The Concord Monitor Quest

(Possibly the Last)

A Project about “Searching” for the Correct Information.

Piya B

March 3, 2016

Red D2B3

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.

ow

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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 the search engine Google, because it is my standard search engine and I almost always go to it first. I think the answer is c. Miami, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, because I am pretty sure that the geographic locations of Miami, FL, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico, form a triangle. I am going to use the words “Bermuda triangle location.” I noticed that as I typed, the search engine began to guess what my key words would be, and the answers would pop up before I finished writing. I looked at all of the snippets on the first page and decided to use the .gov website.

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bermudatri.html

This website had the correct answer, which was c. Miami, Bermuda, Puerto Rico

This Wikipedia image shows the three points of the Bermuda triangle. I found it using advanced search and made sure it was free to use, share, or modify.

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

1. Italy
2. Spain
3. Brazil (correct!) 

This time, I am going to use the search engine Bing. Although I usually use Google, I have heard that Bing is also a very fast and reliable search engine… sometimes even more so than Google. I think the answer is c. Brazil, because both “Recife” and “Pernambuco” sound Portuguese, and Pernambuco is a wood; Brazil has lots of forests. Also, Spain doesn’t have states, so it can’t be b. I am going to use the key words “Refice Pernambuco.” Once again, as I was typing, Bing predicted what I would type and gave me answers before I hit enter. With over 4 million results, I scrolled through the first few snippets until I found an .edu that I decided to use.

http://pages.uoregon.edu/sergiok/brasil/recife.html

According to this website, I was correct. Recife is the capital of the northeastern state of Pernambuco in c. Brazil.

This Wikipedia image shows Recife, Pernambuco. I found it using advanced search and made sure it was free to use, share, or modify.

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)

For this question, I am going to use another search engine; Ixquick.com. I am using this because Mr. Woolner suggested it, and I recently learned that it doesn’t track searchers. Also, it sounds like Bisquick. I think that the answer to this question is either a. 570 years or b. 1,300 years, but not 4,000, because that would seem to be too old*. I am going to use the key words “Nara, Japan 2010 anniversary,” to find the answer. When I was typing it in to Ixquick, I realized that, unlike Bing and Google, the search did try and guess what I was about to enter. I scrolled through the snippets, and decided to open the New York Times article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/travel/03headsup.html?_r=0

The article, published on December 30, 2009, had the title “Happy 1,300^th to Nara, Japan,” giving me my answer;

b. 1,300 years

This Wikipedia image shows Nara, Japan. I found it using advanced search and made sure it was free to use, share, or modify.

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

And for the fourth question, I will use yet another search engine; Dogpile. I am using it because, like last time, Mr. Woolner suggested it. Also, I like dogs. Although it is sad, I think that the answer to this question is b. A giant debris field of garbage trapped in a spinning circle, because the word “gyre” means spiral. I am going to use the key term “Northern Pacific Gyre” to search for the answer. When I was typing it in, Dogpile predicted what I was looking for, just like Google and Bing. After I entered it, I scrolled through the snippets until I came across a National Geographic article, which I decided to open.

http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/

The article is titled “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” and is subtitled “Pacific Trash Vortex.” Although this is not the “Northern Pacific Gyre,” when I continued reading the article, I realized that they all refer to the same thing;

b. A giant debris field of garbage trapped in a spinning circle

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.

According to Mr. Woolner, we are going to do this question very differently. We are going to use 4 search engines, and then compare our answers using the same search terms. I will try Google, Bing, Ixquick, and Dogpile. I think/know the answer is a. Istanbul, Turkey… because the Hagia Sophia is one of the places that I really want to go someday, and in the past, I have looked it up in my free time out of curiosity. I will use the search terms “Hagia” and “Sophia.”

When I typed them into Google, it came up with snippets and answers before I even finished typing. When I entered, it came up with various articles, including Wikipedia as well as some travel sites.

When I typed them into Bing, it predicted what I would enter and came up with a small article taken from a website. When I entered, it came up with similar articles as Google did, including Wikipedia, travel sites, and other informational articles.

When I typed them into Ixquick, nothing happened until I hit enter. When I did, it mostly came up with travel websites and advertisements. After scrolling down, I did fine a few informational articles, including Wikipedia.

When I typed them into Dogpile, it predicted what I was looking for, but did not come up with information until I entered. When I did, it came up with nearly the exact same results as Ixquick; advertisements at first, then informational down below.

To get answer, I used a Metropolitan Museum webpage that I found on google.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/haso/hd_haso.htm

According to the article, I correctly guessed that the answer was a. Istanbul, Turkey.  It’s a museum that previously was a Byzantine Christian Church and a mosque.

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

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

I will used an advanced search for this question, and I will first visit Google. I think/know that the answer is b. Gopeng, Malaysia, because Kampar is obviously an Asian name, and Malaysia is in Asia. I will use the search term “Kampar River.” When I first entered it, it came up with multiple articles that said the answer was Indonesia. So, I did an advanced search, and added “site:*.edu” after my search. The results were all .edu domains, and I decided to look at the first one that came up;

http://seasiavisions.library.cornell.edu/?f%5Bauthor_tesim%5D%5B%5D=Skeat%2C+Walter+William&f%5Bimage_format_tesim%5D%5B%5D=drawings&f%5Bimage_geo_tesim%5D%5B%5D=+Malaysia--West+Malaysia--Perak--Changat+Bertam+%7C+Malaysia--West+Malaysia--Perak--Kampar+River

This didn’t prove very helpful. As soon as I clicked on it, I realized it was a library reference page, and couldn’t find my answer. The next few snippets were also library pages as well, and they weren’t helpful either. Eventually, I found this one;

http://www.academia.edu/9149754/Water_Quality_Of_Kinta_River_Environmental_Sciences

which told me that b. Gopeng, Malaysia,  is the correct answer.

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

For this question, I will use the search engine DuckDuckGo, because it is another search engine that was recommended to me by Mr. Woolner as well as other students. I am not sure what the answer is, but I am going to guess that it is either b. Southwest England, or c. Near the Scottish border, because I know that it is unlikely to be east of London, as the city is close to the eastern coast of the United Kingdom. To research it, I am going to use the keywords “Devonshire England map,” and look for reliable .com domains by entering “site:*.com.” Like Bing and Google, as I was entering the words into DuckDuckGo, the search bar tried to predict what I was looking for. After I entered my complete search, “Devonshire England map site:*.com,” the search engine did not come up with any snippets. Instead, it suggested that I look for “Devonshire England map site:.com”; the same thing, but without an asterisk. After scrolling through the snippets that came up, I chose to open an Encyclopedia Britannica webpage.

http://www.britannica.com/place/Devon

After reading, I discovered the correct answer: b. Southwest England

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 am going to use the search engine Yahoo, because it is one that I haven’t used yet. I know that the answer is b. Mountain range in New York State, because my friends have a cabin in the Adirondacks and have invited us there before. Also, I’ve seen maps of New York State. To find the answer online, I am going to use the keywords “Adirondack mountains,” and look for reliable .edu domains by adding “site:*.edu” to the end of my search. While I was typing, Yahoo did not try to predict what I was looking for. When I entered, I discovered that using “site:*.edu” didn’t work. Caitlin, who sits next to me, told me to try “site:.edu” like the previous question, and when I entered it, it worked! I scrolled through the results, and eventually decided to open this snippet:

http://www.esf.edu/aec/adks/default.htm

After reading through a few pages, I discovered the answer was, as I thought, b. Mountain range in New York State

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

For this question, I am going to use the search engine Bing. I already know that the correct answer is a. The West Indies, because we have previously learned about Columbus’ journey to the Caribbean in geography class. Additionally, many maps, movies, and books that I have seen/read in the past call the region the West Indies as well. I will use the search term “Caribbean indies,” and look for the answer on a “.org” domain using “site:*.org.” As I was typing, Bing, like before, tried to guess what I was looking for, and when I entered, nothing came up. So, learning from my past situations, I tried “site:.org” with no asterisk instead, and it worked. I scrolled through the snippets, and decided to open a New World Encyclopedia page,

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Caribbean

which told me the correct answer in its first sentence; a. The 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

For this question, I will use the search engine WebCrawler, because it is one of the many that I haven’t used yet. I think that the answer is a. Quito, Ecuador, because I believe that the Galapagos Islands are located at a latitude that is very close the Quito, Ecuador’s latitude. To find out, I will use the key words “Galapagos trip start city.” WebCrawler did not try to guess what I was going to enter, and when I did enter it, it came up with multiple snippets. I had to visit multiple ones before I found the answer on a wikitravel website;

http://wikitravel.org/en/Galapagos_Islands

which explained that the answer was a. Quito, Ecuador

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

1. Great Smoky Mountain
2. Yellowstone
3. Yosemite

For this question, I am going to use the search engine Google, because in my opinion, it is the easiest to use. I think/know the answer is b. Yellowstone, because I recently read it somewhere in a National Geographic magazine. I will use the key words “US first national park,” to find my answer. Like before, Google predicted what I was looking for, and came up with an answer before I even entered. When I did, a section of an article came up before any of the snippets, from this link National Park Service.gov link;

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#q=us%20first%20national%20park&safe=active&ssui=on

I didn’t even have to enter to find out that the answer was b. Yellowstone.

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

1. Lili’uokalani
2. Kauai
3. Lanai

For this question, I will use the search engine Bing, because it is also one of my favorite ones to use and I like the photos that they have for each day as their background. I think that the answer is c. Lanai, because I have been to Hawaii and I remember hearing this from my Aunt or someone. I will use the search term “smallest main island Hawaii,” to find my answer. Also, I will look for it in a .com domain by entering “site:.com” after my key words. Bing, like before, predicted what I would enter. When I did, I found my answer at this snippet;

http://geography.about.com/od/unitedstatesofamerica/tp/hawaii-islands.htm

Although it said that both Niihau and Kahoolawe were smaller, of the three mentioned above, the smallest was c. Lanai.