□ Final Exam: 8-Week Beginning Genealogy Course □
This comprehensive exam includes questions from all 8 weeks to test your complete understanding of genealogy fundamentals, research methods, and ethical practices.
16 Questions Total | 2 questions from each week | Progressive difficulty
Week 1
Question 1: What is genealogy?
The study and tracing of family lineages and ancestry
The collection and preservation of family photographs
The study of genetics and inherited traits
The writing of detailed family biographies
Week 1
Question 2: What is a pedigree chart?
A diagram showing your direct ancestors in tree format
A list of all your living relatives
A chronological timeline of family events
A map showing where your ancestors lived
Week 2
Question 3: When interviewing an elderly relative about family history, what should be your primary approach?
Bring a list of prepared questions but allow for natural conversation
Ask specific yes/no questions to get quick answers
Focus only on names and dates to save time
Record everything but don't take notes during the interview
Week 2
Question 4: Your great-aunt tells you a family story, but she seems uncertain about some details. What's the best way to handle this information?
Note the uncertainty and plan to verify through other sources
Accept the parts that seem reasonable and ignore the rest
Ask leading questions to help her remember more clearly
Focus the interview on other topics where she's more confident
Week 3
Question 5: A death certificate lists the deceased's father as "John Smith" but the informant was a neighbor who may not have known the family well. How should you evaluate this information?
Treat it as a clue but verify with other sources
Accept it as accurate since it's on an official document
Consider it unreliable since the informant was not family
Use it only if it matches information you already have
Week 3
Question 6: You find a marriage record from 1895 that conflicts with a family Bible entry dated 1920. Both give different birth years for the same person. Which source is likely more reliable for the birth year?
The marriage record because it's closer in time to the person's birth
The family Bible because it was kept by the family
The family Bible because it was written specifically to record family information
They're equally reliable since both are primary sources
Week 4
Question 7: You found a family tree on Ancestry that claims your ancestor fought in the Revolutionary War, but it has no source citations. What's your best approach?
Use it as a research lead but verify with original records
Accept it since it's on a reputable genealogy site
Contact the tree owner to ask for their sources
Ignore it completely since it lacks citations
Week 4
Question 8: You're using multiple genealogy databases and finding conflicting information about the same person. What's the most effective strategy for resolving these discrepancies?
Create a research log comparing all sources and their reliability
Choose the information from the most expensive database
Go with the majority opinion across databases
Focus only on free sources to avoid bias
Week 5
Question 9: Your DNA results show a close match (estimated 2nd cousin) with someone who doesn't appear in your known family tree. What's your most systematic approach to determine the connection?
Build out your tree to great-great-grandparents and compare with their tree
Message them immediately asking how you're related
Ignore the match since they're not in your existing research
Assume there's an error in the DNA testing
Week 5
Question 10: Your Y-DNA test results show your paternal line belongs to haplogroup R1b-M269, common in Western Europe. Your closest matches have ancestors from Ireland, but your family oral history claims German origins. How should you interpret this?
Y-DNA reflects ancient origins, not recent genealogy; continue German research
DNA proves the family story wrong; focus research on Ireland
There must be a non-paternity event; abandon the German line
The testing company made an error; retest with a different company
Week 6
Question 11: You found conflicting birth years for an ancestor: 1847 (marriage record), 1849 (death certificate), and 1850 (census). How should you present this in your family history report?
Document all three dates with their sources and note the discrepancy
Choose the middle date (1849) as a compromise
Use only the marriage record since it's closest to the birth
Calculate an estimated range (1847-1850) without citing specific sources
Week 6
Question 12: You're creating a citation for a digitized 1920 census record found on Ancestry.com. Which elements are essential for a complete citation?
Original source details, repository location, digital collection information, and access date
Just the Ancestry.com URL and access date
Only the original government source information
Ancestry database name and the specific record identifier
Week 7
Question 13: Your DNA matches reveal that your 85-year-old grandmother likely has a different biological father than she believes. She's never expressed interest in genealogy and seems content with her family story. How should you proceed?
Investigate further privately but don't share findings unless she specifically asks
Tell her immediately since truth is more important than comfort
Share your findings with other family members to get their advice
Stop all research on that family line to avoid further complications
Week 7
Question 14: A distant DNA match contacts you claiming your shared ancestor owned enslaved people. They want to collaborate on researching both the enslaver's family and the enslaved families. You're uncomfortable with this aspect of your ancestry. What's the most ethical response?
Collaborate respectfully, acknowledging the historical trauma while helping document all families involved
Decline to participate and avoid researching that family line
Research only your direct ancestor and ignore the enslaved families
Share your research but let them handle the enslaved family documentation
Week 8
Question 15: After 18 months of research, you've documented four generations but hit brick walls on multiple lines from the 1850s. You're feeling overwhelmed and considering hiring a professional genealogist. What's the most strategic approach?
Focus on one specific research problem, document what you've tried, and engage the professional for targeted help
Hire them to redo all your research from the beginning to ensure accuracy
Take a break from genealogy until you have more time to focus
Join more genealogy societies and hope someone else has solved your problems
Week 8
Question 16: You're planning your genealogy goals for the next decade. You want to balance personal research interests, skill development, community contribution, and family engagement. Which approach demonstrates the most mature understanding of lifelong genealogy practice?
Develop flexible goals that allow for new discoveries, learning opportunities, and ways to help others
Set specific research targets with deadlines and focus only on achieving them
Focus entirely on becoming a professional genealogist since you've completed formal training
Concentrate on DNA research since traditional records are becoming less important