01
Choose one
1 point
A researcher studies how a person remembered an event years later. The person wrote a memoir about the event. How should the memoir be classified for this research question?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
2 Working with Historical Sources Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 2 Working with Historical Sources, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
True or false
1 point
A persuasive speech can be useful evidence about what its speaker wanted an audience to believe, even if it is not a neutral account of events.
- A
True
- B
False
03
Choose one
1 point
A letter asks for more workers. Which statement is a direct observation of the letter’s content rather than an inference?
- A
The writer was worried about a labor shortage.
- B
The letter asks for more workers.
- C
The writer expected the request to succeed.
- D
The workplace had too few workers.
04
Choose all
1 point
Which actions are appropriate when corroborating historical sources? Select all that apply.
- A
Check whether accounts agree, differ, or leave gaps.
- B
Treat agreement among several sources as proof, even if they rely on the same report.
- C
Consider whether apparently agreeing accounts are independent.
- D
Discard disagreements because they cannot help establish a conclusion.
05
True or false
1 point
A textbook explaining an earlier event can also be a primary source when the research question is how history was taught when the textbook was published.
- A
True
- B
False
06
Choose one
1 point
A public speech and a private letter discuss the same issue but use different language. What is the best first approach to explaining the difference?
- A
Assume the source's meaning is self-evident.
- B
Examine who created it, its intended audience and purpose, and the conditions at the time.
- C
Focus only on whether the source agrees with a modern interpretation.
- D
Ignore the source's silences if its statements seem accurate.
07
Choose all
1 point
Which elements should a historian include in an evidence-based argument? Select all that apply.
- A
Explain how relevant evidence supports the claim.
- B
State that one source proves the conclusion without examining its origin.
- C
Acknowledge important limitations or conflicting evidence.
- D
Include every detail from each source, whether relevant or not.
08
Written response
1 point
What is the historical method of comparing sources to see where they agree, differ, or leave gaps called?
09
Fill in the blank
1 point
A letter asks for more workers. Calling this a sign that the writer was worried about a labor shortage is an .
10
Written response
1 point
In source analysis, what is the term for the people expected to read, hear, or view a source?
11
Fill in the blank
1 point
A researcher studying a period uses a law created during that period. For this investigation, the law is a source.
12
Open ended
1 point
A researcher investigates a workers' strike using a worker's letter, a newspaper report, company records, and a later historian's account. Explain how comparing these sources could help the researcher develop a more balanced account, and identify an important limitation to keep in mind.
13
Choose one
1 point
The creator of a historical document is unknown. Which approach best evaluates its authorship?
- A
An unknown creator means the source cannot be used as evidence.
- B
The creator's beliefs can be treated as certain even when the source gives no clues.
- C
Consider what the source supports about its creator and what cannot be inferred.
- D
Ignore authorship and evaluate only the source's date.
14
Choose one
1 point
A historian studies how history was taught in schools when a particular textbook was published. How should the textbook be classified for this investigation?
- A
It is always a secondary source because textbooks interpret the past.
- B
It can be a primary source because the research concerns how history was taught when it was published.
- C
It is a primary source only if its author witnessed the earlier event.
- D
It cannot be used as a historical source because it is not an original document.
15
Choose one
1 point
A letter asks for more workers. Which statement is a direct observation of the letter's content rather than an inference about the writer?
- A
The letter asks for more workers.
- B
The writer was worried about a labor shortage.
- C
The writer expected the labor shortage to worsen.
- D
The writer was trying to persuade the recipient to change policy.
16
Choose one
1 point
A researcher asks whether a speech was designed to reach voters or a small group of officials. Which part of source analysis is the researcher applying?
- A
The speech's historical context
- B
The speech's completeness
- C
The speech's intended audience
- D
The speaker's closeness in time to the events
17
Choose one
1 point
A historian finds that a speech was designed to persuade its audience and presents events selectively. What is the most appropriate conclusion about its usefulness?
- A
Its bias makes it useless for any historical question.
- B
It may be useful evidence of what the speaker wanted the audience to believe.
- C
Its claims should be accepted as accurate because it was public.
- D
It can only show what the audience actually believed.
18
True or false
1 point
A memoir written years after an event can be a primary source for a study of how its author later remembered that event.
- A
True
- B
False
19
Written response
1 point
What is the historical method of comparing sources to identify where they agree, differ, or leave gaps?
20
Written response
1 point
A researcher investigates who created a source and how that creator's role or interests may have shaped it. Which source-analysis category is being examined?