I have this question on a homework assignment and I am confused!

Question

It is not wise to rely on the__________
to determine whether a stereotype exsists in a book.

(Here are the choices the assignment
gives me to complete the sentence)

A. title
B. illustrations
C. book's format
D. copyright date

My text book says do not depend on the
date of publication to tell you if a
stereotype exsists.

I am confused because the copyright date
on the assignment, and the date of
publication(in my text book) are not the
same thing, are they?

Which answer on the assignment should I
select? Should I select "copyright date"? Please give me input!

copyright date is the time when it was written.
Stereotypes can exist in any book, regardless of when written, format, title, or illustrations. I am puzzled on the question. It is not wise to rely on any of these choices. However, in the era of the "right" answer, copyright date seems to be in line with your text.
Dont believe all that you read in text books.