LEAP Analyzing Primary Source Documents 5

Question 1

A student reads a speech given by Huey Long, Louisiana's governor in the 1930s. The speech promises to share wealth with the poor. What type of primary source analysis skill is needed to evaluate the speech's claims?

Accepted Answer

Evaluating the author's credibility, audience, and political purpose

Answer

Evaluating a political speech requires assessing the speaker's credibility, their intended audience, and the political goals behind their promises.

Question 2

Which of the following would be considered a primary source for researching Louisiana's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005?

Accepted Answer

A blog post written by a New Orleans resident during the storm in 2005

Answer

A blog post written during the event by a person who experienced it is a firsthand account and qualifies as a primary source.

Question 3

A student reads two accounts of the same Louisiana flood: one from a government relief agency and one from a displaced resident. The accounts describe different experiences. What does this BEST illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Historical events are experienced differently depending on one's position and perspective

Answer

Different accounts of the same event reflect the reality that people's positions and roles shape what they observe and how they interpret events.

Question 4

What is the purpose of asking 'So what?' after analyzing a primary source document?

Accepted Answer

To determine the historical significance of the document and what it reveals about the past

Answer

Asking 'So what?' pushes students to move beyond description and determine why the document matters and what it tells us about history.

Question 5

A student is comparing an 1890 Louisiana sharecropping contract with a freedman's personal account from the same period. The contract is formal and legal; the account describes hardship. What does comparing these documents reveal?

Accepted Answer

There can be a gap between the formal terms of an agreement and the lived experience of those it affected

Answer

Comparing formal documents with personal accounts reveals the often significant difference between official terms and the actual human experience of those affected.

(LEAP) Louisiana Educational Assessment Program Practice Test

(LEAP) Louisiana Educational Assessment Program Practice Test

LEAP Analyzing Primary Source Documents 5