Question

Read the following urban legend and then answer the questions about how you would research it.

Urban Legend

Hi! I just read this. Really scary stuff. Please forward to anyone you know who travels!

TRAVELERS BEWARE!!!

Law enforcement agencies in major cities throughout the United States are scrambling to protect thousands of people who have had their identities stolen. The culprits: hotel employees.

Room keys are digital cards that contain frightening amounts of your personal information, including:

Your FULL name
Your home address
Your phone number
Your family members' names
Your credit card and banking information

When you turn in your key card after a nice vacation, you are actually handing over your most personal information to the people behind the desk. These are part-time employees who are difficult to trace, and they can walk out with your card at any time, stealing your identity.

If you have visited a hotel with an electronic key card, check your bank account! Change your passwords! Do everything in your power to protect your livelihood. In the future, NEVER return the key cards to the hotel desk. It isn't worth it!

Which of the following questions would be a strong research question for this subject?

A) What are the major hotels in the United States?

B) Are you allowed to keep your key card from a hotel?

C) What information is stored on a hotel key card?

D) How many people have experienced identity theft?

Answer 1

A strong research question for this subject would be "Is there any evidence to support the claim that hotel employees are stealing personal information from guests' electronic key cards?"

This question focuses on the central claim made in the urban legend and seeks to determine whether there is any empirical evidence to support it. It is specific, measurable, and focused on a key aspect of the story.

Questions A and D are not relevant to the central claim of the urban legend, and question B is not specific enough to provide meaningful insights into the issue. While question C is related to the central claim of the urban legend, it is not framed in a way that invites empirical investigation, as the information stored on a hotel key card is widely known and easily verifiable.

Step-by-step explanation: