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English Language: Elementary School: Grades 3, 4 and 5 Quiz - Grade 4 Reading Information - First and Secondhand Accounts (Questions)

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Students will begin using primary and secondary sources in their research projects. They will need to determine how primary sources are written based on a firsthand account. Secondary sources contain written information from secondhand accounts. When researching, the students should be able to determine the differences and similarities between the information in the firsthand account compared to the information in the secondhand account. In this quiz, the students will read two accounts of the same topic and answer questions about them.

Story 1 - Lincoln's Assassination

For a few moments all was quiet, and the play again held my attention until, suddenly, the report of a pistol was heard, and a short time after I saw a man in mid-air leaping from the President's box to the stage, brandishing in his hand a drawn dagger. His spur caught in the American flag festooned in front of the box, causing him to stumble when he struck the stage, and he fell on his hands and knees. He quickly regained the erect posture and hopped across the stage, flourishing his dagger, clearing the stage before him and dragging the foot of the leg, which was subsequently found to be broken, he disappeared behind the scene on the opposite side of the stage. Then followed cries that the President had been murdered, interspersed with cries of "Kill the murderer!" "Shoot him!" etc., from different parts of the building. The lights had been turned down, a general gloom was over all, and the panic-stricken audience were rushing toward the doors for exit and safety.

Story 2 - Lincoln's Assassination

On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was warned by multiple people not to attend the play at the Ford Theater that night, but Lincoln insisted on going. When he arrived at the Ford Theater, the play had already begun. The play, “An American Cousin” was stopped temporarily to greet and seat the president. Then the play continued for a while. Lincoln’s bodyguard was relieved of his duties for a short period of time. Then around 10:30 p.m., John Wilkes Booth came into the presidential box and shot Lincoln in the head. Booth jumped over the box and onto the stage. There was much confusion. Booth was very famous in the area since he was an actor. So, many people in the audience thought this might be part of the play. When Booth landed on the stage, he injured himself and hobbled away.
1. Read Story 1 - Lincoln's Assassination above.
Dr. Charles Leale was in the audience and wrote Story 1 in his book that was published in 1909.
What type of account is Story 1?
[ ] Firsthand account
[ ] Secondhand account
[ ] Thirdhand account
[ ] It is both first and secondhand accounts.
2. Read Story 1 - Lincoln's Assassination above.
What information helps you figure out what type of account this is?
[ ] Dr. Leale wrote this text in 1909.
[ ] Dr. Leale was at the Ford Theater when Lincoln was shot.
[ ] Dr. Leale wrote this from what he heard people say.
[ ] Dr. Leale wrote what he thought happened even though he didn't see anything.
3. Read Story 2 - Lincoln's Assassination above.
This text was written in 2012 by the author who researched information to write this text.
What type of account is Story 2?
[ ] Firsthand account
[ ] Secondhand account
[ ] Thirdhand account
[ ] It is both first and secondhand accounts.
4. Read Story 2 - Lincoln's Assassination above.
What information helps you figure out what type of account this is?
[ ] The author included dates and times.
[ ] It is about Lincoln's assassination.
[ ] The author was not at the event.
[ ] The author includes a lot of details.
5. Read Story 1 and 2.
What is a similarity in the two texts?
[ ] Audience members reacted in the same way in both texts.
[ ] Both texts include the dialogue that was said after the assassination.
[ ] The settings for both texts take place at Lincoln's home.
[ ] Booth's immediate reaction after killing the President is the same in both texts.
6. Read Story 1 and 2.
What is a similarity in the two texts?
[ ] Booth's leap through the air is detailed with what caused him to fall in both texts.
[ ] Both texts explain that Booth got injured.
[ ] Both texts explain what the Ford Theater looked like.
[ ] Both texts explain what happened before the night of the assassination.
7. Read Story 1 and 2.
Which story begins at the earliest time?
[ ] They both begin at the same time.
[ ] Story 1
[ ] Story 2
[ ] The reader can't determine which times the stories started.
8. Read Story 1 and 2.
Which story details the time of the murder?
[ ] They both give the time of the murder.
[ ] Story 1
[ ] Story 2
[ ] Neither story gives times of the murder.
9. Read Story 1 and 2.
Which story describes the audience as realizing that a murder had been committed?
[ ] Both stories 1 and 2.
[ ] Story 1
[ ] Story 2
[ ] Neither story
10. Read Story 1.
Why do people think the assassination was part of the play?
[ ] Because Booth was an actor.
[ ] Because there was an assassination in the play.
[ ] Because people shot guns all the time back then.
[ ] Because the place was dark and they didn't know what had happened.
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English Language: Elementary School: Grades 3, 4 and 5 Quiz - Grade 4 Reading Information - First and Secondhand Accounts (Answers)
1. Read Story 1 - Lincoln's Assassination above.
Dr. Charles Leale was in the audience and wrote Story 1 in his book that was published in 1909.
What type of account is Story 1?
[x] Firsthand account
[ ] Secondhand account
[ ] Thirdhand account
[ ] It is both first and secondhand accounts.
Dr. Charles A Leale was actually a surgeon who helped Lincoln when he was shot.
2. Read Story 1 - Lincoln's Assassination above.
What information helps you figure out what type of account this is?
[ ] Dr. Leale wrote this text in 1909.
[x] Dr. Leale was at the Ford Theater when Lincoln was shot.
[ ] Dr. Leale wrote this from what he heard people say.
[ ] Dr. Leale wrote what he thought happened even though he didn't see anything.
Dr. Leale was able to save the life of the President for a few hours.
3. Read Story 2 - Lincoln's Assassination above.
This text was written in 2012 by the author who researched information to write this text.
What type of account is Story 2?
[ ] Firsthand account
[x] Secondhand account
[ ] Thirdhand account
[ ] It is both first and secondhand accounts.
This is an example of a secondhand account.
4. Read Story 2 - Lincoln's Assassination above.
What information helps you figure out what type of account this is?
[ ] The author included dates and times.
[ ] It is about Lincoln's assassination.
[x] The author was not at the event.
[ ] The author includes a lot of details.
The author could not have been at this event since he or she wrote it in 2012.
5. Read Story 1 and 2.
What is a similarity in the two texts?
[ ] Audience members reacted in the same way in both texts.
[ ] Both texts include the dialogue that was said after the assassination.
[ ] The settings for both texts take place at Lincoln's home.
[x] Booth's immediate reaction after killing the President is the same in both texts.
In both texts, Booth jumps onto the stage.
6. Read Story 1 and 2.
What is a similarity in the two texts?
[ ] Booth's leap through the air is detailed with what caused him to fall in both texts.
[x] Both texts explain that Booth got injured.
[ ] Both texts explain what the Ford Theater looked like.
[ ] Both texts explain what happened before the night of the assassination.
Both texts explain that Booth got injured when he leaped to the stage.
7. Read Story 1 and 2.
Which story begins at the earliest time?
[ ] They both begin at the same time.
[x] Story 1
[ ] Story 2
[ ] The reader can't determine which times the stories started.
Story 1 begins prior to Lincoln going to the theater.
8. Read Story 1 and 2.
Which story details the time of the murder?
[ ] They both give the time of the murder.
[ ] Story 1
[x] Story 2
[ ] Neither story gives times of the murder.
Only Story 1 gives the time of 10:30 p.m. as the time of the murder.
9. Read Story 1 and 2.
Which story describes the audience as realizing that a murder had been committed?
[ ] Both stories 1 and 2.
[x] Story 1
[ ] Story 2
[ ] Neither story
In Story 1, the audience members yell "Kill the murderer!"
10. Read Story 1.
Why do people think the assassination was part of the play?
[x] Because Booth was an actor.
[ ] Because there was an assassination in the play.
[ ] Because people shot guns all the time back then.
[ ] Because the place was dark and they didn't know what had happened.
The audience thought that this might be part of the play.