In keeping with the Academic Code of Conduct, you are expected to work on and complete this quiz independently.  If you work on this quiz off campus, click here to be authenticated for remote access to the restricted databases. 

Exercise 1:  Interpreting Entries in Sterling, the Online Catalog

From the Howard Library home page, http://www.howard.edu/library, click on the "Sterling" link.  If you have not used Sterling, click on "Help" for an overview of how to search the online catalog. 

1. Conduct an author search for E. L. Doctorow. (Hint: enter Doctorow, E. L. in the search box)  In what formats is Ragtime available in the library?  

Select one a. Book only b. Book and VHS c. Book, Audio tape, VHS, CD d. None of the above

1. Look at  the Sterling entry for the video recording (VHS) of Ragtime.  Which black performer's name was omitted from the list of performers in the Sterling catalog entry?

Moses Gunn      Howard Rollins      Debbie Allen

2. Who directed the 1981 motion picture adaptation of Ragtime?
   Randy Newman      Milos Forman     Dina De Laurentis      Michael Weller

Exercise 2. Locating Information in Online Reference Sources

From the Howard Library home page, click on "Quick (or General) Reference," then "Encyclopedias."  Use Encyclopedia Britannica Online to answer the next four questions.

1. Enter "Booker T. Washington" in the search box.  During which time span does the encyclopedia entry describe Booker T. Washington as "the most influential spokesman for black Americans"?  

Select one a. 1876 to 1906 b. 1895 to 1915 c. 1900 to 1925

2. Enter "Scott Joplin" in the search box. At which school did Scott Joplin, "the king of ragtime," study music?

Eastman School     Curtis Institute   Julliard School    Peabody Institute  George R. Smith College

3. In 1902, Joplin published his first extended work using the rhythmic devices of ragtime.  What kind of composition did Joplin publish first?

Select one a. an opera b. a requiem c. a piano concerto d. a ballet suite e. a symphonic poem

4. Enter "Model T" in the search box. Henry Ford first manufactured the Model T in 1908.  Ford conceived the car as a practical and affordable vehicle for the common man.  How much did the Model T cost in 1908?

$300      $500      $850      $1000


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Exercise 3: Identifying an Authoritative Web site

Use Google to locate information about the Morgan Library in New York City.   Select a trustworthy Web site to find information about financier Pierpont Morgan's Library.    Which architect designed the structure "to reflect the nature and stature of its holdings"?

Charles McKim     Albert I. Cassell      Julian Abele     Paul Williams

Exercise 4:  Finding Information in a Newspaper Database

From the Howard Library home page, click on the "Databases" link, then scroll down and select "Multidisciplinary Subjects."  Click on "LexisNexis." Enter "ragtime" in the "Easy Search" query box.  Select "previous month" as the date.  Look at the source titles retrieved by the search. How would you describe the geographic coverage represented by the newspapers and magazines that published articles about ragtime music?

Select one a. Mid-Atlantic presses b. U.S. presses c. U.S. and Canada presses d. Presses throughout the world

Exercise 5:  Finding Information through a Full-Text Article

Again, from the Howard Library home page, click on the "Databases" link,  then "A-B" to search "Academic Search Premier."  Locate a 1984 review of Ragtime by entering "Doctorow ragtime" in the search box.  Select a brief article in PDF full text that discusses the deeper meaning of Ragtime. How does the author  characterize "the era of Ragtime"?