A STUDENT reads a novel.

Question

STUDENT: Man, I'm really loving this book I'm reading but I kept on running into this phrase, Appalachian Mountains. I didn’t know where they were. Honestly, I didn’t know how to say their name! So, I looked it up in the dictionary.

An image displaying the dictionary definition of Appalachian Mountains appears at the bottom right of the screen.

STUDENT: The dictionary helped me pronounce the word and it gave me a bit of information about it but I didn’t have enough information that really helped me understand the word. The dictionary says it’s a geographical name. That made me think there might be more information in the encyclopedia.

An image displaying the encyclopedia entry for the Appalachian Mountains appears at the bottom right of the screen,

STUDENT: Now, I was getting the information I needed to understand! The encyclopedia not only explained where the mountains are but the history of the people who lived there.
Sometimes, a general reference like the dictionary is just the first step. Don’t forget specialized reference materials!

STUDENT: Now, if you’ll excuse me, I got a book to finish.
summarize

Answer 1

The student is reading a novel and comes across the phrase "Appalachian Mountains" but does not know how to pronounce or understand it. They look it up in the dictionary and learn the pronunciation but still need more information. They then turn to the encyclopedia, which provides a deeper explanation of where the mountains are located and the history of the people who lived there. The student concludes by emphasizing the importance of using both general and specialized reference materials to fully understand a topic.