Research Questions & Inquiry — Practice · Grade 10 English

Chapter: Research & Source-Based Writing

What this practice covers

By the end of Research Questions & Inquiry you should be able to:

11 questions, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: research question, scope, researchable question, inquiry, working thesis.

Problem 1

Which of these is the MOST focused, researchable question?
  1. How has the use of AI plagiarism-detection tools changed the way one district's teachers grade essays since 2023?
  2. Tell me everything about AI in schools.
  3. What is artificial intelligence?
  4. Is artificial intelligence dangerous?
Answer and explanation

How has the use of AI plagiarism-detection tools changed the way one district's teachers grade essays since 2023?

Only this option names a specific application, group, outcome, and timeframe — narrow and answerable, unlike a definition, a yes/no opinion, or an open-ended demand.

Problem 2

Explain why a researcher might deliberately broaden a question partway through a project, and give one sign that broadening is the right move.
Answer and explanation

If there is almost no credible evidence available on the exact narrow angle chosen, the question needs to broaden — widening the population, timeframe, or outcome — so there is enough to research and support a thesis. A clear sign is repeatedly searching and finding only a handful of thin or unrelated sources.

Problem 3

Which question is 'researchable' — specific enough to answer with evidence, but too complex to settle in a single search?
  1. Is public transportation nicer than driving?
  2. Why did bus ridership in one city keep falling even after fares were made free?
  3. What is public transportation?
  4. In what year was the first electric car built?
Answer and explanation

Why did bus ridership in one city keep falling even after fares were made free?

A researchable question needs evidence gathered and weighed. The others are a lookup fact, a matter of taste, and a definition — none require real investigation.

Problem 4

Take the broad topic 'social media' and narrow it into one focused, researchable question.
Answer and explanation

Answers vary; accept any specific, answerable how/why question, such as, 'How has the shift to disappearing-story features changed how often teenagers post about political issues?' It should name a specific factor, group, or outcome rather than the whole topic.

Problem 5

Deep into a project, a student finds that their question — 'How does technology affect learning?' — returns tens of thousands of studies across dozens of contradictory angles, with no way to cover them. What is the BEST next step?
  1. Keep the question as is and rely on personal experience instead of sources.
  2. Abandon the project and pick a completely new topic.
  3. Narrow the question to one specific technology, one group of learners, and one measurable outcome.
  4. Try to briefly summarize all of the angles so nothing is left out.
Answer and explanation

Narrow the question to one specific technology, one group of learners, and one measurable outcome.

When a question is too broad to manage, the right move is to add specific limits — a particular technology, population, and outcome — not to abandon the project or attempt shallow coverage of everything.

Problem 6

Narrow the inquiry without presuming bias. Give a detail and explain its relevance.
Answer and explanation

Ask how the mural program represents a named worker’s role compared with the archive records. Analyze what each source includes, its purpose, and omissions; visitor comments may show responses but not the full audience.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 7

A learner writes: “Why are all public displays misleading?” Explain the problem and produce a better response.
Answer and explanation

The question assumes a universal answer. Specify a display and ask how excerpt selection affects the representation of speakers.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 8

Compare what you must inspect in these two cases. What can transfer, and what must be checked again?
Answer and explanation

Turn a broad topic into a question with a manageable place, time, population, and purpose. A question should require inquiry rather than assume its answer. The method transfers, but the particular detail, scope, and context must be read again. Ask how the mural program represents a named worker’s role compared with the archive records. Analyze what each source includes, its purpose, and omissions; visitor comments may show responses but not the full audience.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 9

Using an assigned reading or one exercise source, write a developed response applying research questions & inquiry. Aim for 220–320 words; name the reading or reproduce the sentence you revise.
Answer and explanation

Ask whether a twice-weekly later opening at this school attracted enough use to justify its staffing cost during the trial. Compare the attendance log and budget, then interview staff about supervision limits. A complete response supplies context, a focused claim, a brief supporting detail, explanation, and a relevant qualification. Do not simply repeat this model.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 10

Write two specific feedback comments on a response to this unit: one on accuracy or meaning and one on evidence or language. Then state a revision priority.
Answer and explanation

Check whether the response explains turn a broad topic into a question with a manageable place, time, population, and purpose. a question should require inquiry rather than assume its answer. Ask for a relevant detail and the reason it supports the conclusion. Prioritize the mistaken assumption shown here: “Why are all public displays misleading?”

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 11

Choose a fresh sentence or detail from the assigned selection. Explain how this unit’s method applies, and identify one uncertainty or limitation.
Answer and explanation

The report documents litter removal, the resident distinguishes water contamination, and the memo separates funding purposes. The event can be successful within its stated scope while water quality remains unresolved. The response must supply its own precise detail and explain it; copying the model without fresh evidence is insufficient.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

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