Practice question · Put in order
Put the questions of source criticism in their working order.
- What is it? Establish the genre and its conventions
- Who made it, when, and how close to the event?
- What is missing, and why?
- Why was it made, what is its purpose?
- What does it take for granted?
- For whom was it made, who is the audience?
Hints
- Genre comes first because it sets the expected distortions.
- Purpose comes next because it gives the direction of bias.
Show the answer
- What is it? Establish the genre and its conventions
- Who made it, when, and how close to the event?
- Why was it made, what is its purpose?
- For whom was it made, who is the audience?
- What does it take for granted?
- What is missing, and why?
Why
Genre first, because it sets the expected distortions; purpose next, because it gives the bias direction. The last two are where the source stops arguing and starts telling you things.
Practise Source Criticism in Practice
The app has 4 more questions on this lesson, and keeps your place in the course. History I is free to start.
More questions on Source Criticism in Practice
- Complete the practice.
- Sort each situation: strong corroboration or illusory corroboration?
- Two sources diverge exactly where their interests diverge. What follows?
- Four independent chronicles agree on the size of an army. How much does the agreement add?
- Why is purposeless detail often the most trustworthy part of a document?
- Source criticism is the preliminary stage completed before the historical argument begins.
- What makes a historical argument honest?
- Why is admitting what the evidence cannot settle a strength?