Paper 1 source skills — Independence and identity
Practice Flashcards
Flip to reveal answersWhat does Paper 1 Q1 ask you to do?
Track your progress — Sign up free to save your progress and get smart review reminders based on spaced repetition.
All 12 Flashcards — Paper 1 source skills — Independence and identity
Sign up free to track progress and get spaced-repetition review schedules.
Question
What does Paper 1 Q1 ask you to do?
Answer
Explain how the CONTENT of two named sources can be used to answer the inquiry question — [6 marks].
Question
What does Paper 1 Q2 ask you to do?
Answer
Analyse how the CONTEXT of ONE named source (its origin, purpose, time and place) shapes how a historian can use it — [6 marks].
Question
What does Paper 1 Q3 ask you to do?
Answer
Examine how the PERSPECTIVES across ALL the sources can be used to answer the inquiry question — [12 marks], the longest and most demanding question.
Question
Content vs context — what's the difference?
Answer
Content = WHAT the source says (the facts, claims, details inside it). Context = WHO made it, WHEN, WHERE and WHY (its origin and purpose).
Question
Define {{origin|where a source comes from: who made it, when, where}}.
Answer
The who/when/where of a source — e.g. a memoir written by Toussaint L'Ouverture's secretary in 1802, in Saint-Domingue.
Question
Define {{purpose|why the source was made and for what audience}}.
Answer
Why the source was created and for whom — e.g. a British colonial report written to justify continued rule to London officials.
Question
Why does purpose matter when using a source?
Answer
A source made to persuade or justify (like a government report or propaganda leaflet) may exaggerate, omit, or frame events to suit its author's aims.
Question
Worked example: a 1953 British settler's diary entry describing Mau Mau fighters as 'savages' — what does this content and context tell a historian?
Answer
Content: shows fear and hostility toward the uprising. Context: a settler's private diary reveals genuine colonial anxiety, but as a source from ONE side it is highly one-sided and cannot show Kikuyu motivations.
Question
Worked example: Dessalines's 1804 Haitian Declaration of Independence — content and context?
Answer
Content: declares Haiti free and rejects French rule. Context: written by the new state's leader to legitimise independence to Haitians and the world — so it is celebratory, not a neutral account of the war's cost.
Question
What does 'perspectives' mean in Q3?
Answer
The different viewpoints reflected across a set of sources — e.g. colonizer vs colonized, elite vs ordinary people — and where they agree, disagree, or reveal gaps.
Question
Four-step process for planning a Q3 perspectives answer.
Answer
1) Identify each source's perspective. 2) Group sources that agree. 3) Note where they conflict or one is silent. 4) Link each perspective back to the inquiry question.
Question
Command term 'Examine' (used in Q3) means what?
Answer
Consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers the assumptions and interrelationships of the issue — go beyond describing to weighing perspectives.
Read the notes
Full study notes for Paper 1 source skills — Independence and identity
Topic 2.3 hub
Paper 1 source skills
More from Topic 2.3
All flashcards in this topic
History (2028+) exam skills
Paper structures & tips
Track your progress with spaced repetition
Sign up free — Aimnova tells you exactly which cards to review and when, so you remember everything before your IB exam.
Start Free