PSAT/SAT Question of the Day #6

Part of the following sentence is italicized; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the underlined material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.

Many of the instruments used in early operations of the United States Army Signal Corps were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians, particularly that of the heliograph.

(A) Corps were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians, particularly that of the heliograph

(B) Corps, there were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians, particularly the heliograph

(C) Corps, and in particular the heliograph, was an adaptation of equipment used by the Plains Indians

(D) Corps, and in particular the heliograph, were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians

(E) Corps being adaptations, the heliograph in particular, of those used by Plains Indians

Check the comments box for the answer!

Another Helpful Research Tool

Here's an excellent web-based research tool. It's called Literaryhistory.com. Like similar databases, you can search using keywords. For example, if you entered in the key words: Edith Wharton, it returns a page devoted to the author, including links to full articles and essays about her books and stories. Click here to see the results for Edith Wharton. And then try it yourself using your own keywords.

Research paper: Locating sources

Library databases will provide you with a great place to start your research. The Cincinnati Public Library’s computer system holds important resources that either aren’t otherwise available on the Web at all or aren’t easily accessible to you except through the library’s system.

Library Catalogue
The most important of these resources is the library’s own catalog of its holdings -- mostly books, magazines, and journals. I recommend that you begin by using the Advanced Search feature.

Research Databases
The Cincinnati Public Library also provides access to databases that you can use for free if you login to their system with your library card. At the homepage of their website click onto the “Research & Homework” section and then onto “Research Databases.” This will provide you with access to a list of the available databases. The most helpful listing will likely be Books & Literary Criticism. Once you are on that page, the following databases will be your best friends while you research. Note: To access these databases you will need to enter your library card number and PIN.

Literature Criticism Online
Use this resource to find commentary on classic and contemporary books, plays, and poems. Essays are drawn from the following reference books: Contemporary Literary Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Shakespearean Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400-1800, Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Drama Criticism, and Children's Literature Review.

Literature Resource Center
Access biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of novelists, poets, essayists, and journalists from every age and literary discipline.

MLA International Bibliography
Subject index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics

The above three databases will allow you to search by topic, author, keywords, etc. You will be able to read the full text of the articles, and you can even print them in PDF format.

Assignment: For Thursday, please print out one article on a topic related to your research paper and bring it to class. Remember, each article is considered a single source.