Primary Source Analysis Worksheet
This worksheet helps students practice analyzing primary sources by examining historical documents and artifacts.
Includes
Standards
Topics
Primary Source Analysis
Name:
Date:
Score:
Read each question carefully and provide thoughtful answers based on your understanding of primary source analysis. For questions involving a provided source, imagine the source is presented to you.
1. Which of the following is the best definition of a primary source?
A textbook account of historical events.
An original document or artifact created at the time of an event.
A scholarly article interpreting historical data.
A documentary film about a historical period.
2. What is the primary purpose of analyzing a primary source?
To memorize facts for a test.
To understand the author's personal biases.
To gain direct insight into past events and perspectives.
To create a fictional narrative.
3. When analyzing a primary source, historians consider the in which it was created to better understand its context.
4. The of a primary source refers to who created it and what their background or perspective might be.
5. A diary entry is an example of a primary source.
6. Imagine you are analyzing a photograph from the Great Depression. List three questions you would ask to analyze this source effectively.
7. Explain the difference between internal and external criticism when evaluating a primary source.
8. All primary sources are completely objective and free from bias.
True
False
9. A historian should always use only one primary source to form a conclusion about an event.
True
False
Use the words below to complete the sentences.
10. Understanding the of a source involves researching the social, political, and economic conditions at the time it was created.
11. Historians look for by comparing multiple sources to see if they agree on key facts.
12. The of a source refers to its trustworthiness and reliability.