Best Practices & Methodologies Flashcards

A historian reads a letter written by a Jamestown colonist to investors in England. Which factor most affects how reliable the letter is as evidence of daily life?

Answer: The colonist's purpose in writing to recruit investors

A writer trying to attract investors may exaggerate conditions, which affects reliability.

Which is an example of a primary source about the Civil War?

Answer: A diary kept by a Union soldier

A diary was created by a participant at the time of the events.

What does a historian do when two sources about the Battle of Yorktown disagree?

Answer: Compare them with additional sources and consider each author's perspective

Corroboration across multiple sources and checking point of view resolves conflicts.

A map showing Virginia's rivers and Fall Line would best help explain which development?

Answer: Location of early colonial towns and trade

Rivers and the Fall Line shaped settlement and transportation in colonial Virginia.

Which question best helps determine the point of view of a political cartoon from the 1850s?

Answer: Who created it and what position did they support?

Knowing the creator's background and stance reveals the cartoon's bias.

A graph shows Virginia's population by decade from 1790 to 1860. Which skill is being used when a student identifies the trend?

Answer: Interpreting quantitative data

Reading trends in a graph is interpreting quantitative data.

Which is the best example of cause and effect?

Answer: The Stamp Act led colonists to organize boycotts

The Stamp Act is a cause and the boycotts are its effect.