CIA Labeling and Taxonomy Development 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which labeling approach uses the audience's own vocabulary instead of expert or internal terminology?
- Controlled vocabulary labeling
- User-centered labeling (Correct answer)
- Hierarchical labeling
- Faceted labeling
Correct answer: User-centered labeling
User-centered labeling adopts the natural language and terms real users employ, reducing cognitive friction and improving findability.
Question 2: In taxonomy design, what is a 'polyhierarchy'?
- A taxonomy with only one root node
- A node that appears under multiple parent nodes (Correct answer)
- A flat list with no parent-child relationships
- A taxonomy limited to three levels deep
Correct answer: A node that appears under multiple parent nodes
Polyhierarchy allows a concept to belong to more than one parent category, enabling multiple valid classification paths.
Question 3: What does the term 'scope note' refer to in a controlled vocabulary?
- A synonym ring entry
- A definition clarifying the intended use of a term (Correct answer)
- A broader term reference
- A notation marking deprecated labels
Correct answer: A definition clarifying the intended use of a term
Scope notes clarify the precise boundaries of a term's meaning, reducing ambiguity when indexers assign it.
Question 4: Which ISO standard governs the construction and format of monolingual thesauri?
- ISO 9241
- ISO 25964-1 (Correct answer)
- ISO 8601
- ISO 15489
Correct answer: ISO 25964-1
ISO 25964-1 specifies structure, relationships, and presentation rules for monolingual thesauri used in information retrieval.
Question 5: A label that changes meaning depending on context (e.g., 'plant' meaning factory vs. vegetation) is best handled by:
- Using the label as-is and relying on context
- Creating homograph qualifiers to disambiguate (Correct answer)
- Merging both meanings under one record
- Deleting the ambiguous label entirely
Correct answer: Creating homograph qualifiers to disambiguate
Homograph qualifiers (e.g., 'Plant (Biology)' vs. 'Plant (Industry)') differentiate identical-spelling terms with distinct meanings.
Question 6: What is 'faceted classification' primarily designed to overcome?
- The rigidity of single-hierarchy taxonomies (Correct answer)
- The cost of card sorting studies
- The need for metadata schemas
- The redundancy in synonym rings
Correct answer: The rigidity of single-hierarchy taxonomies
Faceted classification lets items be described along multiple independent dimensions (facets), overcoming the limitation that a single hierarchy forces one primary path.
Question 7: In information architecture, a 'synonym ring' (or synset) is used to:
- Map terms to preferred labels in a thesaurus
- Treat multiple terms as equivalent for retrieval without designating a preferred form (Correct answer)
- Define hierarchical relationships between concepts
- Flag outdated terms for removal
Correct answer: Treat multiple terms as equivalent for retrieval without designating a preferred form
A synonym ring groups equivalent terms so searching any one of them retrieves the same results, without requiring a single preferred term.
CIA Labeling and Taxonomy Development 2
Which labeling approach uses the audience's own vocabulary instead of expert or internal terminology?