McGraw-Hill's encyclopedia of world arts is an example of which type of reference work?

• A. General encyclopedia
• B. Subject encyclopedia
• C. Biographical encyclopedia
• D. Directory

Answer: (B)

Reference works are categorized by the scope of their coverage. A subject encyclopedia focuses on a specific field or discipline and provides in-depth articles about topics within that area. McGraw-Hill's encyclopedia of world arts fits this description because it centers on the arts across cultures, organizing entries around topics, movements, terms, and aspects of world arts rather than presenting general knowledge or biographical listings.

It’s not a general encyclopedia, which would cover a broad range of subjects across many fields. It isn’t a biographical encyclopedia, since its main content isn’t driven by individual people and their life stories. It isn’t a directory, which is primarily a listing of names, addresses, or contact information.