History · Grades 9–12

Questioning a primary source · Revision sheet

Reference sheet for Grades 9 to 12: 4 key ideas, including sourcing, context and corroboration. Practise sourcing, context, corroboration and perspective with a short fictional diary entry from the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.

Printable summary of the study guide Questioning a primary source.

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Learn the idea

Sourcing

Ask who made the source, when, where and why.

Context

Connect the source to what was happening at the time. The Winnipeg General Strike lasted from May to June 1919; workers sought better wages and the right to bargain collectively.

Corroboration

Check the source against other evidence, such as newspapers, photographs or official records from the same time.

Perspective and limits

A single source shows one viewpoint. Note what it cannot tell you.

Explain without looking

Write two questions a historian should ask before using this diary as evidence.
Explain how knowing the context of the Winnipeg General Strike helps you interpret this entry.

Check yourself

Four practice questions on this topic. Try each one before you open the answer.

Is this a primary or a secondary source for studying the past? A website written in 2022 that explains the causes of the First World War.
- a secondary source
- a primary source
Show the answer
a secondary source A secondary source was created later by someone interpreting or summarizing other evidence.
Is this a primary or a secondary source for studying the past? A recording of a speech made on the day it was given.
- a primary source
- a secondary source
Show the answer
a primary source A primary source was created at the time by someone involved in or witnessing the events.
Is this a primary or a secondary source for studying the past? A diary written by a soldier during the First World War.
- a primary source
- a secondary source
Show the answer
a primary source A primary source was created at the time by someone involved in or witnessing the events.
Is this a primary or a secondary source for studying the past? A photograph taken at the Charlottetown Conference in 1864.
- a secondary source
- a primary source
Show the answer
a primary source A primary source was created at the time by someone involved in or witnessing the events.