IB History Paper 1 - Word Bank for Source Evaluation
Compiled by Dave Nelson, ACS Athens (IB History SL/HL)
Purpose / Value / LimitationsThe source aims to / Presents strengths / Unsuccessful
To convince / Direct / Opinionated
Classified / Presented to the public / What it does not include
Intended / Discover different view points / It may represent only one nation’s opinion
To sway opinion / Clearly stated / Exaggerated
Propaganda / Historical accuracy / Have fear of retribution
A reason why it should be studied / Could be subjective
To cement / Example of official document/ version of events / Altered
To justify / Example of encouragement (‘positive’ propaganda) / Limited extract
To analyze / Timing of the source / This particular portion could be taken out of context
To show / Piece of legislation / Scripted
To provide examination/ reflection/ overview / Secondary source well/ crossed Referenced work / Politically motivated
To state support for
or approval of / Balanced overall account / It is what the audience wanted to hear
To inform the public / Official document / Lacks an inside review
To explain / National Origin / Source is not aware of
To set in context / Credibility / Secondary source not well referenced
To urge / A clue to something / It is what the speaker/ author wanted to be believed
To record / Evidence of emotion / Dates and Publisher
To simplify complex arguments / Reflective of social standards / Not focused
To recount / First hand recognition / Soviet source: Limited access to soviet archives before 1991 (Glasnost)
To expose / As a one time ____ the author he should ____ / Public representation of official policy
To comment / Provides insight of the subject / Overly critical
Used to save someone’s self / Provides hindsight / Translation (should be avoided)
To assess / Includes recent research from the time / Source of statistics not given
To warn / Critical and specific context / China: Chinese government sources are often falsified
To give a full account / Gives clear indication / Not very reliable WHY?
To summarize / Represents points of view / Lacked detailed information
To be read by a wide public / Relatively objective / Background of the author
To present new evidence / It shows / explains actions/ beliefs etc
To deal with the subject/ theme of… / Clearly focused
To contextualize / Appears to have consulted
To define / Personal reflection
To indicate / Contemporary
To educate / Authority of a well-known ____
To make more accessible to / Eye-witnesses accounts
To defuse / Suggestions it gives
To prevent / avoid / Reliability
To shed light on / away from / Soviet source: Gained access to soviet archives after 1991 (Glasnost) / Subject to censorship of the time
To describe / Primary sources:
Provides first-hand knowledge
Provides snapshot of the time / Primary Source:
Too involved in the event
Misses the big picture
To keep a record of / Secondary sources:
Hindsight and objectivity