Deck 7: Online Legal Research

Question 1

Operators are useful for:

A)Enhancing the legitimacy of your online legal research
B)Refining search results
C)Getting proper citations for legal documents
D)All of these choices are correct

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following things can be done using an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer?

A)Copy text from Web sites into word-processing documents
B)Search a single Web page for a particular word
C)Download images
D)All of these choices are correct

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is not an example of a fee-based service providing court opinions, statutes, and agency materials?

A)Lexis
B)Loislaw
C)Google Scholar
D)All of these choices are correct

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following are not considered part of cyberspace?

A)Business computers
B)Government computers
C)Personal computers
D)Business computers and government computers
E)None of these choices are correct

Question 5

Which of the following is not an Internet browser that you might use when conducting online legal research?

A)Internet Explorer
B)Chrome
C)Safari
D)Google
E)None of these choices are correct

Question 6

The dominant legal information portal for legal professionals that is free is:

A)Findlaw.com
B)Lp.findlaw.com
C)Findlaw.lp.com
D)Findlawlp.com

Question 7

Which of the following is an Internet browser that you might use when conducting online legal research?

A)Internet Explorer
B)Chrome
C)Safari
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of a fee-based service providing court opinions, statutes, and agency materials?

A)Lexis
B)Loislaw
C)Casemaker
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 9

Which of the following Internet components replaces the traditional centralized, comprehensive card catalogue of a physical library?

A)Browsers
B)Guides
C)Directories
D)Search engines
E)All of these choices are correct

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a fee-based service providing court opinions, statutes, and agency materials?

A)Lexis
B)Google Scholar
C)Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute
D)Lexis and Google Scholar

Question 11

Many legal documents, such as statutes and cases, are documents and available free on the Web.

A)Public
B)Private
C)Proprietary
D)Personal

Question 12

is a technology that allows users to access databases that contain case law or statutory law governing a particular issue.

A)A database management system
B)A spreadsheet program
C)E-mail
D)Computer-assisted legal research

Question 13

are not likely to be found on the Web for free.

A)Primary sources
B)Secondary sources
C)Court opinions
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 14

A scans the Web for words and phrases that a researcher has entered, and then generates a list of Web pages that contain them.

A)Search engine
B)Browser
C)Directory
D)Library

Question 15

Which of the following is an advantage of online legal research?

A)Legal sources can be located and printed within a matter of minutes
B)Legal research can be conducted at a legal professional's desk
C)New case decisions and amendments to statutes are available almost immediately
D)All of these choices are correct
E)Legal sources can be located and printed within a matter of minutes and new case decisions and amendments to statutes are available almost immediately

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of a free service providing court opinions, statutes, and agency materials?

A)Lexis
B)Loislaw
C)Casemaker
D)Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute

Question 17

Which of the following is a correct statement about search engines?

A)Different search engines yield different results
B)A search engine may not find every site that would be helpful
C)A search engine may provide many irrelevant sources
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 18

Because search engine results are limited by the researcher's ability to phrase a query within the constraints of the search engine's capabilities, it is important to do which of the following?

A)Run several searches using different words
B)Run the same search in several browsers
C)Do all your important research in a traditional library
D)Run several searches using different words and run the same search in several browsers

Question 19

Which of the following are components of cyberspace?

A)Business computers
B)Government computers
C)Personal computers
D)Business computers and government computers
E)All of these choices are correct

Question 20

Major free legal resource sites include:

A)Cornell University Law School Group
B)Washburn University Law School
C)Internet Legal Research
D)Cornell University Law School Group and Washburn University Law School
E)All of these choices are correct

Question 21

Which of the following is something you can do when using Westlaw or Lexis?

A)Conduct a search
B)Check citations
C)Track previous research trails
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 22

Which service provides an online citator?

A)Westlaw
B)Lexis
C)PACER
D)Westlaw and Lexis
E)Westlaw and PACER

Question 23

A provides a list of legal references that have cited or interpreted a case, statute, or regulation.

A)Bibliography
B)Citator
C)Case citator
D)Docket

Question 24

Which of the following are methods of searching a database in Westlaw or Lexis?

A)By citation
B)Terms and connectors methods
C)Natural language methods
D)By citation and natural language methods
E)All of these choices are correct

Question 25

If your firm's Internet connection goes out while you are conducting important online legal research, you should:

A)Switch your research to a smartphone or tablet Internet connection
B)Advise your supervisor that you can no longer work on the case
C)Ask your supervisor for an extension and then call the client and explain that the case will be delayed due to technical difficulties
D)Do nothing and wait for the connection to be reset

Question 26

Which of the following can be used to locate a court case in Westlaw or Lexis?

A)The citation for the case
B)The legal topic of the case
C)The case name
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 27

Which of the following is likely to be found on the Internet for free?

A)Legal encyclopedias
B)Treatises
C)Law review articles
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 28

Which of the following is not likely to be found on the Internet for free?

A)Legal encyclopedias
B)Treatises
C)Law review articles
D)Legal encyclopedias and treatises
E)Legal encyclopedias and law review articles

Question 29

Which of the following would not be included in Westlaw or Lexis?

A)Law reviews
B)Legal encyclopedias
C)Magazines
D)None of these choices are correct

Question 30

Which of the following is an option if your firm's Internet connection goes out while you are conducting important online legal research?

A)Switch your research to a smartphone or tablet Internet connection
B)Go to a local coffee shop with Internet connectivity
C)Ask your supervisor for an extension and then call the client and explain that the case will be delayed due to technical difficulties
D)Switch your research to a smartphone or tablet Internet connection and go to a local coffee shop with Internet connectivity

Question 31

A provides a list of legal references that have cited or interpreted a case, statute, regulation, and, in addition, a history of the case.

A)Bibliography
B)Citator
C)Case citator
D)Docket

Question 32

Which of the following is a reason you may not be able to use Westlaw or Lexis as a research tool?

A)The case involves Westlaw or Lexis
B)The judge for the case does not approve of Westlaw or Lexis
C)The client cannot afford the cost of their use
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 33

An increasing number of are available free on the Internet.

A)Law review articles
B)Treatises
C)Legal encyclopedias
D)Digests

Question 34

Which of the following is not an advantage of online legal research?

A)The ability to locate and print court cases and statutory provisions
B)New case decisions and changes in law are almost immediately available
C)Westlaw and Lexis are available at no charge
D)The Internet allows many approaches to online research

Question 35

When using a cloud back-up service to store materials offsite, it is important to:

A)Check on the materials daily
B)Save the file under several different names
C)Make sure the cloud service offers adequate security
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 36

Which of the following would be included in Westlaw or Lexis?

A)Law reviews
B)Legal encyclopedias
C)Magazines
D)Law reviews and legal encyclopedias
E)All of these choices are correct

Question 37

Which of the following is something you can do when using Westlaw, but not Lexis?

A)Conduct a search
B)Check citations
C)Track previous research trails
D)None of these choices are correct

Question 38

A paralegal should be prepared for power outages and computer failure by:

A)Never putting off research to the last minute
B)Having a back-up system and using it
C)Downloading and archiving crucial information
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 39

A paralegal's electronic files should be:

A)Backed up to an external hard drive
B)Organized according to the firm's filing system
C)Backed up to a secure off-site back-up system
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 40

To keep down research costs, paralegals should:

A)Do initial research on free sites
B)Look for illegal free downloads of Lexis or Westlaw
C)Use Lexis or Westlaw only in the evenings when fees are lower
D)Do initial research on free sites and use Lexis or Westlaw only in the evenings when fees are lower
E)All of these choices are correct

Question 41

Shepard's is:

A)The online citator for Westlaw
B)The online citator for Lexis
C)The online citator for Google Scholar
D)A key legal research Web site

Question 42

When using KeyCite, always a citing case to find out why your case has a red or yellow flag and to determine what issue in your case has been questioned, reversed, or overruled.

A)Read
B)Print out
C)File
D)Ask your supervising attorney about

Question 43

KeyCite is:

A)The online citator for Westlaw
B)The online citator for Lexis
C)The online citator for Google Scholar
D)A key legal research Web site

Question 44

Shepard's Law Review Citations includes citations to:

A)Legal periodicals
B)Court decisions
C)Federal court cases
D)Federal statutes
E)None of these choices are correct

Question 45

Using KeyCite, what is the indication that the case has been questioned and should be checked?

A)A red flag
B)A yellow flag
C)One star
D)Two stars

Question 46

A(n) is a book or online service that provides the history and interpretation of a statute, regulation, or court decision and a list of the cases, statutes, and regulations that have interpreted, applied, or modified a statute or regulation.

A)Citator
B)Atlas
C)Legal encyclopedia
D)Treatise

Question 47

The online citator for Westlaw is:

A)KeyCite
B)Auto-Cite
C)UpdateCite
D)CorrectCite

Question 48

Cases that have multiple citations are referred to as having:

A)Key citations
B)Parallel citations
C)Multi-citations
D)Numerous citations

Question 49

Citing cases are:

A)Cases that cite the case you looked up in the citator
B)Cases that are no longer relevant to your case
C)Cases that cannot be accessed online
D)Tertiary sources

Question 50

Shepard's Citations provides all of the following information except:

A)Parallel citations
B)Citing cases
C)Case histories
D)KeyCites

Question 51

Using KeyCite, what is the indication that a case has been reversed or overruled for at least one point of law and must therefore be reviewed?

A)A red flag
B)A yellow flag
C)Three stars
D)Four stars

Question 52

In Shepard's abbreviation system, "f" means:

A)Followed
B)Founded
C)Function
D)Found

Question 53

In Shepard's abbreviation system, "s" means:

A)Same case
B)Superseded
C)Similar case
D)Subordinate case

Question 54

An indication in KeyCite that a case has been questioned or has been overruled is:

A)Two status stars
B)A colored status flag
C)A graphic of a pointing hand
D)None of these choices are correct

Question 55

Which citator contains the case status flags to indicate when there is case history to be investigated?

A)KeyCite
B)Shepard's
C)UpdateCite
D)CorrectCite

Question 56

is an online citator on Westlaw that can trace case history, retrieve secondary sources, categorize legal citations by legal issue, and perform other functions.

A)Shepard's
B)KeyCite
C)FindLaw
D)Fastcase

Question 57

Parallel citations occur when:

A)A court's opinion is published in several different sets of books
B)A court's opinion is reversed
C)A court's opinion is out of date
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 58

Westlaw databases include all of the following except:

A)Administrative rules
B)Law journals
C)Legal forms
D)Shepard's

Question 59

In Shepard's abbreviation system, "e" means:

A)Explained
B)Exception
C)Equal
D)Extended

Question 60

The online citator for Lexis is:

A)KeyCite
B)Shepard's
C)UpdateCite
D)CorrectCite

Question 61

The search term liability / p cancer / s tobacco:

A)Would retrieve all cases in which the term liability is in the same paragraph as the term cancer
B)Would retrieve all cases in which the terms tobacco and cancer do not appear in the same sentence
C)Would retrieve all cases in which there was a proven relationship between
D)Would retrieve all cases against Big Tobacco

Question 62

Which of the following is the dominant seller of premier services for online legal research?

A)Westlaw
B)Google Scholar
C)Lexis
D)Chrome

Question 63

Why is it important to carefully evaluate information gathered from the Internet?

A)Online information can be outdated
B)The source might not be reputable
C)Anyone can post information on the Internet, even if they do not know what they are talking about
D)Online information can be outdated and anyone can post information on the
E)All of these choices are correct

Question 64

In a natural language method search for cases related to tobacco manufacturers, "tobacco" is an example of:

A)A Boolean search phrase
B)A connection
C)A keyword
D)A term

Question 65

Once you have retrieved your search results, Westlaw's tool allows you to further narrow your search by scanning the documents in your search result for terms that were not included in your query.

A)View Related Terms
B)Thesaurus
C)Suggest Terms
D)Locate in Results

Question 66

An efficient online source for accessing the ethical opinions issued by the American Bar Association (ABA) and state bar associations is:

A)The ABA Web site
B)The Ethics Web site
C)Each state bar association's Web site
D)A collective state bar association Web site

Question 67

Terms and connectors are part of the method of searching.

A)Boolean
B)Natural language
C)Limited
D)Relevant

Question 68

PACER is a(n):

A)Easy-to-use Internet service that allows users to obtain court cases and docket information from federal circuit, district, and bankruptcy courts
B)Free online legal research tool
C)Method for finding court cases in a traditional library card catalog
D)None of these choices are correct

Question 69

The allows you to type a description of an issue without the use of terms and connectors in order to retrieve the most relevant documents.

A)Natural language method
B)Boolean search method
C)Terms and connections method
D)Lexis finder method

Question 70

Making sure your findings are accurate and up to date is a(n) part of legal research.

A)Crucial
B)Important
C)Occasional
D)Optional

Question 71

Keeping track of your research by making a list of all the you have reviewed will save you time and aggravation.

A)Cases
B)Statutes
C)Articles
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 72

Which of the following natural method search queries might you use if you were conducting a search for a case regarding tobacco manufacturers being liable for cancer caused by their products?

A)Is a tobacco manufacturer liable for cancer caused by the use of its products?
B)Tobacco manufacturer liable cancer products
C)Liability /p cancer /s tobacco
D)Is a tobacco manufacturer liable for cancer caused by the use of its products? and tobacco manufacturer liable cancer products

Question 73

, as applied to Internet search engines, is a system in which connecting words (primarily and, or, and not) are used to establish a logical relationship among key words in order to make a search more precise.

A)Boolean logic
B)A proximity operator
C)A key-word search
D)A concept search

Question 74

Searching a database in Westlaw or Lexis may be done through the use of:

A)Terms and connectors (Boolean) method of searching
B)Natural language or plain English method of searching
C)Terms and connectors (Boolean) method of searching and natural language or plain English method of searching
D)None of these choices are correct

Question 75

The phrase & added date (after 12/31/2009) is called a

A)Date restriction
B)Field restriction
C)Limiting factor
D)Limiting phrase

Question 76

Generally, when drafting legal research queries, make sure your query is not too:

A)Broad
B)Narrow
C)Vague
D)All of these choices are correct

Question 77

If you need to restrict the scope of your search, you can add a:

A)Boolean modifier
B)Field restriction
C)Term and connector
D)None of these choices are correct

Question 78

The Westlaw database containing all federal court opinions is called:

A)All Federal Cases
B)Cases-Federal
C)ALLFEDS
D)FED-CS

Question 79

When using fee-based online legal research services, time may literally be:

A)Free
B)Money
C)Limitless
D)Frustrating

Question 80

When searching with the natural language method, including in the search may sometimes be necessary to produce more comprehensive results.

A)Synonyms
B)Numerical connectors
C)Field restrictions
D)Grammatical connectors