ATAR Modern History Units 3 & 4

This page shows some typical source analysis questions, advice on how to answer them, and the marking keys used in past exams. These marking keys indicate what your examiner will be looking for when they mark you.

Note: some of the explainers here have a lot of steps. Don't panic! If you practice this it should start to feel more natural.

Compare and Contrast

For each source:

  1. Look closely and consider the source
  2. Identify what message the source is communicating to the audience (What is the author's message or argument? What was he/she trying to get across?) 

Then, in your response, write:

  1. The message of source one
  2. Write how source one communicates this message (techniques such as language, symbols, size of characters, etc.) and provide evidence of this
  3. Repeat the above two steps for source two
  4. Discuss how the messages are similar (compare)
  5. Discuss how the messages are different (contrast)

Identify and account

Here, you have to say what the author's perspective is and explain why they have that perspective in relation to the topic. (In this case, the topic is the political circumstance represented in the source).

Perspective is about how an author sees the world- socially, culturally, historically, emotionally. Often, you will need to think about a person's context in order to figure out 'where they are coming from'. 

In your response:

  1. Write the perspective behind Source 3
  2. Identify how the source revealed the perspective (show evidence)
  3. Say why you think the author had this perspective (consider motive, bias, time, place, purpose)
  4. Repeat the above steps for Source 4

 

Evaluate

A source is useful if it is relevant to the topic and can give you information that you need. Usefulness could be a matter of degree (moderately, highly, etc.) rather than simply useful/not useful. 

Here you are being asked to make a judgment about how well the sources help to develop an understanding of the topic. 

In your response, write:

1. Whether Source 1 is useful as a representation of [the topic]. As part your argument, consider both the weaknesses and the strengths of the source in representing the topic. 

2. Repeat the above step for Source 2.

3. Write which source, 1 or 2, is ultimately more useful, and say why. 

Contestable

Contestability is the idea that things are open to debate, and different interpretations. Historians can look at the same source and come to different conclusions, and will often discuss their disagreements to try and find out the truth. Sources are often contestable when the lack of clear evidence means that multiple interpretations are possible. 

To answer this question:

  1. Identify what parts of Source 3 are contestable
  2. Explain why Source 3 is contestable and show evidence (outline the different possible interpretations, consider the arguments, biases or perspectives that can be disputed)
  3. Repeat these steps for Source 4. 

Explain Historical Context

Look carefully at the source. Consider:

  1. When was the source created?
  2. What is the focus (topic, issue etc.) of the source?
  3. Key events/issues/changes that happened before, at the time, and after the source, that relate to the focus?

Then, in your response:

  1. Write who created the source, and when
  2. Identify the focus of the source
  3. Outline key events/issues/changes that make the focus of the source significant/relevant

Evaluate Importance of Idea

Evaluate means to make a judgment. Here, you are being asked to make a judgment about whether the idea identified is important (significant/meaningful) to the period of study (e.g. the idea of Communism during Russia 1917-1945). 

To answer this question:

1. Write how the idea is represented in each of the sources, briefly providing evidence.

2. Using evidence from the sources and your knowledge of the whole period of study, evaluate the importance of the idea. Remember to consider the broad historical context, the impact of the idea, and how the idea relates to other themes/events/ideas that occurred in the period. 

Remember that in an evaluation you may also consider arguments about why the idea could be unimportant.