guide research, allowing the writer to focus on relevant
sources, with the understanding that the thesis may evolve as research deepens.
4. What is the difference between a "subject" and a "topic"?
Answer: A subject is a broad area of study (e.g., climate change), while a topic is a specific, arguable
aspect of that subject (e.g., the efficacy of carbon taxation in the US transportation sector).
,5. List three characteristics of a strong research question.
Answer: It is debatable (not a fact), focused (not too broad), and complex (not too narrow).
6. What is "preliminary research"?
Answer: Initial exploration of a topic using general sources like encyclopedias or reputable news sites to
gain an overview, identify key debates, and narrow the focus.
7. Define "primary source."
Answer: Original, first-hand accounts or raw data created at the time of the event or study (e.g.,
interviews, original research articles, diaries, historical documents).
8. Define "secondary source."
Answer: Works that analyze, interpret, or comment on primary sources (e.g., literary criticism, review
articles, biographies, documentaries).
9. What is a "tertiary source"?
Answer: A source that distills and compiles information from primary and secondary sources (e.g.,
encyclopedias, textbooks, almanacs).
10. What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography?
Answer: To summarize, evaluate, and reflect on the relevance of sources for a research project, serving
as a foundation for the final paper.
11. In an annotated bibliography, what are the three main components of each entry?
Answer: 1. Citation (in proper style), 2. Summary of the source’s argument, 3. Evaluation of the source’s
credibility and relevance to the research.
12. What is a "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed" source?
Answer: An article or book written by experts in a field and evaluated by several other experts before
publication to ensure accuracy and quality.
,13. What is a library database (e.g., JSTOR, ProQuest, EBSCOhost)?
Answer: A curated, searchable online index of scholarly articles, books, and other academic resources
that are typically not freely available on the open web.
14. What is the difference between a database and a search engine like Google?
Answer: Databases contain vetted, subscription-based academic content with advanced filtering
options; search engines index the open web, which includes unvetted, commercial, and non-academic
content.
15. Explain the difference between a primary and secondary source in the context of a historical analysis
of the 1969 Moon Landing.
Answer: A primary source would be Neil Armstrong’s actual radio transmission transcript; a secondary
source would be a 2023 history book analyzing the political impact of the landing.
16. What is a "Boolean operator"?
Answer: Words (AND, OR, NOT) used to combine or exclude search terms to refine database results.
17. How does the operator "AND" refine a search?
Answer: It narrows the search by requiring that all connected terms appear in the results (e.g., "social
media AND mental health").
18. How does the operator "OR" refine a search?
Answer: It broadens the search by finding results that contain any of the connected terms, useful for
synonyms (e.g., "adolescents OR teenagers").
19. How does the operator "NOT" refine a search?
Answer: It excludes terms from the search to filter out irrelevant results (e.g., "depression NOT
anxiety").
20. What is a "truncation" symbol (usually ) used for in research?
, Answer: To search for all variations of a root word (e.g., "educat" retrieves education, educator,
educating, educational).
21. Why is it important to evaluate the "currency" of a source?
Answer: Depending on the field (e.g., medicine, technology), outdated information may be inaccurate or
irrelevant to the current scholarly conversation.
22. Why is it important to evaluate the "authority" of a source?
Answer: To determine if the author or publisher has the expertise and credentials to be a reliable voice
on the subject.
23. What is "lateral reading"?
Answer: A fact-checking strategy where you leave a source and open new tabs to research the author,
publisher, and claims of the original source.
24. What is the CRAAP test?
Answer: A set of criteria for evaluating sources: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose.
25. What is a "research log"?
Answer: A tool used to track search terms, databases used, and sources found to keep the research
process organized.
UNIT 2: ARGUMENTATION & LOGIC
26. Define "argument" in the academic sense.
Answer: A reasoned, evidence-based claim that a writer develops and defends to persuade an audience,
not a fight or a simple opinion.
27. What are the three primary appeals of rhetoric (Aristotle’s triad)?
ENG 102 – English Composition II, designed to
be exhaustive. It contains over 250 questions
with correct Answers, organized by the core
units typically covered in a second-semester
composition course: Research, Argumentation,
Rhetoric, Documentation, and Analysis.
UNIT 1: THE RESEARCH PROCESS & INQUIRY
1. What is the primary difference between ENG 101 (Composition I) and ENG 102 (Composition II)?
Answer: ENG 101 focuses on personal and expository writing, while ENG 102 focuses on research-based
argumentation and incorporating external sources.
2. Define "research question."
Answer: A focused, open-ended question that guides your inquiry and argument, which is not
Answerable by a simple "yes" or "no."
3. Why is a preliminary thesis necessary?
Answer: It acts as a working hypothesis to guide research, allowing the writer to focus on relevant
sources, with the understanding that the thesis may evolve as research deepens.
4. What is the difference between a "subject" and a "topic"?
Answer: A subject is a broad area of study (e.g., climate change), while a topic is a specific, arguable
aspect of that subject (e.g., the efficacy of carbon taxation in the US transportation sector).
,5. List three characteristics of a strong research question.
Answer: It is debatable (not a fact), focused (not too broad), and complex (not too narrow).
6. What is "preliminary research"?
Answer: Initial exploration of a topic using general sources like encyclopedias or reputable news sites to
gain an overview, identify key debates, and narrow the focus.
7. Define "primary source."
Answer: Original, first-hand accounts or raw data created at the time of the event or study (e.g.,
interviews, original research articles, diaries, historical documents).
8. Define "secondary source."
Answer: Works that analyze, interpret, or comment on primary sources (e.g., literary criticism, review
articles, biographies, documentaries).
9. What is a "tertiary source"?
Answer: A source that distills and compiles information from primary and secondary sources (e.g.,
encyclopedias, textbooks, almanacs).
10. What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography?
Answer: To summarize, evaluate, and reflect on the relevance of sources for a research project, serving
as a foundation for the final paper.
11. In an annotated bibliography, what are the three main components of each entry?
Answer: 1. Citation (in proper style), 2. Summary of the source’s argument, 3. Evaluation of the source’s
credibility and relevance to the research.
12. What is a "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed" source?
Answer: An article or book written by experts in a field and evaluated by several other experts before
publication to ensure accuracy and quality.
,13. What is a library database (e.g., JSTOR, ProQuest, EBSCOhost)?
Answer: A curated, searchable online index of scholarly articles, books, and other academic resources
that are typically not freely available on the open web.
14. What is the difference between a database and a search engine like Google?
Answer: Databases contain vetted, subscription-based academic content with advanced filtering
options; search engines index the open web, which includes unvetted, commercial, and non-academic
content.
15. Explain the difference between a primary and secondary source in the context of a historical analysis
of the 1969 Moon Landing.
Answer: A primary source would be Neil Armstrong’s actual radio transmission transcript; a secondary
source would be a 2023 history book analyzing the political impact of the landing.
16. What is a "Boolean operator"?
Answer: Words (AND, OR, NOT) used to combine or exclude search terms to refine database results.
17. How does the operator "AND" refine a search?
Answer: It narrows the search by requiring that all connected terms appear in the results (e.g., "social
media AND mental health").
18. How does the operator "OR" refine a search?
Answer: It broadens the search by finding results that contain any of the connected terms, useful for
synonyms (e.g., "adolescents OR teenagers").
19. How does the operator "NOT" refine a search?
Answer: It excludes terms from the search to filter out irrelevant results (e.g., "depression NOT
anxiety").
20. What is a "truncation" symbol (usually ) used for in research?
, Answer: To search for all variations of a root word (e.g., "educat" retrieves education, educator,
educating, educational).
21. Why is it important to evaluate the "currency" of a source?
Answer: Depending on the field (e.g., medicine, technology), outdated information may be inaccurate or
irrelevant to the current scholarly conversation.
22. Why is it important to evaluate the "authority" of a source?
Answer: To determine if the author or publisher has the expertise and credentials to be a reliable voice
on the subject.
23. What is "lateral reading"?
Answer: A fact-checking strategy where you leave a source and open new tabs to research the author,
publisher, and claims of the original source.
24. What is the CRAAP test?
Answer: A set of criteria for evaluating sources: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose.
25. What is a "research log"?
Answer: A tool used to track search terms, databases used, and sources found to keep the research
process organized.
UNIT 2: ARGUMENTATION & LOGIC
26. Define "argument" in the academic sense.
Answer: A reasoned, evidence-based claim that a writer develops and defends to persuade an audience,
not a fight or a simple opinion.
27. What are the three primary appeals of rhetoric (Aristotle’s triad)?
