Primary source, secondary source—or it depends?

Name: ____________________________________ Date: _____________________

Instructions: Mark each item P (primary), S (secondary) or D (depends). Write one sentence explaining how the source relates to the question.

1. A dated letter from a city resident describing the bridge opening that morning. Research question: How did people present that day describe the opening?
2. A textbook chapter published decades later summarizing the bridge project. Research question: What is the author’s historical interpretation of why the bridge was built?
3. A street photograph taken at the time of a community parade. Research question: What signs and clothing were visible at the parade?
4. A 2025 documentary using dramatized scenes to explain life in ancient Rome. Research question: What was daily life actually like in ancient Rome?
5. An original poster advertising a local railway in 1910. Research question: How did railway companies advertise in 1910?
6. A scholarly article published in 2022 comparing many 1910 advertisements. Research question: What arguments do historians make about early advertising?
7. A public speech recording made during an election campaign. Research question: What did the candidate say in that speech?
8. A modern biography quoting that candidate’s speeches. Research question: What does a later writer conclude about the candidate’s goals?
9. A newspaper article written by a reporter who witnessed a flood that afternoon. Research question: What did people read about the flood on the day it happened?
10. A contemporary memoir written many years after the author survived the flood. Research question: What does that survivor remember experiencing?
11. A chart printed by a census office in the year of a population count. Research question: What did the census office report that year?
12. A recent article discussing patterns across five historical censuses. Research question: What conclusion does the writer draw about long-term migration?
13. A photograph of a museum exhibit caption written by a curator today. Research question: What does the curator believe the object was used for in the past?
14. The same modern museum caption used to study museum writing this year. Research question: How are museum curators explaining this object to visitors now?
15. A recently written school textbook about the medieval period. Research question: No research question is provided. You might study medieval history or the way schools teach history now.
16. A diary kept by a student during a school closure. Research question: What was one student’s experience during the closure?
17. A teacher’s recent presentation comparing student diaries from that closure. Research question: What themes does the teacher identify across diaries?
18. A modern website reproducing an old map alongside a new explanatory paragraph. Research question: No research question is given: you may study the historical map or the website’s new explanation.
19. A field archaeologist’s original excavation notes describing objects just found. Research question: What was recorded and measured during that excavation?
20. A later museum guide describing the excavation and interpreting its finds. Research question: How does the museum interpret the finds?
21. A music recording captured live at a festival in 1975. Research question: What could audiences have heard at that concert?
22. A recent critic’s essay discussing many performances from the 1970s. Research question: How does the critic interpret that musical period?
23. A movie released in 2021 portraying an ancient battle. Research question: No question is provided: you may study the ancient battle or popular portrayals of the battle in 2021.
24. A 1960s city council meeting minute book. Research question: What decisions were recorded at the 1960s meetings?

Teacher/parent answer key

1. 1. Primary — The letter is a firsthand account created during the event. It tells you a person’s perspective, not necessarily the full story.
2. 2. Secondary — The chapter is a later synthesis and interpretation of earlier evidence.
3. 3. Primary — The image directly records the scene at the time, although framing and selection matter.
4. 4. Secondary — The film is a modern reconstruction and interpretation, not an ancient eyewitness record.
5. 5. Primary — The advertisement is an artifact created by the company in the period being studied.
6. 6. Secondary — A scholarly analysis of earlier records is a secondary interpretation for this question.
7. 7. Primary — The original recorded speech is direct evidence of what was said.
8. 8. Secondary — The biography summarizes and interprets other documents.
9. 9. Primary — The contemporaneous report is direct evidence of media coverage, but its accuracy still needs checking.
10. 10. Primary — A first-person recollection can be primary evidence even when written later; memory limitations matter.
11. 11. Primary — The contemporaneous official count is an original record for what the agency reported.
12. 12. Secondary — The article interprets original data; check the underlying census records if the claim matters.
13. 13. Secondary — For that question, the modern caption is the curator’s interpretation of an older object.
14. 14. Primary — The caption itself is direct evidence of contemporary museum interpretation.
15. 15. Depends — It is usually secondary for medieval history, but primary evidence for modern textbook language or education practices.
16. 16. Primary — The diary records the student’s perspective during the event.
17. 17. Secondary — The presentation is a later synthesis of the original accounts.
18. 18. Depends — The scanned original map may serve as primary evidence about the old map; the modern explanation is secondary for historical events.
19. 19. Primary — The contemporaneous field notes are an original observation record.
20. 20. Secondary — The guide reports and interprets the excavation’s earlier records.
21. 21. Primary — A recording made at the event gives direct evidence of that performance.
22. 22. Secondary — It is later analysis, not a recording of the performances themselves.
23. 23. Depends — For ancient combat it is a modern interpretation; for 2021 historical entertainment it is a primary cultural artifact.
24. 24. Primary — The original minutes are a contemporaneous record of those meetings, though they may omit context.