KS3 history skills - how and why excavations are carried out

History Quiz - History Skills 02 (Questions)

Historians use sources to understand the past, but they must question who created them, why they were made and how trustworthy each piece of evidence really is.

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Fascinating Fact:

A source can be biased if it shows only one side of an event, but it can still be valuable if its viewpoint is understood.

In KS3 History, you learn how to question evidence and think like a historian. You compare sources, look for bias, consider provenance and decide how far you can trust each account.

Key Terms

Source: Any piece of evidence that gives information about the past, such as a letter, photo, speech or cartoon.
Bias: When a source favours one side or viewpoint and does not present events in a completely balanced way.
Provenance: The background of a source, including who created it, when it was made and why it was produced.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What does bias mean in KS3 History?

In KS3 History, bias means that a source is not neutral. It shows a particular opinion or interest, which can affect how events and people are described.

How do historians check if a source is reliable?

Historians compare several sources, look at the provenance, and ask whether the creator had a reason to exaggerate, leave things out or present events in a certain way.

Why do historians still use biased sources?

Historians use biased sources because they reveal attitudes, beliefs and arguments from the time. When their viewpoint is understood, they can still provide useful evidence about the past.

Try These Related Quizzes

Someone who excavates historical sites is called what?

[ ]	Anthropologist
[ ]	Archaeologist
[ ]	Archaeopteryx
[ ]	Archivist

A historian may be said to do what with evidence?

[ ]	Internalise it
[ ]	Interpolate it
[ ]	Interpret it
[ ]	Interrogate it

What is an anachronism?

[ ]	A book about a historical figure
[ ]	A huge fear of spiders
[ ]	A reason for going to war
[ ]	Something placed in the wrong time period

Which of these is not a primary source?

[ ]	A photo of the World War One trenches
[ ]	Anne Frank's diary
[ ]	Bones in a burial chamber
[ ]	Last week's newspaper article about the slave trade

Historians use what to show events in order?

[ ]	Calendar line
[ ]	Chronoline
[ ]	Lifeline
[ ]	Timeline

What term means a source produced after an event?

[ ]	Consequential
[ ]	Fake
[ ]	Secondary
[ ]	Subsidiary

What is a hypothesis?

[ ]	A historical error
[ ]	A possible explanation
[ ]	A Roman central heating system
[ ]	A source that has been damaged

Which period of history came immediately before the Middle Ages?

[ ]	The Black Ages
[ ]	The Classical Age
[ ]	The Dark Ages
[ ]	The Doomsdays

Objects as evidence are known as what?

[ ]	Aristofacts
[ ]	Artefacts
[ ]	Factoids
[ ]	Factotums

10.

Which of these is the correct chronological order?

[ ]	Stuarts, Tudors, Victorians, Georgians
[ ]	Tudors, Georgians, Stuarts, Victorians
[ ]	Tudors, Stuarts, Georgians, Victorians
[ ]	Tudors, Stuarts, Victorians, Georgians

History Quiz - History Skills 02 (Answers)

Someone who excavates historical sites is called what?

[ ]	Anthropologist
[x]	Archaeologist
[ ]	Archaeopteryx
[ ]	Archivist

They excavate a site very carefully using fine brushes and trowels so that they don't break something they find or miss anything important. The location of every 'find' is carefully added to a map of the excavation site

A historian may be said to do what with evidence?

[ ]	Internalise it
[ ]	Interpolate it
[x]	Interpret it
[ ]	Interrogate it

Different historians may interpret the same evidence in different ways

What is an anachronism?

[ ]	A book about a historical figure
[ ]	A huge fear of spiders
[ ]	A reason for going to war
[x]	Something placed in the wrong time period

e.g. a Roman soldier with an AK47 rifle

Which of these is not a primary source?

[ ]	A photo of the World War One trenches
[ ]	Anne Frank's diary
[ ]	Bones in a burial chamber
[x]	Last week's newspaper article about the slave trade

The article was written long after the event, based on other sources

Historians use what to show events in order?

[ ]	Calendar line
[ ]	Chronoline
[ ]	Lifeline
[x]	Timeline

A timeline is very useful to help remember and understand the events in a specific area

What term means a source produced after an event?

[ ]	Consequential
[ ]	Fake
[x]	Secondary
[ ]	Subsidiary

These are sometimes produced by researching primary sources and other secondary sources

What is a hypothesis?

[ ]	A historical error
[x]	A possible explanation
[ ]	A Roman central heating system
[ ]	A source that has been damaged

The key word here is possible. A hypothesis will usually evolve and change as time passes and new evidence is found, or if old evidence is examined and looked at from a different point of view

Which period of history came immediately before the Middle Ages?

[ ]	The Black Ages
[ ]	The Classical Age
[x]	The Dark Ages
[ ]	The Doomsdays

The Dark Ages were approximately 600-1000 AD