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Chapter 1: What does a Historian Do?

Total questions: 73

Worksheet time: 35mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which is a pair of examples of history?

a)

a sports event tomorrow and an artifact from 5,000 years ago

b)

a speech yesterday and an artifact from 4,000 years ago

c)

an invention from 100 years ago and a space flight in three years

d)

a fossil and a skyscraper that will be completed in two years

2.

If a historian writes his or her opinion, this is an example of

a)

a primary source.

b)

a secondary source.

c)

an encyclopedia article.

d)

an artifact.

3.

When historians interpret a document, one way that they can determine if the source is trustworthy is by

a)

investigating the social status of its creator.

b)

finding out the age of the writer.

c)

evaluating how much information is contained in the document.

d)

considering the point of view of the author.

4.

They are the captains and kings, saints and fanatics, traitors, rogues and villains, pathfinders and explorers, thinkers and creators, even, occasionally, heroes.


The speaker in the passage above is referring to

a)

the people who write history.

b)

the people who become historians.

c)

the people who become archaeologists.

d)

the people who make history.

5.

A historian’s work includes all of the following except

a)

turning ancient discoveries into modern technology.

b)

teaching and learning about culture and identity.

c)

studying and interpreting history.

d)

making predictions about the future based on the past.

6.

An ancient arrowhead is an example of

a)

an artifact.

b)

a fossil.

c)

a secondary source.

d)

a written record.

7.

Studying history can help us with decision-making because

a)

in the past people made better decisions.

b)

it helps us to know ourselves better.

c)

it teaches us about world cultures.

d)

people can decide to be historians, archaeologists, or geographers.

8.

Each of the following are typically used as primary sources except

a)

diaries.

b)

treaties.

c)

biographies.

d)

letters.

9.

Which of these items are artifacts that a historian could use to learn about the lives of prehistoric peoples? Select all that apply.

a)

bone necklace

b)

cave painting

c)

dinosaur fossil

d)

human skeleton

e)

stone weapon

10.

The Gregorian calendar

a)

is used by all of the world today.

b)

is used by nobody in the world today.

c)

is used by most of the world today.

d)

is only used by Europe today.

11.

The study of fossils from prehistoric times is called

a)

anthropology.

b)

archaeology.

c)

geology.

d)

paleontology.

12.

When historians draw conclusions, they look for

a)

other historians’ opinions.

b)

how people view events in present times, not past.

c)

facts and evidence in their primary and secondary sources.

d)

bias and opinions in secondary sources.

13.

How can you distinguish fact from opinion in historical writing?

a)

Look for biased statements of opinion.

b)

Check the copyright date of the work.

c)

Investigate the author’s credentials.

d)

Search to see if there are other books on the topic.

14.

a large division of time

a)

fossil

b)

era

c)

bias

d)

scholarly

15.

a class of individuals with similar physical characteristics

a)

archaeology

b)

fossil

c)

anthropology

d)

species

16.

the study of objects to learn about past human life

a)

artifact

b)

conclusion

c)

scholarly

d)

archaeology

17.

a decision reached after examination of evidence

a)

conclusion

b)

anthropology

c)

artifact

d)

scholarly

18.

an object made by people

a)

conclusion

b)

artifact

c)

archaeology

d)

anthropology

19.

concerned with academic learning or research

a)

archaeology

b)

artifact

c)

conclusion

d)

scholarly

20.

the study of human culture and how it develops over time

a)

artifact

b)

scholarly

c)

anthropology

d)

conclusion

21.

Ten decades is call a

a)

Era

b)

Century

c)

Millennium

d)

leap year

22.

Which of the following is considered a primary resource?

a)

Diary

b)

Encyclopedia

c)

Junior Scholastic magazine

d)

History textbook

23.

Historians studying the same topic will always come to the same conclusion.

a)

True

b)

False

24.

Why didn't this cave painting include a written description of what was happening?

a)

It's just artistic work.

b)

It was drawn before people learned to write.

c)

It was too dark in the cave to write.

d)

They didn't have ink for writing.

25.

What can you infer from the cave painting?

a)

The artist was a woman.

b)

They used berries for paint.

c)

Hunting was important to the people.

d)

Fishing was important to their survival.

26.

To learn answers to historical questions, historians...

a)

look for evidence

b)

talk to others with their same thoughts

c)

make guesses about what happened

d)

interview others who studied history

27.

When using GRAPES the P stands for....

a)

people

b)

pizza

c)

politics

d)

pets

28.

When sequencing events in order a historian may use a...

a)

slide presentation

b)

time line

c)

calendar

d)

journal

29.

Labels on a time line include which of the following...

a)

AD

b)

PM

c)

AM

d)

BC

30.

A reliable source

a)

is your best friend

b)

is written from a trustworthy view

c)

is usually a secondary source

d)

has to be a primary source

31.

Pottery is to archaeology as bone is to

a)

Archaeology

b)

Anthropology

c)

paleontology

d)

geology

32.

A historian needs to evaluate a primary source to decide if it has a trustworthy point of view.

a)

True

b)

False

33.

Letters, diaries, and government records are examples of secondary sources.

a)

True

b)

False

34.

Ten decades grouped together is called a millennium.

a)

True

b)

False

35.

An example of a secondary source would be

a)

a. the biography of a famous general.

b)

b. a hand-drawn map by an explorer.

c)

c. the election records from a presidential race in 1860.

d)

d. a letter written from the battlefield to a soldier’s wife.

36.

The study of historical interpretations is called

a)

Anthropology

b)

Archeology

c)

historiography

d)

secondary sources

37.

Historians can learn about ancient civilizations by studying items such as weapons, tools, and pottery, which are called

a)

fossils

b)

species

c)

treasure

d)

artifacts

38.

The study of human culture and how it develops over time is called

a)

archaeology

b)

anthropology

c)

prehistory

d)

paleontology

39.

A group of 100 years is known as a(n)

a)

century

b)

decade

c)

era

d)

millenium

40.

What do the Muslim, Hebrew, and Gregorian calendars have in common?

a)

They all began at the same point in time.

b)

They were all based on events of religious importance.

c)

They contained the same number of days

d)

They were derived from the Julian calendar.

41.

Why didn’t this cave painting include a written description of what was happening?

a)

The artist intended it to be just an artistic work.

b)

It was drawn before people learned to use written language.

c)

Because it was in a cave, it was too dark to do any extensive writing.

d)

The dyes used for the pictures were not suited to writing.

42.

Cave paintings from prehistoric eras would be considered

a)

fossilized remains.

b)

historical data.

c)

primary sources

d)

secondary sources

43.

A well-researched article about a historical topic might be published in

a)

a scholarly journal

b)

a newspaper

c)

an encyclopedia

d)

a textbook

44.

An example of a secondary source is

a)

a diary

b)

a letter

c)

a government document

d)

an encyclopedia

45.

A historian uses information from sources to draw conclusions.

a)

True

b)

False

46.

A secondary source is a firsthand piece of evidence written by someone who was present during the event.

a)

True

b)

False

47.

A secondary source is a good place to find new evidence about a historical topic.

a)

True

b)

False

48.

When you make an inference, you

a)

read many opinions about a subject

b)

read only primary sources about an event

c)

rely on your own experience in your life

d)

use trustworthy sources to make a judgement about an event

49.

An example of a narrow field of study is

a)

growing coffee in Peru

b)

Ancient China

c)

the Vietnam war

d)

Latin American Politics

50.

A primary source is more likely to be written from a biased point of view than a secondary source.

a)

True

b)

False

51.

The reason that historians may interpret the same event differently is because some historians are more experienced than others.

a)

True

b)

False

52.

The first historical era, more than 5,000 years ago is called,______and refers to a time before people developed writing.

a)

decade

b)

prehistory

c)

century

d)

Gregorian Calendar

53.

In the Gregorian calendar, events are dates either before or after the birth of ________.

a)

Jesus

b)

The Sun

c)

The Moon

d)

Abraham Lincoln

54.

A group of ten years is called a ________.

a)

century

b)

leap year

c)

decade

d)

bundle

55.

An example of a secondary source would be________.

a)

the biography of a famous general.

b)

a hand-drawn map by an explorer.

c)

the election records from a presidential race in 1860.

d)

a letter written from the battlefield to a soldier's wife.

56.

Primary sources ________.

a)

are usually unreliable since the writers were probably biased.

b)

were created by the people who saw or experienced the event.

c)

can only be found in the reference sections of large libraries.

d)

include biographies, encyclopedias, or history books.

57.

The first historical era, more than 5,000 years ago is called,______and refers to a time before people developed writing.

a)

decade

b)

prehistory

c)

century

d)

Gregorian Calendar

58.

A group of 100 years is known as a _______.

a)

decade

b)

century

c)

leap year

d)

full moon

59.

Firsthand evidence of an event in history

a)

primary source

b)

secondary source

c)

third source

d)

bias

60.

A document or written work created after an event

a)

primary source

b)

secondary source

c)

third source

d)

bias

61.

A personal attitude about people or life

a)

bias

b)

point of view

c)

scholarly

d)

conclusion

62.

An unreasoned, emotional judgement about people and events

a)

evidence

b)

credentials

c)

bias

d)

conclusion

63.

Concerned with academic learning or research

a)

evidence

b)

scholarly

c)

conclusion

d)

era

64.

A decision reached after examining clues

a)

conclusion

b)

credentials

c)

evidence

d)

bias

65.

The ending of a URL for a government Web site

a)

.com

b)

.edu

c)

.gov

d)

.org

66.

The ending of a URL for a Web site of an educational institution

a)

.com

b)

.gov

c)

.edu

d)

.org

67.

The ending of a URL for a Web site of an organization

a)

.com

b)

.edu

c)

.gov

d)

.org

68.

To present someone's work as your own without giving that person credit

a)

plagiarism

b)

bias

c)

evidence

d)

era

69.

Pottery from an archaeological dig is considered...

a)

Biased

b)

A secondary source

c)

Evidence

d)

A conclusion

70.

remains of plants or animals that have been preserved from an earlier time

a)

evidence

b)

fossil

c)

artifact

d)

secondary source

71.

something that shows proof that something is true, such as material objects or written documents

a)

era

b)

primary source

c)

evidence

d)

secondary source

72.

The years before the birth of Jesus are labeled ______

a)

B.C.

b)

A.D.

c)

B.C.E.

d)

A.D.D.

73.

The years after the birth of Jesus are labeled _____

a)

B.C.

b)

A.D.

c)

B.C.E.

d)

A.D.D.