Primary Source Analysis Skills

What is a perspective?

• Facts or proof of something

• A person's point of view

• A person lying about something

• A person's bias

What is historical context?

• The point of view of a source

• The people who would have read a source

• The time period in which a source was created

• The person who created a source

Whose perspective would be visible in Christopher Columbus' diary?

• The Spanish King's

• Spanish sailors

• Native Americans

• Christopher Columbus

Which source would most likely provide a Native American perspective?

• Artifacts from Native American sites

• A Spanish sailor's journal

• A book about Native Americans

• A letter from Christopher Columbus to the King

What might be the perspective of a French sailor arriving in American for the first time?

• He would be surprised by what he saw

• He would be knowledgeable about the Natives there

• He would be concerned about recording his findings for a book

• None of the above are reasonable perspectives

Which describes the historical context of Christopher Columbus' diary?

• It was written by a historian after Columbus' voyages

• It was written during Columbus' voyages

• It was written well after the Age of Exploration

• It was written before the Age of Exploration

Which describes the most likely historical context of a speech about Columbus given on Columbus Day in the 1950s?

• The speech was made when Americans wanted to celebrate Columbus

• The speech was made during the Age of Exploration

• The speech was made to convince people that Columbus was evil

• None of the above

How are context and perspective usually related?

• A person's perspective changes depending on who they are discussing the events with

• A person's perspective changes depending on who they are

• A person's perspective changes depending on whether or not they were a primary witness to events

• A person's perspective changes depending on how much time has passed since the events they discuss

What is author's purpose in a source?

• The historical events happening at the time the source was created

• The author's point of view

• The reason why a person creates a source

• The audience of a source

Which is an example of how author's purpose and perspective might be related in a lunchroom fight scenario?

• A student who saw the fight from the corner might tell a different story than someone nearby.

• A person who is friends with those in the fight might lie to the principal to protect their friend.

• The principal might encourage witnesses to tell the truth.

• None of the above