Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Identify the source type:

A radio broadcast from the day the Soviet Union launched Sputnik.

• PRIMARY

• SECONDARY

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.

Identify the source type:

A YouTube video describing how the pyramids were built.

• PRIMARY

• 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.

Secondary source documents include all of the following EXCEPT:

• A biography

• An analysis of original documents

• Sources created by someone who wasn't involved in the event and at a later time in history

• Original materials

Answer explanation

Original materials are primary sources, not secondary. Secondary sources, like biographies and analyses, interpret or analyze primary sources, while original materials provide direct evidence from the time of the event.

Identify the source type:

A play showing how Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a lightning storm.

• PRIMARY

• 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.

Identify the source type:

A book describing Christopher Columbus sailing to America.

• PRIMARY

• SECONDARY

Answer explanation

The book is a secondary source because it describes events (Columbus sailing to America) that were not directly experienced by the author. Primary sources would be original documents or accounts from Columbus himself.

Identify the source type:

A news report about the opening of a power plant.

• PRIMARY

• SECONDARY

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.

Identify the source type:

A journal by a cowboy about the cattle drives from Texas to Kansas.

• PRIMARY

• SECONDARY

Answer explanation

The journal by a cowboy is a firsthand account of cattle drives, making it a primary source. Primary sources provide direct evidence or firsthand testimony of historical events.

Identify the source type:

A famous artist's painting of what cowboy life was probably like.

• PRIMARY

• SECONDARY

Answer explanation

The painting represents an interpretation of cowboy life, making it a secondary source. Primary sources are original documents or artifacts, while secondary sources analyze or depict primary sources.

Identify the source type:

A short story describing Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla's 'electrical' battle.

• PRIMARY

• 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.

Identify the source type:

A textbook describing the civil rights movement.

• PRIMARY

• 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.