Working with evidence, Year 8: more practice

Corroboration

HintIt begins with "cor-", meaning "together".

The whyCorroborated details can be trusted more. The word also gives us "corroborate", meaning to support a claim with other evidence.

No — they may differ in viewpoint, knowledge or purpose

HintThink about where each writer was standing.

The whyWitnesses see different parts of an event, and makers have different aims. A clash is a reason to ask more questions, not to pick a side at once.

They cannot just be copying each other

HintTwo copies of the same mistake do not add up to two pieces of evidence.

The whyIf one writer copied the other, their agreement proves nothing new. Independent accounts that agree are much stronger evidence.

Source A

HintCompare the times each one gives.

The whySource C corroborates A on the time, which makes it more likely, though not certain. Cross-referencing weighs how many sources agree and how good they are.

Less secure, because nothing else supports it

HintIs there anything to check it against?

The whyOne source may be mistaken or biased and nothing can show it. A historian treats a single-source claim carefully and looks for more.

Yes — it can still answer some questions

HintThink of propaganda.

The whyPropaganda is a poor guide to facts but excellent evidence of what a government wanted people to think.

The question being asked

HintA source is useful FOR something.

The whyA diary may be useful for one question and no use for another. Always ask: useful for what?

Useful

HintThe other word asks whether you can trust it.

The whyReliable asks about trustworthiness; useful asks about fit with your question. Separating the two avoids mistakes in source work.

How charities tried to persuade people to donate

HintThink about what the leaflet was trying to do.

The whyThe exaggeration makes it unreliable about how bad conditions truly were, but it shows how charities worked and what donors were expected to respond to.

Soldiers held back, and censors cut, bad news

HintWho else read the letter before it was sent?

The whySoldiers often wrote reassuringly to protect their families, and censors removed anything that might harm morale. The letter is still useful evidence of what soldiers chose to say.