Tips to Paper 2 source-based questions
Rule #1 – Thou shalt answer the question directly in your(use the keywords from the question) first sentence.
No need for an introduction
Rule #2 – Thou shalt not summarize. No
question will ask you
to summarize the sources, so never do it.
to summarize the sources, so never do it.
Rule #3– In comparison questions, thou shalt state exactly what the similarity/different is (discussing
sources separately will be a fail)
Rule #4 - Any question that involves 2 or more questions are comparison questions.
In these questions, be CAREFUL: What does the question ask
you to compare? Sometimes it’s only attitude or view about
something, or sometimes it’s usefulness, or sometimes reliability
Rule #5 – Thou shalt USE THE SOURCE(s) to back up your arguments i.e. lots of evidence and
quotes from the sources
Rule #6 – Thou shalt check if the question wants to you have 2-sided arguments.
E.g. only question #3 below is one-sided.
Rule #7 - Thou shalt not just look at the surface meaning. You may be expected to also discuss
the irony, tone or hidden messages sometimes.
Rule #8 - How useful is the source ≠ how reliable is the source:
USEFULNESS:
What can the source show that is helpful for us to understand something VS.
What the source fails to show
that’s important and should be shown
(mainly the content of the sources, but also providence!)
RELIABILITY: Reasons we can trust the source VS. Reasons we can’t trust the source
Use provenance of the sources to judge
("provenance" means date, author’s position, purpose, reasons for bias…)
("provenance" means date, author’s position, purpose, reasons for bias…)
How to answer each type of question
1 - How far do Source X and Source Y agree/disagree with each other?
The two sources agree/disagree only to some extent.
On one hand the sources agree because they both have a _____ attitude/view about…. → quote
The sources agree in their view about… / The sources both view ..… as……→ quote + explain
However, the sources disagree in the way they look at… → quote + explain
+One sentence to sum up your judgement on 'how far'
(Note:
- Make sure you are identifying the similarities and differences, NOT just summarizing
- Make sure you're comparing how the sources interpret the historical events (e.g. 'Both sources have a negative view on..."), NOT just comparing what the sources are about (e.g. "Both sources are about USA and Cuba)
- Sometimes the agreements / disagreements are not directly expressed in the sources, but implied
- The fact that the sources have the same focus doesn’t mean they agree! The fact that the sources are about different topics doesn’t mean they disagree!)
2-
Does Source X prove Source Y to be true/wrong?
On one hand, Source A proves Source B to be true because…. → quote
Source A proves/affirms Source B’s point about….by saying…→
quote
On the other hand, Source A may prove Source B to be wrong because…→ quote
Source A disproves Source B by saying… → quote
+One sentence to sum up your final judgement
(in this question, you can focus on the content of the sources, but also the provenance of the sources: e.g. if a source can be biased, it can’t be used to disprove another source. But you must explain why you think the source is biased)
+One sentence to sum up your final judgement
(in this question, you can focus on the content of the sources, but also the provenance of the sources: e.g. if a source can be biased, it can’t be used to disprove another source. But you must explain why you think the source is biased)
3- Why was Source X
published in the year 19xx?
Source A was published in 19… because it aims to…. (+ evidence)
(Make sure you first identify the big picture of the source. Then explain why the author published it in that particular year. This question involves lots of contextual knowledge.
Show that you understand the main message of the source, and discuss clearly the purpose / intention of the source, in the context of your own knowledge of the context of that period, and what did the author want to achieve by making the source known)
Show that you understand the main message of the source, and discuss clearly the purpose / intention of the source, in the context of your own knowledge of the context of that period, and what did the author want to achieve by making the source known)
Yes, Source… is more useful than Source … in different ways.
In terms of content, Source… can be more useful than Source …
both sources
can be similarly useful.
In terms of reliability, …..
In conclusion, Source … is more useful because…/ both sources are almost equally useful because…
5
- Are you surprised by this source?
Yes, I’m quite surprised by the source as it confirms that … instead of…
Taking into account the fact that the source was written by … it makes me more/less surprised…
The fact that “….” does / doesn’t surprise me because… I expect it to be… because…
I’m not surprised by the claim that…. because the source is written by….
Overall I am only a bit surprised that….because…
Yes, I’m quite surprised by the source as it confirms that … instead of…
Taking into account the fact that the source was written by … it makes me more/less surprised…
The fact that “….” does / doesn’t surprise me because… I expect it to be… because…
I’m not surprised by the claim that…. because the source is written by….
Overall I am only a bit surprised that….because…
not surprised: discuss the parts
that are reasonable or things you’ve already expected….
Surprised : discuss
the parts you don’t expect, either the content, the message, author, the date…
6
- Last question: How far do all these
sources prove that…….. ? (12 marks)
(a 2-sided answer will be immediately awarded 7 out of 12 marks!)
You don’t need to use every source, but don’t skip more than one
For each side:
-
show which sources support this side
-
quote from sources as evidence
- explain how the source supports this side
- for some sources, you may need to evaluate their reliability and purpose in order to judge whether they prove the statement or not (this gives you the highest marks)
Finally give a short final judgement on "how far"
Other types of questions
There are times when a question is not like any of the above. But don't worry! They are probably asking the same thing if you read carefully.
E.g. "Source A is about events before the Cuban Missile Crisis. Does it mean it has no use to historians studying the Crisis?"
---- this is basically asking "how useful is the source"
E.g. Why do you think Kennedy recorded this meeting?
---- this is basically asking "what is the purpose of the source" (like question #3 above)
E.g. How do you think the cartoonist in Source X would react to what Kennedy says in Source Y?"
---- this is similar to "how far do the sources agree"
- explain how the source supports this side
- for some sources, you may need to evaluate their reliability and purpose in order to judge whether they prove the statement or not (this gives you the highest marks)
Finally give a short final judgement on "how far"
Other types of questions
There are times when a question is not like any of the above. But don't worry! They are probably asking the same thing if you read carefully.
E.g. "Source A is about events before the Cuban Missile Crisis. Does it mean it has no use to historians studying the Crisis?"
---- this is basically asking "how useful is the source"
E.g. Why do you think Kennedy recorded this meeting?
---- this is basically asking "what is the purpose of the source" (like question #3 above)
E.g. How do you think the cartoonist in Source X would react to what Kennedy says in Source Y?"
---- this is similar to "how far do the sources agree"
Finally, if you encounter a question which you have absolutely no clue,
remember there are numerous other candidates who also have absolutely no clue! So...
