01
True or false
1 point
True or false: If a primary source expresses a particular perspective, that perspective automatically proves the source is false.
Free Practice Quiz Question List
2 Working with Primary Sources Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 2 Working with Primary Sources, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Written response
1 point
What is the historical research term for comparing a source with other evidence to check agreement or disagreement?
03
Fill in the blank
1 point
In the routine “observe, question, investigate,” first note concrete details as an .
04
Choose one
1 point
A historian wants to establish a source's historical context before interpreting it. Which information is most relevant?
- A
The later reputation of the institution that now holds the item
- B
When and where it was made, what was happening, and the circumstances of its creation
- C
Whether the source agrees with a present-day reader's beliefs
- D
How many times the source has been cited in modern books
05
True or false
1 point
True or false: A newspaper article is always a primary source, regardless of the historical question.
- A
True
- B
False
06
Written response
1 point
In the routine “observe, question, investigate,” which step comes first?
07
Fill in the blank
1 point
When evaluating a source, consider its intended audience and how that audience might shape its .
08
Choose one
1 point
A researcher uses a government report to support a claim about conditions across an entire population. Which evaluation is most careful?
- A
It proves that everyone experienced the same events in the same way.
- B
It is useful only if no other sources exist.
- C
It may strongly show what the agency officially recorded, but not establish everyone's experience.
- D
It cannot provide evidence about the agency that created it.
09
Choose all
1 point
A historian studies a persuasive recruitment poster. Select all conclusions the poster can support or limitations that should be recognized.
- A
It can provide evidence about the message its creator wanted to promote.
- B
It proves that its intended audience accepted the message.
- C
It may be limited evidence for what people actually experienced.
- D
Its persuasive purpose makes it useless for historical research.
- E
By itself, it cannot establish whether audiences believed its message.
10
Choose one
1 point
A poster shows a uniformed figure. Which statement is an interpretation rather than a direct observation?
- A
The poster shows a uniformed figure.
- B
The poster was designed to encourage enlistment.
- C
The poster contains a printed image.
- D
The poster includes words near the figure.
11
Choose all
1 point
A researcher is corroborating a claim about a past event. Select all appropriate practices.
- A
Compare evidence from different creators, formats, and perspectives.
- B
Discard any source that disagrees with the first one found.
- C
Look for both agreement and disagreement among sources.
- D
Identify details that need further checking.
- E
Treat agreement as proof that every source is complete and neutral.
12
Choose one
1 point
A researcher finds a photograph of an old document online. What should they do before relying on it as evidence?
- A
Assume the online version is complete because it is hosted by a collection.
- B
Treat the scan as the original and skip checking its form.
- C
Check whether the copy is complete, cropped, transcribed, translated, or otherwise edited.
- D
Use the item only if it has not been digitized.
13
Open ended
1 point
A researcher claims that one government report proves everyone in a population experienced an event in the same way. Explain why the claim may go beyond what the report can establish and describe how the researcher could build a more careful historical argument.
14
True or false
1 point
True or false: Primary sources are complete and neutral accounts of the past.
- A
True
- B
False
15
Choose one
1 point
A researcher infers that a poster was designed to encourage enlistment. Which evidence should the researcher use to test this inference?
- A
Examine the poster’s wording, creator, and context.
- B
Determine whether audiences believed the message.
- C
Treat the poster as proof of soldiers’ actual experiences.
- D
Assume that its intended purpose is obvious from its image alone.
16
Choose one
1 point
A historian studies a newspaper article written without firsthand knowledge of an event. The research question is, “What did this newspaper report about the event?” How should the article be treated for this question?
- A
It is primary evidence for what the newspaper reported.
- B
It is always a secondary source because newspapers interpret events.
- C
It is primary evidence for every event it describes.
- D
It cannot be used as historical evidence unless its author witnessed the event.
17
Written response
1 point
In the routine “observe, question, investigate,” what is the second step?
18
Choose one
1 point
A focused search for historical materials returns few results. Which change is most likely to help locate relevant sources?
- A
Use only the modern name of the place or group.
- B
Search only for the creator’s name.
- C
Include older names, spellings, or terms people used at the time.
- D
Avoid focused questions so that the search returns more results.
19
Written response
1 point
What two-word term describes the circumstances surrounding a source’s creation, including when and where it was made and what was happening?
20
Choose one
1 point
A researcher finds a potentially useful item in an archive. Which information is a catalog record especially useful for identifying?
- A
The researcher’s preferred interpretation and final conclusion
- B
The source’s title, creator, date, format, and collection
- C
A guarantee that the source represents every perspective
- D
Proof that the source is complete and unedited