Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Front

Identify the source type: A play showing how Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a lightning storm.

Back

SECONDARY

Answer explanation

The play is a dramatization of historical events, making it a secondary source. Primary sources are original documents or artifacts, while secondary sources interpret or analyze primary sources.

Front

Identify the source type: A short story describing Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla's 'electrical' battle.

Back

SECONDARY

Answer explanation

The source is a secondary type because it describes events involving Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla rather than providing firsthand accounts or original documents from that time.

Front

Identify the source type: Anne Frank's diary describing her life during World War 2.

Back

PRIMARY

Answer explanation

Anne Frank's diary is a firsthand account of her experiences during World War 2, making it a primary source. Primary sources provide direct evidence or firsthand testimony, unlike secondary sources that analyze or interpret primary data.

Front

Identify the source type: A cartoon showing how Pocahontas met John Smith

Back

SECONDARY

Answer explanation

The cartoon is a representation of an event, not a direct account or artifact from the time of Pocahontas and John Smith. Therefore, it is classified as a secondary source, as it interprets or depicts historical events.

Front

Identify the source type: A textbook describing the civil rights movement.

Back

SECONDARY

Answer explanation

A textbook describing the civil rights movement is a secondary source because it analyzes and interprets primary sources, such as documents and firsthand accounts from that era.

Front

Identify the source type: A news report about the opening of a power plant.

Back

PRIMARY

Answer explanation

The news report about the opening of a power plant is a primary source because it provides direct information about an event as it happens, rather than analyzing or interpreting it later.

Front

Identify the source type: A scientist explaining what it was like for Buzz Aldrin to walk on the moon.

Back

SECONDARY

Answer explanation

The source is SECONDARY because it describes an event (Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon) through the perspective of a scientist, rather than being a firsthand account from Aldrin himself.

Front

Identify the source type: A YouTube video describing how the pyramids were built.

Back

SECONDARY

Answer explanation

The YouTube video is a secondary source because it interprets and presents information about how the pyramids were built, rather than providing direct evidence or firsthand accounts.

Front

Identify the source type: An interview with Alexander Graham Bell about how he invented the telephone.

Back

PRIMARY

Answer explanation

The interview with Alexander Graham Bell is a firsthand account of his invention process, making it a primary source. Primary sources provide direct evidence or firsthand testimony, unlike secondary sources that analyze or interpret primary data.

Front

Identify the source type: A radio broadcast from the day the Soviet Union launched Sputnik.

Back

PRIMARY

Answer explanation

The radio broadcast from the day of the Sputnik launch is a firsthand account of the event, making it a primary source. Primary sources provide direct evidence or firsthand testimony, unlike secondary sources that analyze or interpret primary data.