WORLD EXPLORATION, PROVIDED BY THE CONCORD MONITOR

Sub-title- A Project About “Searching” for the Correct Information.

FIRST NAME: Nick M

GROUP COLOR: Green

DATE: March 11, 15, 17, and 21, 2016

This is a quiz that was found in the Sunday January 3 2010 Concord Monitor newspaper…. Answers are there, too.  You need to read the question, and… if you KNOW the correct answer, that’s good… but you must still VERIFY that correct answer.  And write out your source for that correct answer.  And, MOST importantly, I want to you also write out your thinking process- especially for the questions you do NOT know the answer to.  Can you eliminate any of the answers?  How?   And how did you search for the correct answer?  Did you search the QUESTION, or did you search the possible answers? 

Write it out!  Be complete.  A good paragraph per answer is what we are after here…

• Use Google AND  Bing and at least 2 other search engines... any search engine you desire.  In your paragraphs, write down which search engine you used. 

• Use Search Terms that make sense.  Do NOT just type/copy the entire question.  Use Search Terms.  Use search terms that make sense.  In your paragraph, write down what search terms you used.

• Use Advanced Search methods, or at least look for .edu sites,  .gov sites   and   .com sites.  At LEAST these 3 types of sites.  You can have others, such as   .org    and    .net.    In your paragraph, write down how you searched for different domains (such as .edu, .gov .com,   etc.   Those are called “domains”.)

• And... write down the correct answer in the paragraph.  Perhaps that is the last sentence in your paragraph.

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1. What are the three places that make up the points of the Bermuda Triangle?

1. Bahamas, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico
2. Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Tortola
3. Miami, Bermuda, Puerto Rico

I am going to use google for my search engine, because it is the one that I am most familiar with, and I know  the ins and outs of it better than any other search engine.  I am going to use Bermuda, Points, and triangle, as well as location for my keywords that I will put into the search engines.  Using my search terms, I was able to bring up 419000 results, and I scrolled through the first few snippets, until I found a website.  This website was http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bermudatri.html, and

            I found a map which was able to tell me that the points were Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Miami.

Above:  Theories of Devils Triangle, or the Bermuda Triangle. 

2. Recife is the popular, pretty capital of Pernambuco state in what country?

1. Italy
2. Spain
3. Brazil

For this question I used WW Journey because I used Google last time, and becoming familiar with different engines is an important part of becoming an educated internet user. 

I knew the right answer to this question before I searched it, but I searched it to verify that I was correct.

I used the keywords capital, Pernambuco, and country to reveal the answer, and I used Wikipedia to confirm the answer. 

I saw that I was right, because all of the snippets I looked at were cohesive, and so I knew based on prior knowledge as well as verification that I was correct.  Pernambuco is the Capital of Brazil. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pernambuco

Above: a picture of Pernambuco, the Capital of Brazil

3. Historic Nara, Japan, celebrates a huge anniversary in 2010.  How old is the country’s first capital city?

1. 570 years  (in 2010)
2. 1,300 years   (in 2010)
3. 4,000 years   (in 2010)

I did not initially know the answer to this question when I first read it, so I decided to use some search terms to determine the answer.  Since I did not know the answer, I guessed that it was A.).  I used DogPile, because I decided that I more exposure with other search engines available to me, other than google. 

I used the search terms Nara, Japan, Age, and 2010, and it brought up mostly travel information instead of informational sites.  I patiently scrolled through the snippets, and I found a .org site that I determined would suffice.  I read the heading, and the sight provided the answer quickly.  I found out that I was incorrect in my initial guess, but I was closer than answer c, as the answer was B, 1300 years old. 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Nara

Above: This is a picture that I found on the site. 

4. The Northern Pacific Gyre lies in the Pacific Ocean between Japan and the west coast of the United States. What does it contain?

1. A huge pod of an estimated 2,000 endangered gray whales
2. A giant debris field of garbage trapped in a spinning circle
3. An underground sea mountain 7 miles tall

For this question I will use the World’s most private search engine, ixquick.  I have no idea what the answer is here, and I don’t think I can eliminate any of them, so I am going to use the keywords Northern Pacific Gyre, Pacific, and Contents in order to find the answer. Here goes! 

It did not take long to find what I was looking for here.  I immediately saw the snippet “Garbage” and so I clicked on the website and read about it.

This site said that the Garbage is spinning in a circle. 

I then determined that the answer was B, a Gigantic Debris field trapped in a spinning circle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Gyre

Above: This is a picture I found on the site that showed the field and why it does what it does. 

5. This year (in 2010)  a mosaic of an angel was discovered under the floor of the Hagia Sophia.  Where and what is the Hagia Sophia?

1. Istanbul, Turkey.  It’s a museum that previously was a Byzantine Christian Church and a mosque.
2. Luxembourg.  It’s a cathedral built to honor St. Sophia, the country’s patron saint.
3. Mexico City.  It’s a traditional market where the image of the angel is said to have healing powers.

For number five, we are going to do this one very differently, and we are going to compare them.

We are going to use four different search engines.  I chose these because I had to select four of the many search engines that I know, and these were the ones that came to mind.  I think that it is A, Istanbul, because I’m guessing and I always pick a. I am going to us the Keywords Hagia, Sophia, Country, and location. 

After using the first search on Bing the answer appeared right in front of me in google maps.  But, since the answer is not the most important thing, I clicked on a website to the right, Wikipedia.  Here, it did in fact confirm that the answer was a, Istanbul. 
DuckDuckGo did not bring up the immediate answer, but it did after I scrolled through the snippets and located some text that supported the thing I was looking for. 

Ixquick brought up more hotel oriented results, and it took more work in order to locate the answer. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

6. If you want to go whitewater rafting on the Kampar River, where do you have to go?

1. Wheeling, West Virginia.
2. Gopeng, Malaysiaf
3. Johannesburg, South Africa

We are going to use google as a search engine, and we are going to do an advanced search (not the gear) and we are going to use this to limit the domain possibilities that we would get from the results.  I personally am going to use the search terms Kampar River, and Location in order to find the results.  After entering the terms, I used a special way to limit search results.  After the terms, I put in the word site, and then I added a colon and an asterisk and .edu, to only access educational domains.  I scrolled through the snippets, and did not get any results that matched the questions, so I added the term Malaysia, in order to make it more accurate.  Still, I found no answer, so I inserted a .com example, and still, the snippets did not reveal much in the way of an answer.  However, upon closer inspection, I noticed a Wikipedia article that revealed a town in Malaysia that was located between the the Kampar river, and another river.  After learning this, I determined that the answer was B, Gopeng, Malaysia. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temoh

7. Most tourists love Devonshire cream tea – scones, clotted cream and raspberry jam with tea.  But where in England is Devonshire?

1. In dairy country east of London
2. Southwest England
3. Near the Scottish border

I am going to use DogPile for this question, because I have only used it once during the duration of this project.  I am guessing that the answer to this question is B, just because I seems the most realistic of the three, and because I have no idea what the answer truly is. For this search, I am going to use Devonshire, England, and Location to try and reveal the answer, but if it is not specific enough I’m going to alter the search terms.  After putting in the terms I scrolled through the snippets until I found a wikitravel page, and since websites have to be very specific when people are traveling I decided I would give it a go.  I read through the first few paragraphs, and I found that Devonshire is located in Southwest England.  So, I found out that my initial guess was correct, and b, Southwest England, was the right answer.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Devon

8. What and where are the Adirondacks?

1. The Amish region in Indiana where craftsmen make chairs
2. Mountain range in New York state
3. American Indian reservations in the Florida Everglades

For this question, I already know that the answer is b, a mountain range in New York State, but in order to verify that, I am going to use ixquick, the most private search engine on the internet.  In order to locate the answer easily, I am going to use the search terms Adirondack Mountain Range, and location.  I pasted these terms into the ixquick browser, and searched.  It did not take me long to locate the answer, as the snippets told me right away.  The website I used included a route for the Adirondack Mountains that was hike able. This website did indeed confirm that the answer was b, Mountain range in New York state

http://www.summitpost.org/adirondacks/170855

9. Most people just call the region the Caribbean, but what is its formal name?

1. The West Indies
2. The East Indies
3. The South Indies

After looking at this question, I know that the answer is a, The West Indies, simply because there is no such thing as the South Indies, or the East Indies.  Just to confirm this, I will again use ixquick because I think that it is my favorite search engine.  My search terms will be Caribbean, Formal, and name, and hopefully this will locate the answer.  Using ixquick did not yield any results, so I decided to use google, a search engine I am more familiar with, for the search.  Again, I could not find anything, so I added the term “West Indies,” to my search, and this time it brought up the results.  I used Wikipedia, because after scrolling through the snippets, none of the other websites appeared to relate at all to my search.  After reading, I confirmed that the answer was a, the West Indies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indies

10. Almost all tourists who visit the Galapagos Islands leave for their trip from what city?

1. Quito, Ecuador
2. Santiago, Chile
3. La Paz, Bolivia

Looking at this question, I do know that I have absolutely no idea what the answer is, which is not a problem, but it may require more work.  For this search, I am going to use google, and the search terms Galapagos Islands, Tourism, departure, and city.  After scrolling through the snippets, I found an answer on WikiTravel, and entered that website.  I read through the website, and it suggested that most tourists do depart from Quito, Equator, because it is closer to the Galapagos.  Thus, the answer is a, Quito, Equator.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Galapagos_Islands

11. What was the United States’ first national park?

1. Great Smoky Mountain
2. Yellowstone
3. Yosemite

12. Of Hawaii’s six major islands, which is the smallest and least developed?

1. Lili’uokalani
2. Kauai
3. Lanai