Google Search Activity Worksheet
Video 1:
You want to re-read an introductory accounting textbook from school, but you cannot
remember the exact title. You recall that the cover is yellow and has puzzle pieces on it. In the
image below, where would you click to filter the results in order to locate the book?
Answer:____________________________________________________
Video 2:
The next several questions explore what elements impact the order in which Google
returns your results. Mark whether each statement is true or false, according to Matt Cutts:
1. Pages that have the words you type in, or synonyms for those words, are listed higher.
True
False
2. Pages with font size the same as you type into Google get listed first.
True
False
3. Pages where the words you typed in appear in the title or web address get listed higher.
True
False
4. Webmasters can get higher ranking in the results by paying Google money.
True
False
5. If the words you type in appear near each other on a page, it may get listed higher in your
results.
True
False
6. Pages which are linked to by lots of other pages--especially other high quality pages--are listed
higher.
True
False
Video 3
You received this letter from a friend.
Hi, I am a chef and a food blogger. Recently, I wanted to write about this really yummy French
sandwich with tuna and peppers and anchovies and stuff called a Pom Mignon, or something like
that. For the life of me, I don’t know precisely what it is called. I spent half an hour last night
typing every possible spelling I could think of into Google, but could not find it. What do I do
now?
Thank you,
L.
Given what you know about this problem, what query would you use to solve it?
Answer: _____________________________________________________
Video 4
Open two new tabs with Google search in each, so you can compare the following searches. If
the results are different, check the box.
[flower spider] [spider flower]
[Adobe Acrobat] [adobe acrobat]
[who] [the who] [a who]
[150 computer] [$150 computer]
[% students paying off college loans] [students paying off college loans]
Video 5
For the following questions, go to the US Geological Survey’s list of Historic World
Earthquakes. (The link can be found on my website.)
1. In the United States, the state of California is known for its earthquakes. Have there been
earthquakes in Iowa?
Yes
No
2. Has there ever been an earthquake in Maine?
Yes
No
3. Which state (Iowa or Maine) had an earthquake more recently?
Iowa
Maine
Video 6
You are a cosmetologist and business owner, and have been asked by a few clients if you are
going to offer those fish that clean people's feet. To learn more, you search for [fish clean feet].
Do these results look helpful for making business decisions?
Yes
No
You'd like to modify your search to give you more precise information. From results above, what
are more business-oriented search terms you could use?
Answer:_____________________________________________________
Video 7
Your friend was telling you about this new term for a kind of urban protest graffiti called
"Yarnbombing". Despite the name, the friend said it is a completely light-hearted, non-violent art
form, but you do not understand what it is.
What is the most efficient way to find recent News articles about yarnbombing?
[yarnbombing news article]
[yarnbombing] then click News in the left menu
[i would like to find news articles about yarnbombing]
[what are some recent publications about yarnbombing]
Video 8
In the video, Dan explored results in different media for the word [cats]. What do you love?
Compare the information you find by searching for a topic of your choice and clicking on all the
different media options. Make sure the item you choose is school appropriate!
Share the most interesting thing you found:
___________________________________________________________
Video 9
You want to find a sound file that will teach you Morse Code for "I love you". Your friend told
you that Wikimedia has all these audio files of people saying things in different languages, in a
format called .OGG. Which of the following queries can you use to most easily find the file you
want?
[i love you morse code ogg:filetype]
[i love you file morse code type:ogg]
[i love you morse code filetype:ogg]
[i love you morse code filetype: ogg]
All of the above
Video 10
You are helping a neighbor’s child find information on penguins. Since it is hockey season,
when you simply search for [penguins] you get many pages on the Pittsburgh Penguins mixed in
with results about the bird. Which of these is a way you can narrow your results to focus on the
animal?
[penguins NOT pittsburgh]
[penguins -pittsburgh]
[penguins without pittsburgh]
[penguins - pittsburgh]
Video 11
Your friend has been complaining about her ex a lot; he is still hanging around even though they
broke up. This reminded you of a line from a poem: Like black tape he is stuck to me. You search
for it and see the results below.
How could you modify the query to find the poem?
[“like black tape he is stuck to me”]
[like black tape he is stuck to me poem]
[/like black tape he is stuck to me/]
[(like black tape he is stuck to me)]
Video 12 – No activity
Video 13
While sorting through some trinkets at a garage sale, you find the image below. There is a note
scrawled on the back that says, "ancestor of manga." Since you are interested in manga, you
decide to learn more about the image.
What temple loaned this painting to a national museum?
Answer:_____________________________________________________
Video 14
Your boss is on her way to Bangalore, flying via London on American Flight 98. She broke her
shoe as she was boarding and called you to arrange for new replacement shoes as soon as she
lands at Heathrow airport. She heard it is monsoon season in India, so she also wants you to
check the weather there.
1. What is the weather in Bangalore right now: clear, raining, cloudy?
2. What time is American Flight 98 scheduled to arrive in London today?
3. What time is it now in London?
Video 15
Try this activity to practice doing conversions in Google search. Enter the answer to each
problem in the box below.
1. What is 41 degrees Celsius in Fahrenheit?
2. If you have 100 Rupiah, how much do you have in Yen?
3. You have a recipe from a cookbook from the United States for making one quart of
famous Tennessee bar-be-que sauce. You want to make ten quarts instead. If the original
recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of sugar, how many US cups of sugar should you use?
Video 16
Try this activity to test your ability to restrict time of document publication.
In 1883, a volcano on the island of Krakatoa in Indonesia erupted. The dust from this massive
volcano affected weather as far away as the United States. The volcano has recently become
active again. Using the query [krakatoa volcano] and the time filter, identify the following pieces
of information.
1. Which of these newspaper articles was published in 1883? Remember to search for [krakatoa
volcano] and use time filtering.
Volcano Mystery Solved
Venus has Volcanic Character
The Volcano Heard Around the World
Java's Canopy of Fire: A Volcano’s First Effort
2. Which of these books was published on the Krakatoa volcano during the 1880s?
How Volcanoes Work - Krakatau, Indonesia
Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded: August 27, 1883
The Eruption of Krakatoa: And Subsequent Phenomena
Surviving Yellowstone’s Super Volcano
Video 17
Have you ever had a search result, where you doubted its truth? What did you see that made you
doubt it?
Answer: _____________________________________________________
Video 18
Which of these searches shows an effective use of multiple operators?
[household spending site:org -site:edu]
[site:edu site:org household spending]
[site:census.gov filetype:pdf household spending]
[household spending site:edu OR org]
You work for an environmental services company. NASA’s website indicates that the agency is
a model of sustainability. You want to get a better notion of what others think about their
environmental management. You decide to look at what other government (.gov) or military
(.mil) organizations have to say about NASA’s programs. You do not want to see results from
NASA.gov itself.
You know that you want the following elements in your search: [nasa environmental
management OR policy]; .mil sites; .gov sites; but NOT anything from NASA.gov. Go to a new
tab and search for this information in Google.
Did your search match any of the following? Which will work best?
[nasa environmental management OR policy site:gov OR site:mil]
[nasa environmental management OR policy site:gov OR site:mil -site:nasa.gov]
[nasa environmental management OR policy site:gov OR site:mil -nasa]
[nasa environmental management policy site:gov site:mil -site:nasa.gov]
Video 19
You are finally getting that long-awaited dream trip to Paris. You want to stay at the MERCURE
PARIS MONTMARTRE SACRE COEUR in Paris at 3 Rue Caulaincourt 75018 France. Most
people say it is a lovely neighborhood, but you want to see what it looks like--especially the walk
from the hotel to the Place de Clichy metro station just over a block away.
Take a stroll from your hotel to the subway station.
As you go, be sure to notice some of the restaurants available just across the street from your
hotel.
From what nationality does the food come at the restaurant between the sandwich shop and the
souvenir store just across the street--that one with the black, white, and red sign?