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Quiz: Metadata Fundamentals

Test your understanding of metadata concepts and standards with these questions.

1. What is metadata?

  1. The main content of a web page
  2. Data that describes other data, enabling findability
  3. A type of programming language
  4. The visual design of a simulation
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The correct answer is B. Metadata is data about data—information that describes, explains, and categorizes your content so that both humans and machines can find it. When you search for "interactive pendulum simulation for high school physics," you're searching through metadata that connects your query to relevant resources.

Concept Tested: Metadata

2. What problem do metadata standards solve?

  1. They make simulations run faster
  2. They ensure everyone describes resources consistently, enabling effective search
  3. They prevent computer viruses
  4. They reduce file sizes
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The correct answer is B. Metadata standards solve the problem of inconsistent descriptions. Without standards, one person might call a subject "Physics," another "Physical Science," and a third "Mechanics." Standards establish agreed-upon ways to describe resources so search can match queries to relevant content reliably.

Concept Tested: Metadata Standards

3. How many core elements does the Dublin Core standard include?

  1. 5 elements
  2. 10 elements
  3. 15 elements
  4. 25 elements
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The correct answer is C. Dublin Core includes 15 core elements: Title, Creator, Subject, Description, Publisher, Contributor, Date, Type, Format, Identifier, Source, Language, Relation, Coverage, and Rights. These elements can describe virtually any resource while remaining simple enough to use without specialized training.

Concept Tested: Dublin Core

4. What is a taxonomy in the context of educational metadata?

  1. A type of database software
  2. A hierarchical classification system organizing concepts from broad to specific
  3. A security protocol for websites
  4. A method for compressing files
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The correct answer is B. A taxonomy is a hierarchical classification system—a tree structure that organizes concepts from broad to specific. For educational resources, taxonomies help answer questions like whether a MicroSim is about "Science" generally or specifically "Physics," and how subcategories relate to each other.

Concept Tested: Taxonomies

5. What does subject normalization accomplish?

  1. It translates content into multiple languages
  2. It maps variant terms like "Math" and "Mathematics" to standard forms
  3. It resizes images automatically
  4. It encrypts sensitive data
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The correct answer is B. Subject normalization maps variant terms to standard forms. It ensures that "Math," "Mathematics," "Maths," and "mathematical sciences" all map to the same canonical term, so a search for "Mathematics" finds all relevant content regardless of which variant the creator used.

Concept Tested: Subject Normalization

6. What is the key difference between a taxonomy and a folksonomy?

  1. Taxonomies are free, folksonomies cost money
  2. Taxonomies are created top-down by experts; folksonomies emerge bottom-up from users
  3. Taxonomies only work with images; folksonomies work with text
  4. Taxonomies are newer than folksonomies
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The correct answer is B. Taxonomies are created top-down by experts who define the structure in advance. Folksonomies emerge bottom-up from user-generated tags, reflecting how individuals actually think about and categorize content. Both approaches have their place in MicroSim discovery.

Concept Tested: Folksonomies

7. Why is schema compliance important for MicroSim metadata?

  1. It makes simulations more colorful
  2. It ensures data quality, interoperability, and reliable search
  3. It reduces electricity consumption
  4. It prevents copyright infringement
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The correct answer is B. Schema compliance ensures metadata follows defined rules—using correct field names, data types, and valid values. This matters because it enables search accuracy (systems can trust values are valid), interoperability (platforms can exchange metadata), aggregation (large-scale indexing works), and early error detection.

Concept Tested: Schema Compliance

8. What is the purpose of a controlled vocabulary in metadata?

  1. To limit the number of words users can type
  2. To enforce consistency by limiting field values to predefined approved terms
  3. To censor inappropriate content
  4. To compress text for storage
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The correct answer is B. A controlled vocabulary is a predefined list of terms that must be used for a particular metadata field. Unlike free-form tags, controlled vocabularies enforce consistency by limiting choices to approved options, enabling reliable faceted filtering and meaningful analytics.

Concept Tested: Controlled Vocabulary

9. What does pedagogical metadata describe about a MicroSim?

  1. The file size and loading speed
  2. How it teaches, including interaction patterns, pacing, and Bloom alignment
  3. The author's biography
  4. The hosting server location
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The correct answer is B. Pedagogical metadata describes not just what a MicroSim teaches, but how it teaches. This includes pattern type (worked-example, exploration, practice), Bloom's Taxonomy alignment, supported verbs, pacing (self-paced, continuous), and whether it supports prediction. This enables matching interaction patterns to learning objectives.

Concept Tested: Pedagogical Metadata

10. What is the difference between the bloomsTaxonomy and bloomAlignment fields in pedagogical metadata?

  1. They are the same thing with different names
  2. bloomsTaxonomy captures content scope; bloomAlignment captures pattern effectiveness
  3. bloomsTaxonomy is required; bloomAlignment is optional
  4. bloomsTaxonomy uses numbers; bloomAlignment uses letters
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The correct answer is B. The bloomsTaxonomy field captures all cognitive levels the content can address (broader, content scope), while bloomAlignment captures the levels the interaction pattern effectively supports (narrower, pattern effectiveness). A simulation's content might touch all six levels, but its exploration pattern might most effectively support only Understand, Apply, and Analyze.

Concept Tested: Bloom Verb Alignment