QUESTION 1

UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTIFYING IDEAS

Identify main ideas and specific points within a source

Picking information from sources—-This level focuses on extracting facts, data, and details
directly stated in the source.
Action—- Identifying who, what, when, where, and how.

Techniques— Scanning for keywords, highlighting facts, using index/headings, and selecting
relevant data.

Goal—-- To establish a foundational understanding of the content.

Identifying Points–This level involves identifying the main arguments, supporting points, or
implicit meanings that are not directly stated.

●​ Action: Distinguishing main ideas from supporting details and understanding what the
author is saying about the topic.
●​ Techniques: Analyzing topic sentences, interpreting headings, summarizing sections, and
recognizing patterns.
●​ Goal: To understand the author's message and the organization of ideas.

Explaining Ideas –This level involves evaluating why the author thinks this, analyzing their
purpose, and questioning their reasoning.

Action: Examining the "why" behind the evidence—why this source? Why now? Why
did the author use this argument?.
Techniques:Analyzing Perspective: Identifying the author's purpose (to persuade, inform,
entertain) and tone.
Evaluating Evidence: Determining if the evidence is sufficient, relevant, and
accurate.
Checking Logic: Detecting biases, logical fallacies, or missing information.
 Goal: To evaluate the quality of the information and construct an informed
opinion

(QUIZES)

Distinguish between proven facts and value judgments.

Opinions vs. Facts & Biased Language

In the exam, you must distinguish between what is "proven" and what is "felt."

Fact: Something that can be verified or proven with evidence.

Example (Source 1): "Global online sales were valued at $5,211 billion."

Opinion: A belief, view, or sentiment. It cannot be proven true or false.

Example (Source 2): "International aid is the only solution."

Value Judgment: A specific type of opinion about what is "good," "bad," "right," or "wrong."

Look for: "should," "must," "better," "worse."

Biased/Emotive Language: Words designed to make you feel a certain emotion (anger, pity,
excitement) rather than think logically.

Look for: "Disastrous," "shocking," "heroic," "greed."

Tip: If the author says "Wealthy nations always ignore the poor," the word "always" is a
generalization and "ignore" carries a negative bias.
Describing Perspectives & Summaries

A "perspective" isn't just an opinion; it's a worldview or a viewpoint held by a specific

group.

Perspective Summaries: To summarize a perspective, you need to identify Who thinks

What and Why.

Structure: [Group/Individual] believes [Opinion] because

[Reasoning/Evidence].

Global vs. Local Perspectives:

Global: Concerns the whole world, international organizations (UN, WHO),

or multinational companies.
Local: Concerns a specific town, a small community, or a single family.

Economic vs. Social Perspectives:

Economic: Focuses on money, jobs, profit, and trade.

Social: Focuses on health, education, family, and quality of life.
 QUESTION 2
ANALYSIS

Evaluate how data is collected (Strength vs. Weakness of research).

Primary vs. Secondary Research

Before you can evaluate research, you must know where it came from.

Primary Research This is information collected for the first time, directly by the researcher.

●​ Advantages:
1.​ Up-to-Date: The information is current and reflects the situation right now.
2.​ Specific: You can design the research to answer your exact question.
3.​ Control: You know exactly how the data was gathered, so you know if it is
reliable.
4.​ Unique: You might find out something that no one else has discovered yet.
●​ Disadvantages:
1.​ Time-Consuming: It takes a long time to design, carry out, and analyze.
2.​ Cost: It can be expensive (travel, printing, or paying for software).
3.​ Small Scale: One person can usually only ask a small number of people, so it isn't
always representative.
4.​ Researcher Bias: Your own opinions might accidentally influence how you ask
questions.

2. Secondary Research This is using information that someone else has already collected
and published.

●​ Advantages:
1.​ Speed: You can find facts and statistics in seconds using the internet or libraries.
2.​ Scale: You can access data from thousands of people (e.g., a national census).
 3.​ Expertise: Often written by experts, professors, or government officials with high
credibility.
4.​ Comparison: It allows you to see how an issue has changed over many years.
●​ Disadvantages:
1.​ Outdated: The information might be several years old and no longer true.
2.​ Inaccurate: You cannot be 100% sure the original author didn't make a mistake.
3.​ Vested Interest: The original author might have been biased or trying to sell a
specific idea.
4.​ Mismatched: The data might not quite fit your specific topic, forcing you to
"guess" some details.
Surveys and Questionnaires

●​ Advantages:
1.​ Large Sample Size: You can get views from a huge variety of people.
2.​ Quantitative Data: It produces numbers and percentages which are easy to put into
graphs.
3.​ Anonymity: People are more likely to be honest if they don't have to give their names.
4.​ Consistency: Every person is asked the exact same questions in the same order.
●​ Disadvantages:
1.​ Shallow Answers: You only get "Yes/No" or "Scale of 1–10" answers; you don't get the
"Why."
2.​ Misunderstanding: If a person finds a question confusing, there is no one there to
explain it to them.
3.​ Low Response Rate: Many people simply ignore surveys, meaning your results might be
missing certain groups.
4.​ Dishonesty: People may give "socially acceptable" answers instead of their true feelings.

Interviews

●​ Advantages:
1.​ Deep Detail: You get high-quality, qualitative data (explanations and feelings).
2.​ Flexibility: You can ask follow-up questions if the person says something interesting.
3.​ Clarification: You can explain the question if the person is confused.
4.​ Body Language: You can see if the person is nervous, happy, or angry, which gives more
context.
●​ Disadvantages:
1.​ Tiny Sample Size: Because they take so long, you can usually only interview a few
people.
2.​ Difficulty to Analyze: It is hard to put "feelings" and "stories" into a mathematical graph.
3.​ Interviewee Bias: People might change their answers because they want the interviewer
to like them.
4.​ High Effort: It requires a lot of skill to interview someone without accidentally "leading"
them to an answer.

Comparing viewpoints:

Comparing viewpoints means examining different opinions or perspectives about the same issue.

How to Compare Viewpoints

1. Identify the Main Idea- Find out what each person or writer believes.
2. Look for Similarities- Check where the viewpoints agree.

3. Look for Differences- Identify how the opinions disagree.

4. Examine the Evidence- Compare the facts, examples, and explanations used to support each
viewpoint.

5. Consider Bias and Perspective- Think about the background, interests, or experiences
influencing each view.

6. Evaluate Which Viewpoint Is More Convincing- Decide which argument is stronger based on
logic and evidence

Why an argument is strong

Reasons Why an Argument Is Strong-A strong argument is convincing, logical, and supported by
evidence.

Characteristics of a Strong Argument

1. Clear Claim

2. Logical Reasoning-Ideas follow a sensible order and connect well.

3. Reliable Evidence-Uses facts, statistics, examples, or expert opinions.

4. Relevant Support-Evidence directly relates to the argument.

5. Balanced Discussion-Acknowledges opposing views and responds to them.

6. Consistency-The argument does not contradict itself.

7. Credible Sources-Information comes from trustworthy research or experts.

Testing a claim considering research methods

If a question asks you to “test a claim considering research methods,” you are being asked to examine
whether the claim is believable by evaluating the quality of the research used to support it.
You should not simply agree or disagree.​
You must analyze:

●​ the evidence,
●​ the method used to collect information,
●​ and whether the conclusion is reliable.

How to Answer the Question

Step 1: State the Claim-Identify the statement being [Link]:-“Social media improves
academic performance.”

Step 2: Identify the Research Method-Mention the method that could be used or was used.

Examples:

●​ surveys
●​ interviews
●​ experiments
●​ observation
●​ questionnaires
●​ case studies

Example:-“The claim can be tested through surveys and experiments involving students.”

Step 3: Evaluate the Research Method-Discuss whether the method is reliable.

Things to check when evaluating:

a) Sample Size-Was the number of people enough?-“A small sample may not represent all
students.”

b) Bias-Was the research fair?-“Students who like social media may give biased responses.”

c) Reliability-Can the research produce similar results again?-“If repeated in different schools,
the findings should remain consistent.”

d) Validity-Did the research actually measure academic performance?-“Exam results should be

used instead of personal opinions only.”

e) Source Credibility-Who carried out the research?-“Research from educational experts is more
trustworthy.”
Step 4: Analyze the Evidence-Examine whether the evidence truly supports the claim.

“If students using social media scored higher consistently, the claim gains support.”

OR “If results differ greatly among students, the claim may be weak.”

Step 5: Reach a Conclusion-Decide whether the claim is convincing based on the research
quality.

Example Conclusion:-“The claim may be partly true, but stronger evidence from larger and
unbiased studies is needed.”

Identifying Flaws (Spotting the "Cracks")-You must find the "errors" in the source provided in
the exam.

common research flaws

1.​ Vested Interest: The researcher has a financial or personal motive to produce a
specific result, which creates high suspicion of bias.
2.​ Insufficient Sample Size: The number of participants is too small to accurately
represent the wider population, making the results unreliable.
3.​ Selection Bias: Participants were not chosen randomly, meaning the group's
views do not reflect the diversity of the general public.
4.​ Leading Questions: The survey questions are phrased to "nudge" or pressure the
respondent into giving a specific, one-sided answer.
5.​ Outdated Data: The research was conducted many years ago, meaning the
findings may no longer be relevant to the world today.
6.​ Expertise Gap: The author lacks professional qualifications or specialized
knowledge in the subject they are writing about, lowering their credibility.
7.​ Lack of Transparency: The source does not explain the methodology (how the
data was gathered), making it impossible to verify the results.
8.​ Social Desirability Bias: Participants provide "politically correct" or "socially
acceptable" answers rather than their true, honest feelings.
9.​ Funding Bias: The organization paying for the research may have influenced the
data to protect their own reputation or profits.
 10.​Sweeping Generalizations: The author uses a small piece of evidence to make a
massive, unproven claim about an entire group of people.

When writing answers, use the following "sentence starter" to link the flaw to the
argument:
"A significant flaw in this research is [Insert Flaw]. This is a weakness
because it lowers the [Credibility / Reliability / Validity] of the author’s
argument."

Q3. EVALUATION

Judging arguments, which one is more convincing.