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Skills practice questions.

253 exam-style questions on Skills with answers and explanations. Six real samples below — the full set is free with an account.

Syllabus

Topics covered

Key terms

Definitions you need

cross-referencing' (corroboration) when working with sources
Comparing two or more sources to see where they agree or disagree, so a historian can test the reliability of claims and build a stronger, evidence-based interpretation.
reliability' as used in the evaluation of historical sources
Reliability is the degree to which a source can be trusted to give an accurate account, judged by considering its origin, purpose, potential bias, the author's position and knowledge, and whether it can be corroborated by other evidence.
provenance' as used in source evaluation
Provenance is the origin of a source: who created it, when, where and under what circumstances. Establishing provenance helps a historian judge a source's authenticity, reliability and value before using its content.
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Sample questions

When assessing the 'value' of a private diary written at the time of events, which factor most increases its value to a historian?

  • Written at the time, revealing genuine private views
  • It was published decades later for a wide audience
  • It contains only official government statistics
  • It was written by someone with no connection to the events

Answer: Written at the time, revealing genuine private views

A contemporaneous private diary is valuable because it captures the author's honest, unfiltered thoughts at the moment of events, without the distortion of hindsight or an intention to persuade a public audience.

A limitation of a political propaganda poster as historical evidence is that it:

  • Presents a one-sided, persuasive message
  • Is always anonymous and undated
  • Cannot reveal anything about a regime's aims
  • Is never produced by governments

Answer: Presents a one-sided, persuasive message

Propaganda is designed to persuade, so it selectively presents information and is inherently biased. However, this same feature makes it valuable for revealing the aims, values and messaging a regime wanted to project.

A source written by a participant shortly after an event is best described as

  • a secondary source
  • a primary source
  • a historiographical source
  • a tertiary source

Answer: a primary source

Primary sources originate from the time/participants under study; secondary sources are later interpretations by historians.

Which of the following is best classified as a secondary source?

  • a diary kept during the events
  • a treaty signed at the time by governments
  • a textbook chapter analysing events
  • a photograph taken at the scene

Answer: a textbook chapter analysing events

Secondary sources are later interpretations produced by others studying the period, not evidence created at the time.

The command term 'compare and contrast' requires you to

  • describe only the similarities
  • give a separate account of each event with no links
  • discuss both similarities and differences together
  • decide which subject was more important

Answer: discuss both similarities and differences together

A running comparison that addresses similarities and differences together is stronger than two isolated descriptions.

In OPCVL source evaluation, identify what the 'O' stands for.

  • Objectivity
  • Origin
  • Outcome
  • Opinion

Answer: Origin

In OPCVL, 'O' is Origin (who produced the source, when and where), from which value and limitation are then deduced.

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253 Skills questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.

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