#2: Primary & Secondary Source - Examples

Question 1

Speeches

Answer 1

Primary Source

Question 2

Letters

Answer 2

Primary Source

Question 3

Pottery

Answer 3

Primary Source

Question 4

Online Articles

Answer 4

Secondary Source

Question 5

Documentaries

Answer 5

Secondary Source

Question 6

Weapons

Answer 6

Primary Source

Question 7

History Textbooks

Answer 7

Secondary Source

Question 8

Memories

Answer 8

Primary Source

Question 9

Journals

Answer 9

Primary Source

Question 10

Clothing

Answer 10

Primary Source

Question 11

Bones

Answer 11

Primary Source

Question 12

Wikipedia

Answer 12

Secondary Source

Question 13

Encyclopedias

Answer 13

Secondary Source

Question 14

Paintings

Answer 14

Primary Source

Question 15

Statues

Answer 15

Primary Source

Question 16

Buildings

Answer 16

Primary Source

Question 17

Historical Claims

Answer 17

Secondary Source

Question 18

An autobiography

Answer 18

Primary Source

Question 19

A biography

Answer 19

Secondary Source

Question 20

Someone telling you a story they heard

Answer 20

Secondary Source

Question 21

An interview

Answer 21

Primary Source

Question 22

A YouTube Video on the history of Rome

Answer 22

Secondary Source

Question 23

Answer 23

In this case, the program is a primary source because was made for fans at an African-American league baseball game in the mid-1900s.

Question 24

Answer 24

In this case, the map is a primary source it was made by people who lived during the Philippine-American War and who participated in the war.

Question 25

Answer 25

In this case, the cylinder is a primary source because it is a monument made in Persia during the 500s BCE.

Question 26

Answer 26

In this case, the interview is a primary source because it was given by a leader of the Velvet Revolution about his actions during the revolution.

Question 27

Answer 27

In this case, the diary is a primary source because it was written by a soldier in the Civil War.

Question 28

Answer 28

In this case, the book is a secondary source because it was written thousands of years after the Maya first used chocolate.

Question 29

Answer 29

In this case, the song is neither a primary or a secondary source because it does not relate to your research goal.

Question 30

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand how the United States government reacted to the 1957 launch of Sputnik. Sputnik was the first man-made satellite and was launched by the Soviet Union. The United States considered the Soviet Union to be a dangerous enemy. Keep your research goal in mind. Is the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“An interview with important members of the U.S. government, published in a newspaper a few days after Sputnik launched.”

Answer 30

Primary

Question 31

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand how the United States government reacted to the 1957 launch of Sputnik. Sputnik was the first man-made satellite and was launched by the Soviet Union. The United States considered the Soviet Union to be a dangerous enemy. Keep your research goal in mind. Is the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“A museum exhibit about the beginnings of NASA, the space program created by the United States government in 1958 to compete with the Soviet Union.”

Answer 31

Secondary

Question 32

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand how the United States government reacted to the 1957 launch of Sputnik. Sputnik was the first man-made satellite and was launched by the Soviet Union. The United States considered the Soviet Union to be a dangerous enemy. Keep your research goal in mind. Is the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“A memo from a meeting between the president of the United States and his advisers the day after Sputnik launched.”

Answer 32

Primary

Question 33

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand how ordinary soldiers spent their free time during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Keep your research goal in mind. Then decide whether the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“A deck of cards used by soldiers who fought during the Civil War.”

Answer 33

Primary

Question 34

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand how ordinary soldiers spent their free time during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Keep your research goal in mind. Then decide whether the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“A television documentary about how Civil War soldiers spent their time.”

Answer 34

Secondary

Question 35

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand how ordinary soldiers spent their free time during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Keep your research goal in mind. Then decide whether the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“An imaginary story about soldiers who fought during the Civil War.”

Answer 35

Neither

Question 36

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand the Protestant Reformation, a religious movement of the 1500s and 1600s. Keep your research goal in mind. Then decide whether the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“A list of religious leaders from the last 100 years.”

Answer 36

Neither

Question 37

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand the Protestant Reformation, a religious movement of the 1500s and 1600s. Keep your research goal in mind. Then decide whether the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“Laws passed in the 1520s and 1530s by communities that were a part of the Protestant Reformation.”

Answer 37

Primary

Question 38

Imagine that you are a historian who wants to understand the Protestant Reformation, a religious movement of the 1500s and 1600s. Keep your research goal in mind. Then decide whether the source below is a primary source, a secondary source, or neither:

“An exact copy of the document from the year 1527 that inspired the Protestant Reformation.”

Answer 38

Primary