CGL Data Analysis and Interpretation 3

Question 1

A genealogist compares two wills written 15 years apart by the same testator. The second will omits a previously named son. What analytical steps should follow?

Accepted Answer

Research whether the son died, was disinherited, or relocated, using corroborating records

Answer

Omission from a later will has multiple possible explanations that must be tested against additional evidence such as probate, obituary, and land records.

Question 2

Which principle of source analysis requires a genealogist to evaluate who created a record, when, and for what purpose before using it as evidence?

Accepted Answer

Information assessment

Answer

Information assessment is the step in the Genealogical Proof Standard that evaluates the informant's knowledge and the record's creation context.

Question 3

When teaching audiences to use passenger manifests, which data field is most analytically valuable for distinguishing immigrants of the same name?

Accepted Answer

Contact person and address in the destination country

Answer

The contact person named on post-1906 manifests often identifies a relative, providing a genealogically actionable link to the immigrant's network.

Question 4

A researcher finds that an ancestor's recorded birthdate shifts by up to three years across multiple documents. What is the correct analytical response?

Accepted Answer

Weigh each source by its proximity to the birth event and informant knowledge

Answer

Birth records created close to the event by knowledgeable informants carry more evidentiary weight than later records created from memory.

Question 5

In analyzing a family's migration pattern using a series of land and tax records, a genealogist notices a five-year gap with no records. What is the best interpretive framework?

Accepted Answer

Consider records losses, migration, economic hardship, or renting rather than owning as explanations

Answer

Gaps in the record trail reflect multiple possibilities including record destruction, migration, or changed economic circumstances requiring investigation.

(CGL) Certified Genealogical Lecturer Practice Test

(CGL) Certified Genealogical Lecturer Practice Test

CGL Data Analysis and Interpretation 3