Primary and Secondary Sources

Roy is an archaeologist. During a recent archaeological dig in China, he discovered a clay tablet that contained a series of diagrams about plants and trees. After further investigation, he discovered that the tablet contained records kept by a renowned gardener from ancient China.

Based on this information, what type of primary source is this tablet?

• university record

• personal record

• corporate record

• government record

What is one way that historians can establish the authenticity of a primary source?

• by comparing the source to other established sources from that time period

• by conducting endless chemical tests on the source to establish its reliability

• by relying on the claims of the archaeologist who discovered the primary source

• by relying on information provided on personal blogs or government websites

What is one main characteristic of secondary sources intended for academics and students?

• They include interesting events and characters to entertain the audience.

• They include drawings and maps to illustrate the work.

• They include a bibliography and citations to credit the sources.

• They include URLs for websites and blogs to support the arguments.

What is the most important reason for citing a source when quoting it directly?

• to give credit to the source

• to make your work seem complete

• to add more information to your work

• to pick ideas from different sources

When analyzing a source, historians want to remain objective. In other words, they don't want to be influenced by their personal feelings and opinions. They know that different sources may reveal different _____________

• answers

• questions

• biases

• points of view

Tara is a documentary filmmaker. She was hired to make a film about an archaeological dig. She took many close-up shots of archaeologists uncovering precious artifacts. The film she made can be classified as a ____________ source.

• primary

• secondary

The Mona Lisa is one of the most talked about paintings in the history of art. It is the only painting which is undisputedly believed to be painted by Leonardo da Vinci. It was sold to the king of France for 4,000 gold coins back when da Vinci was alive. There is a lot of debate about the subject of the painting and, to date, there is no reliable information about the woman featured in the Mona Lisa. It has baffled historians and art critics over the ages. However, it can be said that the woman was very important to da Vinci. It could be someone he loved.

Regardless of the subject of the painting, most people cannot deny that the painting itself is a true marvel. Da Vinci was the world’s greatest genius. He mastered nineteen professions. It’s a feat no ordinary man could accomplish easily, if at all.

• It is the only painting which is undisputedly believed to be painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

• However, it can be said that the woman was very important to da Vinci. It could be someone he loved.

• Da Vinci was the world’s greatest genius. He mastered nineteen professions. It’s a feat no ordinary man could accomplish easily, if at all.

Match the source of information to its target audience:

a personal diary of an ancient Egyptian tax collector and ____________________

• personal information

• student

• government officials

• owner of a new business

Match the source of information to its target audience:

annual national census data and ___________________

• new business owner

• government officials

• student

• personal information

Match each source to the correct source type.

census data, records related to

the law of a nation, military records

• government records

• organizational records

• business records

• personal records