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History · 02 / 07

Analyse a historical document

Middle school · Worked example and 4 exercises with solutions, at your pace.

UnderstandSee an exampleGuided exercise3 progressive challenges

The principle, simply

Identify type, author, production date, audience and context. Separate document date from events described. Sources may describe, justify, persuade or commemorate. Evidence and knowledge answer the task. Discuss scope and omissions without treating biased sources as information-free.

THE PICTURE TO REMEMBERAnalyse a historical document
  1. 01Identify
  2. 02Select evidence
  3. 03Contextualise
  4. 04Discuss scope

WORKED EXAMPLE

From principle to reasoning

A mobilisation poster reveals its producer’s intended message, not the whole population’s agreement. Participation data and testimony may support or qualify interpretation.

Solve a problem in this subject

  1. Locate

    Identify period, actors, place and document type. Dates matter when they locate actions within processes.

  2. Separate fact and interpretation

    Testimony records experience or viewpoint. Compare author, audience, context and other sources before generalising.

  3. Explain connections

    Distinguish causes, triggers and consequences. Organise ideas supported by precise examples, not an unexplained chronology.

  4. Qualify

    Compare perspectives and scales. State what evidence shows, omits and cannot establish.

YOUR TURN

01 · Try before checking

Why cannot a political poster reveal every resident’s opinion?

One hint

Separate message from reception.

Reveal and understand the solution

It shows intention and representation rather than measured agreement. Reception evidence and other sources are needed.

Compare method, conditions and answer; identify the exact part to revisit.

IMPROVE THROUGH PRACTICE

Three additional challenges with solutions

Start with the first challenge. Write your method before opening a hint; use the solution to find the first step that needs work.

Reflect after practising
02 · Recognise and understandLink to this exercise

Does an official speech promising national unity prove everyone is united?

A hint to get started

A speech first reveals a position and purpose.

Step-by-step solution
  1. Identify author, audience and context.
  2. The promise reveals a political aim or strategy.
  3. It does not measure the entire population’s opinion.

Which step did you miss? Retry without help, then explain why the method works.

03 · Apply the methodLink to this exercise

How should a poster and newspaper giving different accounts be compared?

A hint to get started

Compare production as well as content.

Step-by-step solution
  1. Identify dates, authors, audiences and media.
  2. Compare claims, displays and omissions.
  3. Seek independent evidence and separate factual disagreement from different perspectives.

Which step did you miss? Retry without help, then explain why the method works.

04 · Go furtherLink to this exercise

Write a sentence using testimony without treating it as exhaustive truth.

A hint to get started

Attribute the information explicitly.

Step-by-step solution
  1. Model: “According to this witness, the event was experienced as…”
  2. Support the interpretation with a specific passage.
  3. Add that this perspective illuminates one experience rather than all participants.

Which step did you miss? Retry without help, then explain why the method works.

The trap to avoid

Context alone without analysing evidence is insufficient.

Without notes, can you…

  • Explain the principle in your own words?
  • Rebuild the diagram and its connections?
  • Solve the exercise and justify the method?

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