Independent Research — Practice · Grade 12 English
Chapter: Research & Source-Based WritingWhat this practice covers
By the end of Independent Research you should be able to:
- I can frame a question that is not only arguable and well-scoped but significant — one that answers a real gap in an ongoing conversation and is feasible to research in the time I have.
- I can plan a sustained, self-directed inquiry with a proposal — mapping sub-questions, source types, and milestones — and keep my thesis provisional across the whole arc.
11 questions, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.
Vocabulary used: research question, significance, feasibility, gap, research proposal.
Problem 1
- Should independent commissions, rather than state legislatures, draw congressional maps, given evidence that partisan mapmakers entrench their own party's advantage?
- Are elections important?
- What is gerrymandering?
- Everything about American elections.
Answer and explanation
Should independent commissions, rather than state legislatures, draw congressional maps, given evidence that partisan mapmakers entrench their own party's advantage?
Only this option is arguable (reasonable people disagree), significant (it addresses a live, consequential policy gap), and feasible (a student can actually gather the relevant maps, studies, and commentary). The others are definitional, impossibly broad, or undebatable.
Problem 2
Answer and explanation
Significance is the 'so what' — the reason answering the question matters and contributes to a larger conversation, not just settles a private curiosity. A question can be arguable and neatly scoped yet still inert, debating something no informed person cares about. A long independent essay especially needs significance because the writer, not a teacher, is choosing what deserves a semester of effort, and only a question that answers a real gap will reward that much sustained work.
Problem 3
- The only real issue is that the topic is not interesting enough.
- The question fails the feasibility test; reshape it around evidence actually accessible in the time available.
- Keep it exactly as is — a harder question is always a better question.
- Abandon research altogether and write the essay from personal opinion.
Answer and explanation
The question fails the feasibility test; reshape it around evidence actually accessible in the time available.
A question the researcher cannot actually gather evidence for is infeasible, however arguable or important it is. The mature move is to reshape it early around sources you can truly reach — not to plow ahead, quit, or blame the topic's interest.
Problem 4
Answer and explanation
Answers vary; accept any specific, debatable, researchable question that names real stakes, such as: 'Should colleges be required to tell applicants when AI tools help screen their applications, given concerns about hidden bias?' A strong response names a specific relationship, stays open to more than one reasonable answer, points at a live gap that matters, and could realistically be researched with sources a student can access in one term.
Problem 5
- To prove the question has exactly one correct answer before any research begins.
- To alphabetize sources in advance for the final Works Cited page.
- To name the question, argue its significance, and map a method and timeline — turning a long, self-directed project into an ordered sequence of answerable steps.
- To lock in a final thesis at the start that will not be allowed to change.
Answer and explanation
To name the question, argue its significance, and map a method and timeline — turning a long, self-directed project into an ordered sequence of answerable steps.
A proposal converts a semester-long fog into a plan — question, significance, sub-questions, source types, and milestones — and exposes a broad or infeasible question early. It does not fix the thesis in advance or alphabetize citations.
Problem 6
Answer and explanation
Ask how the mural program represents a named worker’s role compared with the archive records. Analyze what each source includes, its purpose, and omissions; visitor comments may show responses but not the full audience.
Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.
Response criteria
- Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
- Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
- Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.
Problem 7
Answer and explanation
The question assumes a universal answer. Specify a display and ask how excerpt selection affects the representation of speakers.
Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.
Response criteria
- Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
- Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
- Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.
Problem 8
Answer and explanation
Turn a broad topic into a question with a manageable place, time, population, and purpose. A question should require inquiry rather than assume its answer. The method transfers, but the particular detail, scope, and context must be read again. Ask how the mural program represents a named worker’s role compared with the archive records. Analyze what each source includes, its purpose, and omissions; visitor comments may show responses but not the full audience.
Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.
Response criteria
- Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
- Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
- Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.
Problem 9
Answer and explanation
Ask whether a twice-weekly later opening at this school attracted enough use to justify its staffing cost during the trial. Compare the attendance log and budget, then interview staff about supervision limits. A complete response supplies context, a focused claim, a brief supporting detail, explanation, and a relevant qualification. Do not simply repeat this model.
Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.
Response criteria
- Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
- Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
- Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.
Problem 10
Answer and explanation
Check whether the response explains turn a broad topic into a question with a manageable place, time, population, and purpose. a question should require inquiry rather than assume its answer. Ask for a relevant detail and the reason it supports the conclusion. Prioritize the mistaken assumption shown here: “Why are all public displays misleading?”
Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.
Response criteria
- Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
- Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
- Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.
Problem 11
Answer and explanation
The contractor’s attractiveness rating does not establish faithful representation; the coalition identifies a possible distortion without measuring its frequency. The staffing memo supports a bounded review pilot with costs and limits clearly stated. The response must supply its own precise detail and explain it; copying the model without fresh evidence is insufficient.
Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.
Response criteria
- Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
- Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
- Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.