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Source Based Question
Reliability
Source-Based Questions
• When analysing sources, look at provenance,
tone, purpose, content
• Be open-minded, sometimes ok to react to a
cartoon, picture or text
• Skills – inferences, compare/contrast,
reliability, cross-references, usefulness
Source-Based Questions
Inferencing, MUST:
State your inference
• Give evidence from the source
• Explain the evidence
• Link back to the question
Common mistakes:
• More than one inference
• Evidence from source not related to
inference
• No explanation
• No link
OR
REMEMBER
– primary sources (from the time) are immediate and
even eyewitness, but they may lack perspective/
objectivity/ may be biased. Secondary sources
(written afterwards – eg textbooks) can be
dispassionate and use a number of primary sources,
but they may be guilty of misinterpreting facts (until
the 1960s, history books were often written to carry a
message – eg Marxist, Nazi)
– sometimes the question may ask you about the
'accuracy' of the source = reliability!
Steps:
1st - Test the information/claims of the source against other
sources and your own knowledge. Does it give the true
facts and feelings from the time – use your own
knowledge.
2nd - Look at the provenance to establish context, origin
and purpose – the situation in which it was written, who
wrote it, and whether it is one-sided/propaganda etc.
Look at sufficiency – does it give the whole story – what
has it missed? Relate what you are saying to the
specific context of the source - try to talk not only about
generalities such as 'it may be biased', but about the
specific situation (e.g. <N> would be biased because...')
3rd - Make sure you come to a CONCLUSION based on
facts.
REMEMBER when answering:
 ALWAYS use a quote/ facts from
the Sources.
 ALWAYS use your own knowledge/
FACTS - esp. when it says ‘use your
own knowledge’
 ATBQ (= 'answer the bloody
question')
Example 1
The principal has announced that the
school did very well in the recently
completed World Scholars Cup. They won
the first and third in both the senior and
junior divisions.
Do you believe what you have just heard?
Source-Based Questions
What are some of the questions you will ask
to assess reliability?
Example 2
A salesman is selling vitamins in your school.
He claims that taking the vitamins will boost
brain power and students who buy them will
obtain good results in their examinations. He
shows you a video testimony of 2 students
who took the vitamins before their PSLE and
have gone to the top schools in Singapore.
Do you believe what you have just heard?
Source-Based Questions
What are some of the questions you will ask
to assess reliability?
Source-Based Questions
• Purpose is not simply bias, don’t just
assert this is propaganda
• Purpose is not simply the message of
the source
• Purpose is the result the author wishes
to achieve through the message, impact
of message on audience ie importance of
audience
Example 3
Imagine that a Secondary 4 Geena has
accused her classmate Sheryl of bullying
her sister Shannon who is in Sec 1. Just last
week, Sheryl had defeated Geena in their
schools annual Humanities Quiz.
Do you believe Geena’s accusation?
Source-Based Questions
What are some of the questions you will ask
to assess reliability?
Source-Based Questions
Reliability:
• Cross references – checking against other
sources or our own knowledge
When to CR, ask:
• Do we need to check?
• What is it I want to check?
• What is it I am checking against?
Avoid generalisations which omit one or more
of the above. Need for specific details for
proper CR to CK.
Factor
Question to Consider
Provenance
Where does the source come from?
Who wrote/produced/ created it?
When was it written/ produced/ created?
What is the background of the creator of the
source?
Typicality
Is this the only source with this point of
view?
Content
What does the source tell you?
What can you infer from the information in the
source?
Does the source contain facts, opinions or
both?
Are there any inconsistencies in the source?
Why was the source written/produced/
created – was it to express an opinion or
influence or persuade the reader?
Purpose or/ Is the source one-sided or does it present
and Tone both sides of the argument?
Does the source contain exaggerated or
loaded words or emotive images?
Does the source contain words that are
meant to make you feel a particular way?
Other
Do other sources or contextual knowledge
sources/
Contextual agree with this source?
Knowledge
Steps
Step 1
Analyse the question and identify the issue/topic
asked?
Step 2
Study the provenance of the source – where it
comes from, who the author is, etc. This helps to
determine the credibility of the source.
Step 3
Evaluate the content of the source – look out for
facts, opinions, claims, exaggeration, loaded
words, etc.
Steps
Step 4
Examine the point of view and purpose of the author – is
he biased, does he want to influence the reader to agree
with his point of view?
Step 5
Compare the source in question to other sources and/or
your own contextual knowledge – what do the other
sources say, do they agree or disagree with what the
source says, or is the source consistent with contextual
knowledge?
Step 6
Weigh the evidence and make conclusions on the
reliability of the source.
Practice 1
How reliable is this photo in showing that the PAP lacked
support in 2006 elections?
Source-Based Questions
Provenance – if the picture comes from a blogsite that
is critical of the government, is it more or less
reliable?
Typicality – “this is just one source, so I can’t believe
it”
Every source is just 1 source. Check if it is typical, can
we make a fair generalisation.
Source Type – “this source is reliable because it is a
photograph and photographs do not tell lies”
Is this true?
Practice 2
Exercise:
Look at the cartoon by Liu Kang, how
reliable is the cartoon in showing that the
Japanese were ruthless during the
Japanese Occupation?
A cartoon by Singaporean artist, Liu Kang, who lived during the period
of the Japanese Occupation.
Source-Based Questions
What are some of the questions you will ask
to assess reliability?
Poser
If a source is one sided, is it unreliable?
The End