English Language Arts: Refining Research Questions (TEKS.ELA.9-12.12.C)

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Texas High School ELA › English Language Arts: Refining Research Questions (TEKS.ELA.9-12.12.C)

Questions 1 - 8
1

Major research question: How has the rapid expansion of hydraulic fracturing in the Permian Basin reshaped long-term water security and regional governance in West Texas? Secondary questions:

  • To what extent have produced-water recycling technologies reduced freshwater withdrawals relative to 2010 baselines?
  • How have groundwater conservation districts coordinated data sharing and permitting across county lines since 2016?
  • What role have drought cycles and climate projections played in infrastructure planning through 2040?
  • How have fracking-related seismic events altered public perception compared to regulatory action?
  • What are consumer attitudes toward bottled water in Austin?

Which revision of the major research question best incorporates insights from the most relevant complex secondary questions while maintaining clear focus and advanced researchability?

How has hydraulic fracturing reshaped energy policy and cultural identity across all regions of Texas since 2000?

What effect did a single operator's 2022 recycling pilot in Reeves County have on freshwater use at that site?

In the Permian Basin, how have drought-informed planning and cross-county groundwater governance, together with adoption of produced-water recycling, interacted to affect freshwater demand for hydraulic fracturing since 2010?

How have fracking-related seismic events changed public perception and regulation statewide?

Explanation

Choice C synthesizes multiple relevant secondary questions (recycling technology, governance coordination, drought-informed planning) into a focused, time-bounded inquiry that remains broad enough for advanced research. A broadens beyond water security, B becomes too narrow and site-specific, and D focuses on only one secondary angle.

2

Major research question: In what ways has the formal recognition of Juneteenth as a state and federal holiday influenced the preservation, interpretation, and transmission of African American heritage across Texas communities? Secondary questions:

  • How have museums and heritage organizations adjusted exhibits and outreach since state and federal recognition?
  • What shifts have occurred in funding for community-based archives before and after federal designation?
  • How do regional differences between urban centers (such as Houston and Dallas) and heritage sites like Galveston affect commemorative practices?
  • What role have school curricula played in shaping youth participation and intergenerational knowledge transfer?
  • How have nationwide holiday-themed merchandise sales changed?

Which revision of the major research question best incorporates insights from the most relevant complex secondary questions while maintaining clear focus and advanced researchability?

Across Texas communities, how have museum and school initiatives, shifts in funding for community archives, and regional differences between major cities and heritage sites such as Galveston shaped the preservation and public interpretation of Juneteenth since state and federal recognition?

How has Juneteenth changed American culture and commerce nationwide since its origins?

How do public school lesson plans in one Dallas district describe Juneteenth in 2023?

What has been the impact of national social media trends and retail sales on Juneteenth brand awareness?

Explanation

Choice A draws directly from the most relevant secondary questions (museums, archives funding, regional differences, schools) to refine the scope while remaining statewide and researchable. B is overly broad, C is too narrow and single-site, and D ignores the preservation and interpretation focus.

3

Major research question: How did the 1900 Galveston hurricane transform urban planning, economic networks, and coastal risk governance along the Texas Gulf Coast over the subsequent half-century? Secondary questions:

  • How did the seawall and grade-raising affect mortality reduction, investment patterns, and neighborhood redevelopment between 1905 and 1935?
  • In what ways did the Houston Ship Channel and changing rail logistics shift regional port dominance?
  • How did insurance markets, bond financing, and state-federal agencies influence municipal decision-making?
  • To what extent did tourism campaigns and real estate promotion reshape the island's post-disaster identity?
  • How did oyster fishery yields fluctuate in unrelated inland markets?

Which revision of the major research question best incorporates insights from the most relevant complex secondary questions while maintaining clear focus and advanced researchability?

What were the engineering specifications and construction timeline of Galveston's seawall between 1902 and 1904?

In what ways do hurricanes reshape American cities and economies in the long term?

How did the opening of the Houston Ship Channel affect Galveston's port tonnage?

From 1900 to 1950, how did Galveston's seawall and grade raising, the diversion of Gulf commerce to the Houston Ship Channel, and evolving insurance and intergovernmental financing reshape coastal urban planning and risk governance on the Texas Gulf Coast?

Explanation

Choice D integrates multiple relevant secondary questions (structural measures, economic rechanneling, and finance/governance) into a coherent, time-bounded inquiry with advanced scope. A is too narrow and technical, B is overly broad, and C isolates only one strand of the transformation.

4

Major research question: What governance frameworks best balance ecological risk, public consent, and scientific innovation in the prospective deployment of CRISPR-based gene drives to control vector-borne diseases? Secondary questions:

  • How do ecological modeling studies estimate spillover risks and the feasibility of reversibility mechanisms?
  • What deliberative processes and consent models have communities used in field trials of modified mosquitoes?
  • How do international biosafety agreements and national regulations interact to govern cross-border releases?
  • What tools for post-release monitoring and rollback (such as self-limiting drives) are operationally viable?
  • What are the capital costs of laboratory equipment at a single university?

Which revision of the major research question best incorporates insights from the most relevant complex secondary questions while maintaining clear focus and advanced researchability?

How should society govern biotechnology to maximize benefits and minimize harms?

Which governance approaches integrate community consent mechanisms from past mosquito control trials, compatibility with international biosafety agreements, and requirements for reversibility and post-release monitoring to manage CRISPR gene-drive risks in vector control?

What is the cost-effectiveness threshold for releasing a daisy drive against Aedes mosquitoes in one district during a single season?

How do ecological models estimate spillover and reversibility of gene drives across species?

Explanation

Choice B weaves together the most relevant secondary questions (community consent, international/national governance, reversibility and monitoring) into a focused, policy-oriented research question suitable for advanced inquiry. A is too broad, C is too narrow and technical, and D centers on only one analytic dimension.

5

Major research question: How have successive oil booms shaped Texas's economic resilience and cultural identity from 1901 to the present? Complex secondary questions:

  • Which policy responses to boom–bust cycles (severance taxes, stabilization funds) most affected long-term fiscal stability?
  • How did internal migration and immigrant labor patterns differ across boom periods (Spindletop, 1970s, shale)?
  • What environmental regulation milestones altered community perceptions of the industry?
  • How did global market shocks (1973 embargo, 1986 crash, 2014 price drop) interact with local education and infrastructure funding?
  • What role did oil philanthropy play in shaping arts and cultural institutions in cities like Houston and Midland?

Which revised major research question best incorporates insights from the most relevant secondary questions while maintaining clear focus and advanced researchability?

How did oil philanthropy shape arts institutions in one Texas city between 1950 and 1975?

How have oil booms and all energy developments changed Texas society, economy, politics, environment, and technology worldwide?

How did Texas policy responses to boom–bust cycles and global oil shocks shape long-term fiscal stability and community perceptions of the oil industry from 1930 to 2015?

How did migration into the Permian Basin during the 2008–2012 shale boom change school crowding?

Explanation

Option C synthesizes key secondary insights (policy responses, global shocks, community perceptions) into a focused, time-bounded question. A and D are too narrow or single-factor; B broadens beyond the guidance and loses focus.

6

Major research question: How do urban heat island mitigation strategies balance thermal inequity, energy demand, and urban biodiversity in large U.S. cities? Complex secondary questions:

  • How do cool roofs and expanded tree canopy compare in lowering peak summer land surface temperature in heat-burdened neighborhoods?
  • What are the trade-offs for water use, maintenance costs, and habitat connectivity?
  • How do policy adoption barriers differ across city districts (funding mechanisms, building codes, homeowner incentives)?
  • How do heat mitigation strategies interact with ozone formation and air quality alerts?
  • What measurement approaches (satellite LST vs. ground sensors) best capture neighborhood-level outcomes?

Which revised major research question best incorporates insights from the most relevant secondary questions while maintaining clear focus and advanced researchability?

How can cities become cooler?

How does planting trees on one block reduce the temperature on that block?

How do cool roofs, tree canopy expansion, and watering restrictions shape thermal inequity, energy markets, biodiversity, and culture across all global megacities?

How do combined tree-canopy expansion and cool-roof policies affect peak summer land surface temperature and ozone formation in heat-burdened neighborhoods, and what local barriers shape adoption?

Explanation

Option D integrates multiple relevant secondary questions (strategy comparison, air quality, policy barriers) into a focused inquiry at the neighborhood scale. A is vague; B is too narrow; C is overly broad and unfocused.

7

Major research question: How can Texas border communities preserve Tejano musical heritage amid streaming-era shifts in production, distribution, and audience engagement? Complex secondary questions:

  • What is the impact of local venues and festivals on sustaining intergenerational participation?
  • How can analog recordings and oral histories be digitized and archived for community access?
  • How do gentrification and venue displacement affect performance ecosystems?
  • What policy tools and grants are most effective, and how do funding constraints shape outcomes?
  • How do youth engagement patterns on social media influence local scene vitality?

Which revised major research question best incorporates insights from the most relevant secondary questions while maintaining clear focus and advanced researchability?

How can digitizing old recordings preserve Tejano music in one archive?

Which combination of local venue support and digital archiving most effectively sustains intergenerational engagement with Tejano music in two South Texas cities under gentrification and funding constraints?

How can music be preserved in the digital age?

How did Tejano music influence global pop?

Explanation

Option B draws on multiple key secondary questions (venues, archiving, gentrification, funding) and narrows scope to a comparative, researchable focus. A is too narrow, C is unfocused, and D is off-scope.

8

Major research question: How did the global adoption of social media platforms transform protest dynamics and state responses during the 2010s? Complex secondary questions:

  • How did encrypted messaging and platform algorithm changes affect mobilization speed and network structure?
  • In what ways did surveillance technologies and legal frameworks shape state countermeasures?
  • How did diaspora networks and cross-border information flows amplify or dampen turnout?
  • What metrics (network dispersion, arrest patterns, message virality) best capture outcomes?
  • Which cases allow for meaningful comparison without overgeneralizing across contexts?

Which revised major research question best incorporates insights from the most relevant secondary questions while maintaining clear focus and advanced researchability?

How did encrypted messaging and platform algorithm changes influence protest turnout and police tactics during 2019–2020 demonstrations in Hong Kong and Santiago, measured by network dispersion and arrest patterns?

How did social media change protests everywhere?

How did one encrypted app affect one march in one city on one day?

How did social media, messaging, surveillance, diaspora networks, international law, and economics reshape all political movements in the twenty-first century?

Explanation

Option A integrates multiple relevant secondary strands (platform affordances, state response, measurable outcomes) within a bounded comparative scope. B and D are overly broad; C is too narrow and ignores key factors.